Top 5 Ways to Make an Impact at Interview

As the job market opens up again following Covid, the competition is fierce, so having exceptional interview skills is paramount to your success and landing that next great role.

Here are 5 top tips that will help you make the right impression:

1.??????Research, Research, Research

Demonstrate clearly that you know their business…

Why? It will allow you to effectively answer the question ‘why do you want to work for us?’ and it will show your genuine interest in not only them but the industry as a whole. It also displays the level of thought you’ve put into the strategy behind your career moves.

So where do you get this information?

The obvious place to start is the Company website and this should provide you with the company size, number of employees, maybe annual revenue and where they are based. This is just generic information though, you also need to research who their competitors are, how they have grown (or shrunk) over the last few and try to discover their plans for the next few years.

What about recent news? Have they posted anything on their LinkedIn company page recently?

From LinkedIn you could also try to identify who their leadership team are, how long they’ve worked for the business and what their careers have been like prior to joining.

2.??????Be Able to Talk Through Your CV

This is one that takes practice, as in actually practicing this out loud!!!

You need to be able to explain your career movements logically and with the strategy behind those moves all whilst highlighting (in brief) your achievements, ensuring that the ones you mention match the job you are applying for.

The confidence with which you do this will create a positive impression right from the start and allow the person interviewing you to sit back and listen to your comprehensive (but non waffly) talk through your career to date.

3.??????Make Connections Between Yourself and What the Company Does

If you’ve written your achievements well, the work is done for you in terms of answering competency-based questions at interview.

The importance of matching your achievements to the job role and being able to discuss these comprehensively at the interview allows you to show not only your ‘value add’ but critically how you meet the needs of the business.

4.??????Ask Intelligent and Well Informed Questions

This is an area that most people let themselves down on at interview. Yes, you are the one being interviewed, but you also need to assess and make a judgement as to whether that company is the right place for you.

Asking questions also shows that you have a genuine interest in the company as a whole and not just your role and salary package.

You need to prepare questions about the team, the company structure and how the team you would be working in fits into the overall business. Then move onto questions about the company as a whole e.g., where they are now and what their growth plans are for the future? Third, move onto questions about the industry which would include competitors, how the market has changed and where the business sits within that market.

Finally, you can make the last questions you ask about you, including salary, training, career progression opportunities, timescales for the role starting and of course the reason the vacancy is there to begin with.

5.??????Be Able to Address Confidently any Deficits in Experience or Skill

It’s almost impossible to have the skill or experience to meet EVERY requirement of a job role, so being able to show that you are not only aware of any deficit but are able to address them with confidence is one of the most important areas to prepare for.

If the interviewer hasn’t raised any deficits already, then raise them yourself!

The key to doing this effectively is to acknowledge the deficit and then state how you will address it. Then explain your perception regarding how long it will take to get you up to speed,

·??????Is it through internal or external training?

·??????Is it a skill that can it only be gained through industry experience, or

·??????Can it be addressed simply by conducting research and then learning how that particular piece of knowledge applies to their business?

As we all know preparation is key and by showing that you fully understand their business and how you would fit into it shows how serious you are about your career and will impress any interviewer.