How To Ace A Job Interview

I’ve done my fair share of interviews, from one-off freelance projects to full-time roles and larger ongoing contracts. Interviews can range from having to give a presentation in a boardroom before several people, or going for a quick ‘coffee and a chat’ in a café (but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security that you aren't being tested!). You can have someone fire off a list of formal questions, or just end up shooting the breeze with a hiring manager so they can get a glimpse of your personality. It’s difficult to gauge what type of interview yours will be, but if you do enough preparation, you should be well armed for any kind of scenario.

First off, there’s no easy way of knowing whether you have ‘passed’ or not – sometimes they already know who they’re giving the job to and meeting you is just a formality to keep HR happy (unless you seriously shine - or f**k up - depending on their previous decision).

There’s no straightforward formula to acing an interview either – it’s like a first date, sometimes your personality will gel with the other person’s, other times it’s just not meant to be. But there are ways where you can prepare enough so you can relax and sell yourself as best as possible – so the entire thing isn’t a white-knuckle ride.

Research the company

You don’t have to be an expert, but get just enough information to work out why want to work there and what aspects of the company’s ethos and values match yours. As well as reading their website, type their name into Google News – see if anything interesting comes up that you can mention as a talking point. If they’re an agency, what clients do they work with, have they done any interesting charity work or created any ground breaking campaigns?

Summarise your experience into 5 key points that are tailored to this job

Interview questions can vary, but in 99% of cases, you'll be asked to rattle off your career history to date (if you’re a graduate, this might be your studies, work experience and extra-curricular activities). The interviewer isn’t going to sit through while you plough through your entire CV (they will probably cut you off after five minutes), so it’s best to pick and choose the highlights that directly appertain to the job you’re applying for.

Think of various workplace scenarios where you had a challenge and overcame it

A lot of formal interview questions (especially for big companies) go along the lines of “can you think of a time where x happened, how did you deal with it and what was the feedback?” So that you don’t choke when this happens, it’s best to come armed with a few examples of challenges you encountered in your previous roles and how you handled them effectively. Try to steer clear of talking emotionally about how stressed you were or moaning about ex-colleagues and incompetent managers. Just focus on the situation and how you handled it in a professional manner. They might also ask you how you react under stress and what you should do if you have several tasks to complete at once. A good comeback is to say that you would list each task in order of priority and tackle each one accordingly – and that you would rather a piece of work was up to standard and on time, rather than perfect and be late! Reaching out to colleagues for support and trying to delegate tasks where possible are other good options for this kind of question. 

Some interview questions are just baffling, asking you to recount specific scenarios and situations, which you might not have any clue how to answer. Rather than panic trying to think of the exact scenario that would pertain to their question, it’s best to tell them about a few general scenarios where you had a challenge and overcame it – hopefully one of them will stick, either way it still frames you in a good light. It’s better to say something than nothing. (But try to stay on topic, don’t go rambling off on weird tangents about what you had for breakfast the other day...)

Decide what questions you would want to ask the interviewer

This shows initiative and a genuine interest in the role you’ve applied for. Don’t forget, interviews are a two-way street – you’re interviewing them too to a certain extent. Obviously you want to look like you genuinely want to impress them and want the job. So don’t ask condescending questions about their qualifications and experience, or things like “why should I want to work here?” (unless you want to be shown the door). But think about what are important factors for you when it comes to your ideal workplace. How would they describe their management style? Is it a close-knit team? What personality traits would they want their ideal candidate to have? Are the hours flexible? What are the employee benefits of working with their company?

Think about your personal appearance

This doesn’t mean dressing like a corporate clone. Obviously applying for a corporate job requires you to dress a certain way, but if you work in a more creative industry, your appearance should be relaxed enough to show elements of your personality – jazzy jewellery, bright colours etc. but not too relaxed so you look like you haven’t made an effort. Make sure you’re comfortable, so you don’t tense up – e.g. if you don’t normally wear make-up or sweep your hair into a bun, don’t do it for the interview as you’ll feel stiff and awkward. My main things to avoid are tracksuits, hoodies and trainers (but a smart pair of jeans can work if you style them up right). Also make sure you don’t bring a load of bags into the interview with you – shopping bags, gym bag etc. which looks super unprofessional. It might sound strange, but it’s easily done if you’re interviewing in the middle of the day.

Aim to get there at least half an hour early

Going to an interview is like travelling to catch a plane – the earlier you get there the better. There’s no accounting for traffic or delays on public transport. You might even get lost or underestimate the amount of time it takes to get there. Don’t leave it to chance. Also once you get there early, don’t immediately rock up at reception. Having been a receptionist for many years myself, I couldn’t get over the amount of people who would turn up (“Hello, I’ve got an interview but I’m SUPER early!”) and then just sit nervously twiddling their thumbs in the waiting area for 20 minutes. It annoys the receptionist who then has to babysit you (and put up with busybody colleagues asking “Who is that person? They've been sat there for an awfully long while. Is anyone seeing to them?"). It also annoys the person you’re going to be interviewed by, as they feel under pressure to see you early. Go a find a coffee shop nearby (go easy on the caffeine as it’ll boost your stress levels!) and chill out and relax, make a phone call to a friend for a last-minute pep talk or just explore the local area – is this somewhere you can see yourself working? If it's a nice day, taking a brief walk around the block is a great way to loosen up and clear your head.

Also it goes without saying, be polite and courteous to receptionists. (If anything you don’t know how close they are to the person that’s potentially hiring you.) If the person you’re seeing is late – and they probably will be – the receptionist has probably already tried to contact them. Try checking in (politely) and then dropping the person an email yourself to say you’ve arrived.

N.B. Other things you might want to plan ahead are topics of small talk as you're being taken up to the interview room. Friendly chitchat can break the ice and make you a bit more amenable to the interviewer. Don’t be too nosey or over-familiar, but basic topics like “are you having a busy day?” “how’s the project going?” or making general comments about it being nice offices or a nice area to work in should get you through a long elevator ride if nothing else.

Hints that it’s going well

If conversation flows and you end up talking for a long time, these are the main indicators that you might be in with a good chance. (Making the interviewer laugh is always a bonus!) If they start going into detail about the practicalities of what the job involves and asking you questions about your availability and whether you’re interviewing for other positions (always say yes!) then this is also good news. Some statements can be ambiguous “we’ll be in touch”, “we’re seeing quite a few candidates” etc. so try not to stress or instantly think “game over”.

Getting a grilling can be a good thing!

Several times I think an interview has been horrendous, where the person has given me a really hard time, and afterwards I’ve been offered the job. Sometimes when a person thinks you might be a good fit for the role, they might want to put you through your paces a little bit just to make sure they’re making the right decision. So don’t think you’ve automatically lost the job if the interviewer has harshly interrogated you. Also people can behave differently in interviews to how they are day-to-day, they can be a lot nicer once you start working with them.

But some people are just d*uchebags

And there’s nothing you can do about it. So if someone’s a real pig on a power trip, then don’t get upset or take it personally. See it as a bullet dodged – at least you don’t have to work with that person on a regular basis.

Finally, relax and try to enjoy it

The fact you’ve been brought in for an interview is that the company see something in you, which is an achievement in itself. So don’t go in ready to defend yourself or think it's 'you versus them'. They want to find the perfect candidate for the job, so they want you to do well as much as you do! This is your chance to shine – the next half hour or so is all about you so enjoy the chance to talk about your achievements and attributes. If you don’t get the job, it’s still good interview practise, so it wasn’t a waste of time either way.

Any further questions/comments, feel free to tweet me at @violalevy