Acing your interview from one of our amazing people team who are well versed in being on the other side of the interview process. What is an absolute must, what to avoid and some insider tips! 

Basic Introductions

Start by confidently introducing yourself, remember that your first impressions are made within seconds.  It’s likely that your interview will now be taking place virtually which bypasses the need to nail the traditional handshake or covid-friendly elbow bump. Your facial expressions speak volumes, so smile, be open, pleasant and responsive. 

Make an effort to hold good posture - no slumping, the way that you hold yourself shows your respect for the situation you are in, and shows that you know how to hold yourself in a  professional environment.  Eye contact is also just as important in virtual conversations, you may not be in the same room, but you should keep your eyes on your interviewer, not getting distracted just because they are on the other side of a screen. 

• Clearly and confidently introduce yourself

• Keep Eye Contact

• Watch your posture

• Smile & communicate with facial expressions

Dress to Impress

Not that it should matter but dress to impress! While the way you dress is an individual choice, it needs to be appropriate for the workplace and you need to be looking and feeling your best. This again comes down to your first impressions, you want your interviewer  to see the very best version of yourself, so put some effort into the way you dress for your interviews. You want to keep the impact of your interview in the employer’s mind so make sure you shine! Figuratively and literally. 

Research the Brand/Company

This is a real basic, but something you do not want to forget to do. Researching your prospective employer does not need to be in detail, but you’ll want to know how the company has developed over the years, what they stand for, current CEO and even some background detail on this person.  This shows a true and genuine interest in working for the company, it allows you to answer questions with more relevance to the business specifically and give a much more impressive interview because of it. 

Linking your soft/focused skills with the questions.

Make sure you clearly repeat the question of what they are looking for into your answer ie, when the interviewer is looking for communication skills, you explain that you oversee a team of 15 and it is your responsibility to communicate clearly with the team and ensure that everyone is doing their jobs correctly and on time.  Try to strike a balance between keeping it descriptive and also to the point. 

Include examples in answers

From an interviewer’s point of view, a candidate using personal examples without being prompted to do so really is a blessing. Try as much as possible to connect any question to a personal scenario or past work or education experiences. This shows that you actually understand the question and have specific experience in handling this situation. 

Positivity

This one really is simple. Stay positive. Regardless of how you think the interview is going you must stay positive, keep smiling and conveying the engaging body language that we covered in our first point. This positivity will keep you going and keep the nerves at bay, allow you to give your best performance and keep the interviewer confident in your abilities too!

Releasing the nerves 

Everyone gets nervous, that is a given in interviewing, so do not feel bad for having this reaction. Before any interview take a moment before heading into the lift or entering the room or logging on and just breath… because you got this!

Never doubt yourself

If a question doesn’t make sense, just ask for them to repeat the question. We are all human (including your interviewer) and you will not be marked down for mishearing it the first time! If you also find yourself in a situation where you’ve been asked something you generally are unsure of, just answer it the best and most positive way possible. 

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