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Interview Tips
So you’ve secured an interview for your dream job? Excellent! Now just to make sure you’re prepared for whatever may get thrown at you on the day!
Interviews can be a scary, nerve-wracking experience, but they really needn’t be. It all comes down to preparation and getting the basics right to make sure you make the right impression. And by basics, it’s not just about wearing your best suit, arriving on time, keeping good eye contact, speaking clearly and a firm handshake.
No, these things of course are important and will set you off on the right foot but there’s a few other things you can do to make sure you leave a lasting impression and ensure that you’re the candidate the employer is itching to call back with a big fat offer!
Here is a short list of tips and tricks to help you nail that interview;
- Make sure your mobile phone is switched to silent! This ringing in the middle of your interview can be very distracting for both the interviewer and yourself.
- Use your recruitment consultant to get as much information as possible about what to expect from the interview. It’s great that you have the job description and have done your research online but a consultant worth his or her salt will have information you won’t be able to find anywhere else. They should know what you might be asked; what the interviewers are ‘really’ looking for; what puts them off; what will grab their attention. Your consultant should be calling you with all this information and if they’re not, call them and ask!
- Take a copy of your CV, the job description and make some notes of good examples of your experience and some questions you want to ask. You’ll look well prepared and if you forget something or ‘go blank’ you’ve something handy to jog your memory and refer to. Everyone’s suffered that moment in an interview when what they really wanted to say goes out of their head! If it gets really bad, take a breath, have a drink of water and ask the interviewer a question.
- If you’ve been asked to prepare a presentation, check what it is they’re expecting from you. Prepare it well in advance and get your consultant to cast a second pair of eyes over it. They should know again what the client is looking for in more detail than the brief you’ve been given and will be able to give you some handy pointers. Take plenty of handouts, and if you’re using your own laptop make sure you have your power adapter with you!
- Do your research on who will be interviewing you. Use LinkedIn to your advantage. Find out where they worked before and ask them why they joined the business and what they like about working there. It’ll help you decide if it’s the right job for you. It’s a two way process after all. Oh, and make sure you call them by the correct name during the interview. A simple thing you might think but there have been occasions where a candidate has called the interviewer by the wrong name throughout!
- Dress smart and look your best but dress appropriately.
Useful downloads for you to use
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Your Guide to Professional Development 07/10/2024Download
Your Guide to Professional Development
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CV Template 31/05/2022Download
CV Template
You have about 5 seconds to impress the reader; either a potential employer or a Recruitment Consultant will want to see that your CV grabs their attention and quickly demonstrates you have the necessary skills and competencies the employer is looking for.
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