I have had my fair share of jobs over the years, which means I have had a fair number of interviews. This paired with the fact that I have also been the interviewer on a number of occasions, means I have a pretty good idea of what you need to do to ace an interview.
Here are my top tips to ensure you have a great interview, and get that job!
Do your research
Always, always do plenty of research before your interview. This should include research around the job role that you are interviewing for, research around the industry or sector if it is new to you, and research around the company itself.
Start with their website, read their blog and sign up to their social media. If they have one available, read the newsletter or annual report and do a general Google search of the company which should pull up any press coverage they might have had.
When I have interviewed people for jobs, I want to see that they have looked into the organisation - after all they need to know if it will be right for them, but it also shows a little something extra.
The research will help you tailor your answers perfectly for the organisation and role, but you should also drop in subtle hints of your research into some of your answers. When I was looking to hire a marketing executive, I asked the interviewees how important they thought social media was when marketing to young people. This would be the perfect opportunity for someone to provide an answer, then follow it up with something like “I noticed you are using Twitter to xxxx and xxxx, I thought perhaps you could improve it by xxxxx.” This shows they have done research and have ideas appropriate for the business.
I’d give them a gold star!
Practise
I think it is really important you practise answering questions ahead of every interview. Not only will this help you get answers straight in your head and highlight gaps where you need to do some more work but it will also make you feel a lot more confident when you are in the interview.
You should be able to use the job description and person specification to come up with some likely questions that you are going to be asked. For example, if part of the job is to deal with customers, it is likely you will be asked about how you deal with customer issues and complaints. Having an answer prepared and practised will give you a real upper edge.
A day or two before every interview, ask a friend or family member to give you a mock interview. You can supply them with some of the questions you think you are most likely to be asked and also ask them to make some questions up on the spot.
Just saying them out loud will help your mind figure out the best way to say things so you come across better. As they say, practise makes perfect.
Give real examples
Your interviewer will ask you questions to try and find out if you have the right skills, experience, attitude and ability for the job. When they ask you a question, try to not just tell them what you know, but demonstrate how you have used your knowledge in an actual real-life scenario. Some organisations will make this easy but asking you competency based questions such as … ‘tell me about a time when’, or ‘give me an example of when you have’, but if they don’t you should still try and use examples. Start with the problem, issue or situation that you faced, then what you did and end with what the results were. Your example doesn’t always need to be an award winning project - perhaps you learnt something that meant the next time you could improve. Tell them this. It shows that you can grow and develop.
Do something to stand out
I am not talking about wearing something crazy, or doing something daft but do something relevant to the job that really sets you apart. For me, I have created a marketing portfolio with examples of previous work that is laid out in a really smart and professional manner. This is not very common in my field (it would be more common for a photographer, artist, designer etc) so it has always been very well received.
If your work doesn’t lend itself to a portfolio though, think of ways you can demonstrate your skills. You could come up with an idea for the company, create something that shows you understand their business or display a piece of work in a new and innovative way.
As long as you keep it relevant to the role and company you are applying for, your interviewers will be impressed with the extra effort you have gone to.
Remember the basics
Alongside all of the above, don’t forget the obvious interview etiquette:
- Be on time - this means ten or fifteen minutes early but try not to be any earlier than that. It can stress your interviewer out if you arrive too early and mess up the schedule.
- Dress smart - how smart will probably depend on the company or industry but as a rule of thumb, go more smart rather than less smart.
- Relax - easier said than done I know, but if you have done all of the above then there is no need to be stressed out! Take some deep breaths. You can do it - you know you can. Now you just need to show them you can too.
- Make small talk - don’t forget they want to know a bit about you too, and this will come across better in normal conversation. Ask how they are, make a comment about the building/weather/location etc. You’ll come across as friendly, and confident without being cocky.
- Give a good hand shake - a good handshake will be forgotten instantly, but a bad one will be remembered!
- Ask questions - always have a few questions prepared at the end. These should include formalities such as what the next steps are, but also have a think about other questions you can ask about the role or the company. It’ll show you are genuinely interested.
- Say thanks, smile and let them know if you are interested in the job.
And finally - don’t forget this is your opportunity to see if you like the job too. It’s not a one way street.
I hope you have found these tips useful. Do you have any failsafe interview tips? Add them to the comments below so everyone can read them too.
