Tips for Job Interview Success

A job interview can be a stressful experience, whether you’ve been in employment for a while and therefore haven’t had one for many years, or it’s your first ever interview. Conveying to your interviewer that you have a sense of direction and you really want the job, all whilst trying not be too overwhelming is a skill you need to be able to master. By showing genuine passion for their company as well as pride in your own achievements you should be able to impress your prospective employer. Here are some handy tips to help guide you through the interview and hopefully get you the job you want:

1. Do your research

It’s important you don’t go into an interview without having a clear idea of what exactly your prospective employer does and how you would fit into, and help to improve, their business. A quick glance at their website will not be sufficient, read any information about the company thoroughly, and take a look at what others have written about them, as well as the activities of their competitors.

2. Google yourself

A large proportion of employers will type your name into Google before an interview- if it’s a ‘common’ name such as John Smith it’s unlikely they’ll find anything too embarrassing, but if your online presence is easily discoverable then it is always best to carry out a search on yourself and ensure you delete anything that could give your future employer a bad impression before you’ve even been given the chance to be interviewed.

3. Practise makes perfect

Think of some questions that are commonly asked in interviews and come up with practise answers, this will instil confidence in your ability to answer these questions when asked them in an interview. Monster have constructed a useful list of 100 common interview questions you should take a look at. Run through them yourself or get a friend or family member to role-play with you- make sure you don’t make your answers sound too scripted though, change the wording each time but ensuring you still get your main points across.

4. Don’t be late

You need to make sure that you’re on time for any interviews or appointments with your prospective employer or recruitment agency, this means arriving between 5-10 minutes beforehand, any earlier and you won’t be doing yourself any favours- you’d just be getting in the way. You will also fail to impress, obviously, if you arrive late! Plan your route the day before, as well as a backup option just in case something slows you down.

5. Play it cool

Don’t go into the interview being too enthusiastic, this will not come across as genuine enthusiasm and will also probably affect your attention span- if you don’t pay complete attention to the questions you are asked and are unable to fully answer then this will undoubtedly hinder your chances of getting the job. The opposite is of course also true, be sure to show some enthusiasm for the job, apathy will get you nowhere.

Don’t forget, of course, the essential job interview tip and undoubtedly the most important- eye contact!