How to - Job Interview Tips

The purpose of your resume is to get you an interview and if you’ve done a good job, this will be the next stage.

If you have just left college or haven’t had a job interview in a long time, the prospect of your having to go to an interview can be very daunting.

A formal interview is pretty nerve-wracking for both the interviewer and the people being interviewed. So don’t be put off – if you prepare well you will be fine and, don’t forget, this  interview could launch you on your dream career. Even if it is just a case of getting a job to pay the bills until you find what is right for you, you should take every interview seriously.

The first thing to remember is that everyone who has been shortlisted could do the job. So you are up against the best applicants. It’s up to you to show the interviewers that you could do a better job than any of the others. So this should be your aim. You are in a situation where you are competing with the best and only one of you will win. If you want that person to be you, you must shine.

There are some basic rules when it comes to interviews. You need to dress appropriately and generally this means wearing a business suit if you are being interviewed for a job in the corporate world. In certain industries, dress code will be much more casual, and so you should aim to wear an outfit which is a little bit smarter than the type of clothes you’d be wearing if you got the job.

Showing up on time is crucial. Check out the route beforehand - if you can a trial run is a good idea and you’ll have the advantage of knowing exactly where the building is in advance. Most people have had that nightmare scenario of turning up in good time, but not being able to locate the company for ages, despite maps and instructions. If you arrive 5 minutes early but take 10 minutes to find the building, floor and office, you are late in spite of your efforts.

If it isn’t possible to do a dummy run, just leave plenty of time on the day of the interview.

And, just in case of emergencies, have a mobile phone with the number of your contact with you – an unavoidable crisis could make you late and in this case, you must let them know.

Spend a bit of time thinking about the sort of questions which are likely to come up and prepare some good, concise answers. Don’t rely on just trotting this out verbatim – you need to sound natural and to answer exactly what is asked, not what you thought might be asked! If you are nervous, you could practise with a friend beforehand.

You should also consider your strengths and what skills and experience you will bring to the company. Think about the special contribution you can make, something which makes you different from the other candidates and which is important to the organization.

Go over your own work experience and identify your transferable skills – any job you’ve had, even summer jobs, any volunteering you’ve done and all of your hobbies will have given you a long list of skills which are useful in the workplace.

Make sure you havea copy of your application with you. This is especially important if you have applied for a lot of jobs, as you’ll need to read it on the way to remind yourself of exactly what you said. You’ll also need to be able to explain any gaps in your employment history. With the right preparation, you can ace that first interview.