Interview Tips
So if you’ve read my last post you’ve done tons of interview prep and you’re all ready to rock and roll! But what should you do in the interview to really impress?
LOOKIN' GOOD is all about fitting in with the company culture of the organisation you are applying for. If they are creative, dress with some (though not overwhelming!) colour. If your potential organisation is more traditional - a grey, blue or black outfit (or suit for men) shows you as professional and responsible. Wearing one item with a bit of colour, a single coloured tie to go with your suit or a statement necklace makes you memorable, as well as stylish! Keep to block colours to make sure the focus is on you and what you’re saying. For music lovers, you may hate this but, headphones off is a must. You need to show you will give your employer your full attention.
TALK TO YOUR ADMINISTRATOR/RECEPTIONIST. You’d be suprised how many Hiring Managers will see how you acted with different members of staff. As soon as you’re in the building, you are “on” as it were with potential people you could work with in the future. Make sure you stand out by being a friendly, organised and confident candidate. You could even find out a little more about the organisation - how long have they worked here, do they enjoy their role, do they have any advice?
SHAKE HANDS FIRMLY WITH YOUR PANEL. Practice on a friend if need be and ask them to give you feedback. The amount of times I’ve interviewed someone with a weak handshake and thought ‘oh no’. It says a lot about a person if they grip too hard (don’t have much awareness for others/coming on too strong) or too soft (suggests lack of confidence). Make sure you ace the handshake test! (this also a key skill for networking).
BRING A BOTTLE OF WATER WITH YOU or ask for a glass of water. You often talk so much during an interview that your throat can become dry. If you don’t suffer from this, it still provides a useful prop for those trickier questions as you can take a sip while you formulate your answer.
TRY TO RELAX, SMILE & MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT. Body language is important in an interview, remind yourself to relax your shoulders and face your panel square on to make a good impression. Enjoy meeting new potential managers and colleagues and smile accordingly. Ensure you spread your eye contact across the panel so that you’re talking to each of your decision-makers.
ASK FOR A PAUSE OR A REPEAT OF DIFFICULT QUESTIONS. I was really impressed by the students of Westminster Kingsway College when I went to do interview practice with them as it takes a lot of confidence to ask for a pause while you think about a question or to ask someone to repeat a tricky question. We all need time to think though and this is essential if you have a tough question and want to provide a well-thought-out answer. I like to go for ‘that’s a really interesting question, can I have a moment to think about that?’. Or ‘could we come back to this one at the end so I can think more on this one?’ Shows you really know how to handle an interview!
ALWAYS ASK THEM QUESTIONS as this interview is as much about finding out about them as it is about finding out about you. I like to ask three questions 1) about the role and day-to-day stuff (operations) 2) about the company and its future (strategy) and 3) a more off-the-wall question. Q3) I think really helps as I’ve found in my career history that the best interviews end up being more of a conversation by the end of your time together. If you want to find out as much about them and the organisation, it shows real research and interest on your part and that you’re a good social fit for their company.
Good luck with your interview! Remember to power pose before you go in…