You’ve made it through to the interview stage congratulations! This is a real accomplishment. It shows that you stood out from other candidates in the recruitment process, impressed the company and have a genuine chance to be placed within your desired role.

The interview is an opportunity for you and your future employer to see if you are a fit for the role and company based on your skills and experience. However, it’s also a chance to see if aspects like your work ethic and personality match too. This is just as important for you as it is your interviewer!

Moreover, we know that in the current tough job market you really need to sell yourself to beat the competition to stand out and ultimately get the job. Ten Live recruitment consultants have years of invaluable interviewing experience, so we’ve pulled together our very best advice to give you the edge, to help prepare and positively present yourself for that all-important interview.

Practical Tips  

• Make sure you know where you are going in advance. You might even want to do a practise run and visit the location a day before.
• Never arrive late to an interview. Arrive at the interview 15 minutes beforehand to get used to your surroundings.
• Find out who is interviewing you.
• Dress smartly and appropriately. Above all, dress for confidence. If you feel good, others will respond to you accordingly.

Relax

Remember, you have made your way through the recruitment process so far. Interviewers were so impressed by your application that they wanted to meet you, so relax and get all the information across that will help support your application.

If you do suffer from nerves before an interview there are a number of things you can do to help ease anxieties. Look into relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. This will help to calm you down physically and put you in a better state of mind.

Do Your Research

Dig a little deeper into the company you are interviewing with – know their services, products, customers and competition. The more you know about the company the better. This will allow you to better understand their questions within the context of their work, to offer comment on their work and to ask them questions!

Do you know what kind of interview you are attending? Whether it’s a panel, one-to-one or group in a group, each company will have a different set-up. As a part of the interview process you may have have a second interview, or been told to prepare for a practical test. Whatever instructions you are given beforehand it’s always best to prepare beyond this.

Prepare and Rehearse

As well as allowing your enthusiasm and personality to shine through, you want to make sure you are answering questions clearly and concisely. Without learning a script of answers word-for-word you’ll need to do a fair amount of preparation so that you aren’t caught off guard.

Identify your unique selling points and weaknesses. Highlight strengths that are crucial to the position and show you are self-aware and that you have the ability to take steps to improve yourself. Practise answering questions by writing them down. That way you have your answers stored for future reference. Make sure your answers are relevant, always highlight your skills and consolidate this with the experience you have.

Do a mock interview beforehand or rehearse your answers thoroughly and practise answering questions out loud. Edit and practice saying your answers out loud until the responses sound natural, convincing and support your claims. This could be by yourself in front of a mirror or in front of a friend or relative.

Engage

It’s so important to get your enthusiasm for the company and the role across to the interviewer. A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate confidence. Speak distinctly in a confident voice even though you may feel nervous.

Make sure you are not only listening to what the interviewer is saying, but also read between the lines and pick up on cues – adjust your answers accordingly. Make sure you understand what is being asked and get further clarification if you are unsure. Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat the question!

Key Questions

In 2017 these are still the most questions that are always likely to come up in some shape or form:

• Tell me about yourself. Don’t dive into your life story! Tell the interviewer about where you are now professionally, what you have learned/achieved from past work experiences, and what makes you excited about this specific opportunity.
• What made you apply for a role with us? Be specific! Leverage your company research and the job description to find exactly why the company is hiring someone for this position. You need to show that you are the perfect candidate who can solve their issues
• What skills/experience do you think you’d bring to the company? Be ready to explain exactly how you’d get started – companies are often hiring because they have an urgent need. Be ready to explain how your skills, background and approach will help them tackle the job and how you will hit the ground running.
• Why do you did you leave your last job?  If you left voluntarily, then reference a specific characteristic of the interviewing company that you are attracted to. Or, if you are looking to change jobs, give a positive reason why you want to head off in a new direction, one that your current employer didn’t have. If you were let go, be honest and explain the situation and own it and explain what you learned from the experience.
• What’s your greatest achievement? Talk about an accomplishment with genuine passion which exhibits how you will be a perfect fit for the company and for the position you’re interviewing for.
• Describe a difficult work situation and what you did to overcome it. Have a ‘success story’ where you dealt with a problem successfully which shows you exhibiting the qualities/skills required for the job and the company you are interviewing for. Use the S.T.A.R. Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
• Do you have any questions for us? You can plan questions in advance based on information you’ve gathered about the company, but you’ll make an even better impression if you ask relevant questions about the specific opportunity related to information the interviewer has given you.

Ten Live’s team of expert recruitment consultants are always on hand for job application and interview advice. Our recruitment consultants are experts in their fields, highly-skilled and  experienced. They will go that extra mile to support you throughout the entire recruitment process from initial screening, selection and interview and even after you have been placed in a role.

Looking for a job? Search Ten Live’s current jobs.