Your Guide to Interview Success

Just landed an interview? Here’s how to impress prospective employers from start to finish.

 PREPARATION

 – Preparation is the number one priority to ensure you perform well in an interview. You cannot be over-prepared. Even if you are not asked some of the questions you were ready to answer, doing your homework will still result in you being more confident and giving a better interview.

 – Make sure you know your CV inside out. You need to be able to deliver a synopsis of your education, experience, skills and who you are as a person in around five minutes. Refer to the job spec and match your experience and skills to it. As well as having all the facts to hand, also have examples ready to talk about to illustrate them, such as how you worked well as part of a team or how you met deadlines under pressure. Think of four or five points that you want to get across and this will also help you stay focused.

 – Do your research on the company and the role for which you are interviewing. The company website will often provide good information but you can also take a look at external specialist sector sites for more. Search Google and the main news websites for any recent articles.

 – Find out who is going to be interviewing you if you can, as this can be a good way of gauging the kind of questions you are going to be asked. A HR Manager will be more likely to ask about softer skills to find out if your personality fits the company culture, whereas a direct manager will want to know about your work achievements and how you perform tasks.

 – Once you have all of your background research and preparation done, it’s a good idea to practice either on your own or with a friend. If you’re going to do this on your own, practice the answers out loud to see how they sound rather than just going over them in your head. Try this in front of a mirror to see if you are making faces or fidgeting.

 AT THE INTERVIEW

 – It can be easier said than done, but try not to be too nervous. A little adrenaline is good, but being overly nervous may mean that the interviewer won’t get the opportunity to see the real you.

 – Arrive ten minutes early and be friendly and pleasant to whoever you meet, but be ready when the interviewer arrives for you. Don’t get caught up in reading the newspapers, drinking a coffee or having an in-depth conversation with the receptionist.

 – If you’re being interviewed by more than one person, you need to include everyone in the room. Make eye contact with all of the interviewers, even if only one person is asking the questions. And don’t make the mistake of only addressing the interviewer in the most senior position.

 – Your interviewer may have a relaxed style, but don’t take this as a cue to get too relaxed yourself. Always keep in mind that you are at an interview and not having a chat with a friend!

 – When giving your answers, try to think about them from the interviewer’s perspective. Turn the features of your career into benefits by keeping the focus on what you can bring to the job and the company.

 – Don’t give answers that are overly long. Keep to the point, be succinct and make sure that you have the interviewer’s attention. However it’s also important not to give answers that are too brief and you shouldn’t assume that an interviewer already knows something. If you’re not sure if you have given enough information, don’t be afraid to ask if you’ve answered their question.

 – If you’re asked about a particular skill or area of experience that you don’t have, don’t lie. This doesn’t mean you should draw attention to what you don’t have – try to turn a negative into a positive and focus on what you do have to offer.

 – Being asked a question that you weren’t expecting can throw you off balance. In this situation, often what the interviewer wants to know is how you handle pressure, and how you answer is more important than what you say. Take your time, and give yourself a few seconds to think by using something like “That’s an interesting question…”

 – At the end of the interview you will usually be asked if you have any questions. Don’t just make something up on the spot if the questions you had prepared have already been answered. It’s fine to let the interviewer know that your questions have been answered and you can also use the opportunity to reiterate your interest in the role.

– It’s also a good idea to ask what the next step will be and when you can expect to hear from them if they haven’t already advised you of this.

 AFTER THE INTERVIEW

 – Follow up with a brief “thank you” email for the interviewer’s time. This will also keep you fresh in the interviewer’s mind and you can reiterate your interest in the role.

 – Finally, using a recruitment agency like Brightwater offers you the benefit of inside knowledge as well as experienced feedback on your interview skills!
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