Job interviews
Some tips to help improve your interview technique
Arrive Early
Arriving 10 or 15 minutes early will allow yourself the time to compose yourself and find the interview room.
Presentation
Dress smartly and try to look confident. Don't smoke or chew.
Create a good impression with everyone you meet
Make good eye contact, sit alertly and look confident, the person walking past you while you wait could be the MD. Speak pleasantly and politely to the receptionist or secretary who greets you. The interviewer may well ask for his/her opinion later.
Take props
Take a copy of your CV and examples of your work or college assignments that are relevant to the position you are applying for.
Research the company
Knowing about the company that you want to work for shows enthusiasm and commitment. Before you go in for an interview you should know what the company does, current initiatives and any recent press comment.
Have the obvious answers ready
Not all interview questions will be the same but some will be along the same lines. Be prepared for questions such as "Why do you want to work here?", "What makes you a suitable applicant?", "What can you bring to the job?". Many interviewers will relate the questions to the person specification so read it before the interview and prepare some answers.
Don't give one word answers and don't babble
Yes and no answer may make an employer think that you are not interested. Elaborate on your answers but stick to the point
Be prepared to ask questions
At the end of the interview most interviewers will offer you the opportunity ask questions. Keep your questions positive. You may wish to take in a list of questions that you would like to ask. Use your questions as an opportunity to show your interest in the company.
Taking a test as part of the interview
It is increasingly common for employers to ask applicants to complete one or more tests either on the day of their interview or in their spare time. These are part of the application procedure and, in some cases, are as important as the interview itself.
Tests can include written exercises to assess your skills and responses to situations. They can also include psychological or 'psychometric' tests to assess your personality - a common form of psychological test is the multiple choice questionnaire.
It is hard to give detailed advice on tests because different employers apply different methods. For example, some organisations or companies will tell the applicant what tests to expect, whilst others say nothing until you are there. An advantage of such tests is that you can usually get rapid and informative feedback on the results.