It’s your time to shine. Follow our job interview Tips:
Here’s an interesting fact that isn’t always discussed: sometimes, the person who gets the job isn’t the person who is right for the job; the person who gets the job is the person who is best at job interviews. Read this paragraph again and don’t forget it.
Your application was plucked out of many and considered one of the best. It will have taken them considerable resources to pick through the applicants searching for the right candidate. Before you even get there you know that your foot’s in the door. Things are in you favour; don’t forget that as you prepare.
You will have already done some research on the company. (Google is your best friend here). Look at the company’s mission statement on their website. What is it that is driving them; what are their core aims; what is the ethos of the company? Remember, you are looking to fit this mould.
Remember the Job Description and the Person Specification? Dig them out. Get to know them again; they’re old friends. In the Application Form section we looked at how these documents tell you what the company is looking for. Revisit these documents. The mould is there for you to fit.
Remember how you copied your application form before you submitted it; go over it now and be familiar with it. The last thing you want is to see each member of the interview panel with a copy of an application form you sent to them two months ago, the details of which you have no memory of. If you’ve been generous with the truth, keeping a copy of your application form will have saved your bacon. Take all your notes with you on the day. You may have time for revision.
In many instances you’re going to be terrified. But that’s okay. It’s a job interview. The interviewer knows you’re nervous but they want you to do well. They’ve invested a lot of company time in recruiting. They want you to shine. There is nothing worse for an interviewer to see a dazzling application form and call someone for interview only to watch a person fall to pieces before their eyes. Again: they want you to do well. Remember this.
The interview is an examination. Treat it as such and revise. You want to be ahead of everyone else that applied. Your competition will not have prepared as meticulously as you have. This is your advantage.
If you’re nervous, take time to relax. Focus on your breathing while you wait. This can be more useful than revision. If you can relax a little you’ll think on your feet.
Pay attention to your surroundings, this could pay off in more ways than you think.