If you have done the hard part of finding a job and being invited to an interview, the last thing you want to happen now is for it all to go wrong. This is the time to prepare carefully and be as ready for the interview as you possibly can be which means following some interview advice and below are some techniques that will help you at an interview.
Professionally dressed
Even if the company who are interviewing you appear to be casual, you should always turn up dressed professionally in a suit to an interview. This creates a good impression from the start and shows a potential employer that you have made the effort and that you are interested in the position that they are interviewing you for. .
Maintaining eye contact during the interview
There is nothing worse than talking to someone and that person not looking at you. It is the same when you are in an interview. By maintaining eye contact, you are showing the employer that you are listening to what is being said and concentrating on what they are telling you.
Research
Doing your research before attending any interview is essential. Ask the company for a detailed job description so that you know exactly what they job entails and find out everything that you can about the company, look at their website, see what you can find online etc but ensure that you feel confident that when you are asked “what do you know about the role and company” that you can answer it confidently.
Act and be interested
Make sure that when you are being spoken to during an interview that you look and act interested. You can do this by creating a dialogue when answering their questions so that it is not a ask question, give answer then silence, it makes the interview and general conversation flow better.
Questions
Make sure before you go to your interview that you have pre prepared some questions to ask. This is essential in case you cannot think of any questions during your interview. By not asking questions at an interview you will appear disinterested and by asking poor questions you will seem like you have not been listening so scour the website through your research, look at the job role and have two or three questions in the back of your mind that you are prepared to ask. If you feel that you are unable to remember the questions, please do write them down in a note book that you can take into the interview with you.
References and Referees
Have you got any written references that you could take along to your interview and leave with the interviewer at the end of the interview? Employers will always want to take up references anyway if they are to employ you, so by pre-empting this and have something that you can readily give to them from someone you have worked with before can but only quicken the decision process. If the interview was going particularly well and references were mentioned you could always offer to give them the contact details of one of your referees.
Portfolio/ Work examples
Depending on the stage you are at in your career, whether you are at the beginning or you have been working for a few years and looking for a fresh challenge you will either have some work examples from university/college or previous roles.
If you have some work that would be relevant to the role that you are being interviewed for then it is advisable to take it with you to an interview to demonstrate what you can do. This is only going to work if it will be of interest to the company and relevant to the role that you have applied for.
Practice makes perfect
Finally the best thing for any interview is to practice. Do a role play scenario with one of your friends or family and make sure you practice acting questions and being able to answer them. The more practice that you get the better, as it will make you feel more confident when you get the interview of your dreams.