Whether you are used to interviews or coming back into the world of work,we have all heard stories about nightmare interviews. Whether it’s your mind going completely blank when asked a question or being 30 mins late..many of us have been there!
Below are some tips on how you can minimise the possibility of those mishaps and give you more confidence. These tips should help you nail that interview!
Research, Research, Research
We can’t emphasise enough how important it is to research before your interview. Do your research on the sector your organisation is in, look at the challenges it faces, trends and opportunities affecting it. You should also do the same for the organisation. What challenges are they facing or have faced? Are they ahead of the curve on a certain aspect of the industry? Who are their competitors?
If you know who will be interviewing you, find out as much as you can about them. Look at available profiles on the company website and other social media profiles.
Find out what the organisation looks for in terms of skills and experience from employees. Again you can find this out by looking at their website and social media channels.
Make yourself ‘interview ready’
Make sure you know your CV back to front. Ensure that you can explain any work history gaps, you don’t want to be stumbling during the interview. Make a list of common interview questions and your answers to them. There are some obvious questions like the infamous “where do you see yourself in 5 years time” but there are more and it would be good to have some prepared answers.
When answering interview questions and referencing one of your skills you should support it with an example to prove to the interviewer that your skills are genuine. A popular technique for illustrating your skills is the STAR method:
Situation: Give some context to the story you’re about to tell, outline where you were and why you were there.
Task: Describe what you were doing and if you faced any challenges whilst doing it.
Action: Then explain the actions you took to complete the task and how you tackled any challenges you faced.
Results: Finally, reveal the outcome, this should demonstrate your skills, what you achieved and also anything you learnt from the situation.
Interviews aren’t just about the interviewers asking you questions, it is also an opportunity for you to ask them question.Asking insightful questions will help you decide whether you are interested in the role and will also demonstrate to the interviewer that you’re interested and serious about the role. Click here to get a list of questions to ask.
Make sure you have planned your route to the interview, even being 5 mins late can be kill your chances before the interview starts. Aim for being 20 to 30 minutes early to be sure.
Make notes
There are a few things you should always take to a job interview, including a pen and paper to make notes. This isn’t compulsory, but it could help to show your initiative and make you look enthusiastic about the role.
If you take a notepad with you, you can jot down any important information you’re given, or any questions you might think of during the interview. However, be careful not to let the notepad distract you.
After the interview
Follow up with a “Thank You “ email and let them know you are available to answer any further questions. You can also use this opportunity to ask for feedback.
This also is your chance to reiterate your interest in the role
