Interviewing tips
Interviewing tips
Our webinar on Interviewing, with James Reed and the Interview Cheerleader
The Interview
Before the interview
1. Prepare appropriately – Making sure that you have given yourself the time and resources to prepare for an interview will help you to stand out from the crowd. Job offers are competitive, and therefore it is crucial to take every opportunity available to show the interviewer that you are the person for the job. Do this by adequately researching the business before walking into the interview room – know what their most recent deal was, who the key stakeholders are, what do they sell, what makes you want to work for them etc. This knowledge might be the difference between an offer and a rejection.
2. Make time – Ensuring that you have given yourself enough time to prepare for the interview is crucial. Trying to cram as much information in the night before an interview is both stressful and ineffective as a way of preparing. Therefore, make sure you do little and often, coming back to your research and answer preparation so your brain has time to retain the information you are feeding it.
During the interview
3. Stay calm – It is of course easy to say ‘be calm’. However, this is far easier to do when you come to the interview prepared, and knowing everything you want to about the interviewer and the company. A smart way to stay calm is to practice mindfullness before arriving at the interview (you can read our article on this here). There are numerous breathing exercises and seated yoga positions you can adopt to get your mind in the right place to succeed.
4. Smile and enjoy it! – It is often immediately obvious those that are enjoying the process and those that are not. Although it will not count against you, being relaxed and happy in an interview puts the interviewer at ease as well. A relaxed interviewer leads to a relaxed conversation! You want an interviewer to come out of an interview feeling that you answered all the questions as desired, but also that you were a pleasant person to be around.
After the interview
6. Thanks and a hand shake – A firm handshake and a thank you at the end of an interview show that you have appreciated their time, but look forward to hearing from them. Leaving the room quickly because you feel you are done will not show you are keen on the role, and might damage their impression of you.
7. Follow up – Make sure that you follow up the interview with a thank you email to either the recruiter or directly to the interviewer if you have their details. This shows that you enjoyed the process and appreciated the time that they invested in your application. This is often a step that is missed, and can be the difference between standing out and not. Some suggest connecting with the interviewer on LinkedIn, however James Reed, CEO and Chairman of Reed Recruitment, recommends that this might not be as useful as you might think.
Whatever you do, ensure that you show gratitude for the time invested in the process, and that there are opportunities to learn no matter the outcome of the interview.