How To Ace Your Manufacturing Job Interview

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How To Ace Your Manufacturing Job Interview
How To Ace Your Manufacturing Job Interview

All your hard work has finally led to this pivotal moment: the manufacturing job interview. At this point, you want to leave a strong impression with the hiring manager, sending the message that you’re that perfect person for the job.

To do that, you need to do your homework and prep for what to do before, during, and after the interview. As a leading manufacturing staffing agency in Wichita, KS, Top Notch Personnel interviews candidates for manufacturing jobs on a regular basis. Here are our best tips on how to ace your interview.

 

Before the Interview

You want to enter the interview armed to the teeth with information about the role and company you’re applying to. When you show that you understand the manufacturing position, organization, and how you can be a contributing member, you’ve instantly pulled ahead of the competition. Here’s a closer look at what you can do at this stage:

  • Do your homework about the company, beginning on the Internet. Ask anyone you know on the inside for insider scoop.
  • Go over your resume one more time and familiarize yourself with the key points you want to emphasize
  • Practice answering questions to typical interview questions, like “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?” or the classic, “Why should we hire you?”

 

During the Interview

Job interviews are about selling yourself as a solution to the company’s hiring challenge. At this stage, you want to carefully define your brand as a candidate, your unique selling proposition (USP), and your success stories using the problem-solution-results method.

  • You’ll naturally be asked to talk about yourself, so be sure to practice your elevator pitch. Make sure it runs about 2 to 3 minutes, with no rambling or stammering.
  • Listen. An interview is not about one-way communication. You want to listen to the interviewer’s questions and comments to pick up important details about the job and company, which you can then weave into your answers.
  • Need clarification on a question? Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat it..
  • Don’t be afraid to take a few seconds to compose your thoughts before giving answers.

 

After the Interview

 OK, so it seems like the interview went well, but you still want confirmation from the company—that’s perfectly understandable. At this stage, you want to follow up on the interview with a thank you note or email no more than 48 hours after the interview.

  • Use the thank you note to emphasize highlights of the interview and conversation you had with the interviewer, reiterating your interest in the manufacturing job.
  • Be sure to include an offer for clarification just in case the interviewer felt you might have failed to mention critical information about yourself.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask about your performance. How well did you handle the interview? What do you think could have been done differently?

Questions like these represent a genuine interest in the job. And if you don’t get the role, at least you will have received feedback on how to improve yourself.

 

Need Help From Manufacturing Recruiting Specialists?

Follow these tips and you should be able to set yourself up for interview success. If you need help looking for manufacturing positions in your area, let the staffing services specialists of Top Notch Personnel connect you with our pool of local employers. Contact our offices to learn more about how our staffing solutions can help you.

 

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