When you have applied and been interviewed for several roles but have continued to be unsuccessful, it is natural to want to know why.
There could be several reasons for you not securing the digital banking positions you have applied for – some are within your control, but some are outside.
Job rejections are harsh for even experienced employees, and sometimes the reason can be that somebody also applied who was more suited to the role than you.
However, sometimes it is a tech candidate’s mindset or interview skills which prevent them from securing their new role. And it’s these instances which I want to talk about in this article – how to improve your interview skills and mindset for tech interview success.
Fintech Interview Skills
Whether you are applying for a technology advisor position, a cyber defence manager role or to be a support consultant, there are fintech questions that will crop up that you need to be able to answer relevantly.
You must be able to demonstrate not just how proficient your skills and abilities are, but also how they relate directly to the role you are applying for.
Be prepared to talk about topics such as –
- What are your IT strengths and development areas?
- What parts of your previous fintech roles have you enjoyed the most?
- Can you program in any other languages? (this question is particularly useful for UAE employers as the region is home to so many different nationalities)
- What technological advancements do you think will make a break-through in the sector in the near future? (This question allows you to demonstrate your foresight and industry knowledge to the interviewer)
- Talk about a time that you have collaborated on a fintech project with a team and what you got out of it.
The interviewer might not explicitly ask each of these questions, but what they are hoping to ascertain is that you have a passion for and an understanding of the importance of your work, along with your hard skills and abilities.
Often tech candidates can get caught up explaining the minute details of their work projects, without giving the interviewer an idea of how they would be able to fit into this company.
Being able to clearly demonstrate how you can add real value to the organisation you are interviewing with is the quickest way to secure a job offer and practising for the above scenarios will help you to do this.
However, sometimes a candidate is the best candidate for the job in terms of their hard and soft skills, but they don’t manage to secure the job offer – and it’s down to their mindset.
Mindset
Your mindset on the day of the interview is arguably as crucial as your tangible skills.
If the role in question is highly sought-after and you have been working towards a position of this level for a while, it is understandable that there will be nerves in play on the day. However, too many nerves can lead to you producing a sub-par interview that can jeopardise your chances of landing the role.
Increasingly, it is regarded that keeping a positive mindset can drastically improve your interview technique and increases your chances of securing a new position.
Some people are born with the ability to ‘rise to the occasion’, whereas, for others, they must employ mindset strategies to help.
The following are tried and tested methods fintech candidates can use to help maintain an interview-winning attitude when it matters the most.
- Prepare
There is nothing you can do to decrease interview nerves more than knowing you have prepared adequately.
If the interview is with an organisation you have never visited before, research the location and your travel arrangements thoroughly.
Plan your answers to common interview questions and the topics you want to talk about, as I mentioned above. Your recruiter will be able to help you with any additional questions you might have about the interview.
- Visualisation
This is an incredibly helpful psychological tip – and it works. Before the interview, spend some time visualising your success. This can be a previous success, to remind yourself of a time when you felt powerful and in control; for example, the day of your last successful interview.
Alternatively, it can help to visualise yourself being offered this position. Putting yourself into this mindset makes your brain believe that it has already happened, which enables you to relax and come across better in the interview.
- Positive Thinking
Similar to visualisation, thinking positively can help reduce stress and anxiety immediately before and during your interview.
Think about a time when you were happy and relaxed, with friends or family – it does not have to be in a work-related situation. Simply remembering and focusing on times when we felt optimistic has been found to improve interview performance.
Finally
If you are considering a fintech career move to the UAE, we can help. At Flow Financial & Technology, we help candidates secure their ideal roles in the technology, banking and financial service sectors in GCC – get in touch with us today to find out more about securing your dream role.
Thanks,
About Flow Talent
Flow Talent have been sourcing the best Banking, Technology & Financial Services professionals locally and internationally for leading organisations across the Middle East region since 2018.
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