Interview tips
An interview is a two-way process. It's your interviewer's responsibility to assess your suitability for the job so you can make it easier for them by being open, direct and giving them the information they need. Equally, you are in the process of finding out about the company and post, and deciding whether you want the job. So you will be picking up vibes about the place and forming your own impressions of the people and ethos, as well as asking questions. Remembering that you are assessing them, as well as the other way round, might help to calm some of those interview nerves.
1. Preparation
Find out as much as you can about your potential employers, the field in which they operate, their products and their competitors. Use their website as a starting point. During your interview, you will get opportunities to show your knowledge, so aim to be informed and complimentary, without fawning.
2. What shall I wear?
If you are uncertain, you could telephone in advance and ask the receptionist what the company dress code is. Otherwise, use your common sense. Show your style, but subtly. The bottom line is that you should be smartly turned out because your interviewer will note your physical presentation. Hands and feet are big giveaways so fingernails must be utterly clean and nail varnish perfect. Shoes should be spotless and not at all worn out. Girls, avoid anything open-toed.
3. Arrive on time
Aim to arrive half an hour early and find a café to loiter in until it’s time for your interview. This will give you time to calm yourself down, check your appearance and so on. If you are late for an interview, however valid your excuse, you will be remembered as the interviewee who couldn’t get there on time… And that’s not good. If you can’t avoid being late, phone and explain and give a new ETA which you can stick to.
4. …but don’t be too early!
Ring the bell a maximum of five minutes before your interview time. Punctuality is the name of the game. You won’t get any brownie points for being early and having to be accommodated until your interviewer is ready.
5. First impressions count
The first couple of minutes of your interview are critical. This thought might terrify you, but it needn’t: you haven’t faced any trick questions yet and it’s all about presentation, which is entirely under your control. Breathe deeply before you meet your interviewer and relax. During the initial handshake, stand tall, make eye contact and smile. When you sit down, sit back in the chair rather than on the edge. Keep still while your interviewer is speaking. If you try to remain physically relaxed, this will help you to feel calm.
6. Strengths and weaknesses
You can prepare these in advance too! Try to come up with anecdotal evidence of strengths, where you have put your good qualities into practice in the past, in any situation. Perhaps think of an example or two of things that you have learnt by experience. It’s good to have a weakness or two, but you need to be selective and put a positive spin on these. Don’t come up with a hopeless, incurable weakness that could matter!
7. Questions
Most of your questions about the actual post and company will be answered naturally as the interview progresses. It’s still good, though, to have one or two up your sleeve. You could ask in general about the typical career backgrounds of employees; which part of the job is most time-consuming, and which is the toughest part; whether there are any clubs or extra-curricular activities; about training and appraisals.
8. Never lie…
There's a difference between showing your past experiences in as constructive a light as possible, and falsifying them. And a difference between omitting certain mistakes you have made from your CV, and rewriting your past. Use your CV and interview to show yourself in the best possible light - but don't misrepresent yourself. If you are not quite the person you claim to be, you will be exposed, one way or another.
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