9 Top Tips for nailing a job interview

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Career Advice, Interview Tips Sep 17, 2017

Top Tips for nailing an interview

  1. Dress for Success

 

No matter what the work environment it is always important to dress professionally for a job interview.

The general rule of thumb, for both men and women, is to wear a suit.  Pair with an ironed shirt, tie (if appropriate) and a smart well polished pair of shoes.

  1. Do your homework

Spend time learning about your future employer.  Find out more about the company, the culture, the job requirements and the background of the person interviewing you.

  1. Prepare your responses

Compose  detailed yet concise responses to the common interview questions you expect to be asked.  Provide examples where applicable of where you have  demonstrated certain skills or accomplished outstanding results.  

  1. Always be early

No matter what the excuse, there is never a good excuse for being late.  

Always plan ahead and leave plenty of extra time for possible travel delays.  

  1. Make a good first impression

Make a strong first impression by dressing well, arriving early, and when greeting your interviewer, stand tall, smile, make eye contact, and offer a firm but not forceful handshake.

  1. Be Clear, be Concise and be Confident

Once the interview starts, the key to success is the quality and delivery of your responses.

Respond honestly to questions and always be true to yourself.

Provide concise responses that showcase your skills, experience, and  illustrate how you will fit into their organisation.  A great tip is to be assumptive and use positive language, such as,  ‘when we are working on this project, we will do xyz’.

  1. Ask Insightful Questions

Studies show that employers make a judgement about how interested an applicant is in the job by whether or not they ask questions.

As part of your interview preparation (point 3) put together a number of questions you would like to ask during the interview. You can then add in any additional questions that may arise during the interview.

  1. Sell yourself

Think of an interview like a sales call. The only difference is that the product you are selling is yourself. Showcase your ability to fulfil the company’s needs, solve its problems and increase its success.

Remember to always use assumptive language. Make the interviewer picture you in the role already.

And lastly, before leaving ask about the next steps in the process this will help to reassure and confirm to the employer your continued interest in the role.

  1. Thank the Interviewer(s) in Person and email

As you have already seen from previous tips, common courtesy and politeness go far in interviewing; thus, the importance of thanking each person who interviews you should come as no surprise. Start the process while at the interview, thanking each person who interviewed you. Writing thank-you emails and notes shortly after the interview will not get you the job offer, but doing so will certainly give you an edge over any of the other finalists who did not bother to send thank-you’s.

 

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