14 Interview preparationTips

Interview Tips by
James – Howard
University
Source: LinkedIn.com

How can I ace my interview?
Although there's no magic formula, there are a
few tips you can harness to ensure the job
interview goes well.

Here are my
top 14 tips:

1. Have a checklist in mind, so you can go through every single
aspect of the way you come across – from clothes, hair,
fingernails, to your briefcase or bag, how you shake hands, how
you sit. It’s all in the detail.

2. As soon as you meet your interviewer, work hard to connect with them
straight away on a personal level, by finding an ice-breaking remark or
question about a photo on their desk or an award on the wall in reception.

3. Make sure you get in with an early question, ideally one that
asks the interviewer to tell you what they consider the key
components of the job. This will give you the perfect agenda to
present against.

4. It’s always useful to have something you have prepared in
advance – a short presentation, a document, something that
demonstrates the quality of the work you do – but don’t
oversell it. Let the interviewer discover for themselves how
good you are.

5. During the interview aim to ask the interviewer as many
questions about the job and the company as they are asking
you. You are trying to maintain a balance of power. The
interview should be a two-way dialogue, not an inquisition.

6. Plan ahead for the standard questions you will always be
asked – such as, ‘Why do you want to leave your current
employer?’ – so that you don’t need to worry about those and
can respond naturally and confidently to any unexpected
questions.

7. Don’t worry unduly about showing nerves: they prove you
really want the job. A little dash of self-deprecating humour
can help relax the mood.

8. Be upbeat, friendly, show you would fit in – and maybe send
a thank-you note afterwards.

9. Practise answering killer questions in advance, so you
have an original, relevant answer, and try to avoid the trite
tactic of asking a question back. Work out what lies behind
each question: what does the interviewer really want to know?

10. If you are fazed, take some time out. The easiest way is to
ask if you can use the bathroom, which gives you vital time to
re-programme and reposition yourself, so you can return to the
interview back on track.

11. Ask if you could come in and meet the department before
a second interview: the knowledge you’ll gain will make you
stronger at the next stage – but don’t lower your guard,
especially if you’re invited to a ‘matey’ night out.

12. Try and get a feel for the company’s culture while you are
in the building, and ask questions to find out more about it –
you want to know if this a place you feel you could actually
enjoy working in.

13. Don’t forget to get feedback at the end of any interview.
There’s a very effective little line you can use when you are
being escorted back to the lifts or reception, ‘What’s your gut
feeling?’ You’ll always learn something that will be valuable to
you.

14. Keep professional right up until you have left the building.
Only relax once you are completely out of sight and out of
earshot. You don’t want to blow your chances at the last
moment with an unwise remark.

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14 Interview preparationTips

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