For most people, the job interview can be one of the most nerve wracking points in their career, especially early on. You get told about the interview for a job you really want – then you spend the next few days (or even weeks) worrying about how it will go! After all, this could be your big break – what if you screw it up?
This doesn’t need to be the case. It is natural to get nervous before important events in your life – you can turn this fear into your ally that will help you succeed at your interview…
The key way to prevent your fear overcoming you in any situation is to prepare for that situation as much as you can. This is easy for interviews because you will always know about them beforehand and you will be familiar with the subject area (to varying degrees).
What can you do to prepare for an interview?
- Think about what questions you interviewer may ask you and prepare responses for them.
- Chat with friends and family who may work in a similar area and get an idea of what to expect.
- Research the company – what do they do? What will your team be doing? Even if you can only get a little information from their website or news articles you can use these starting points to come up with intelligent questions to ask them.
- Prepare a list of questions to ask them. These should ask about the company, the team you will be working with, the job you are applying for and perhaps even some general questions about the industry the company is in.
- Plan your route! This may seem stupid, but go to the company the day before (don’t go in – just to the front door). How long did it take you? Did you take the bus (if so will it be slowed down by traffic at different times of the day)? You’d be surprised how many people leave this to the last minute and end up realising the company is in some obscure office estate that they can’t find. Aim to arrive at your interview around 10 minutes early.
- Be on time! There’s nothing worse than making a bad first impression and being late can be perceived as being very bad for you. However, that’s not to say if you have legitimate reason for being late you should give up on the interview. Many employers will be understanding if you have a genuine reason for being late and explain it to them.
- Dress appropriately! Usually that will mean business casual. Even if you’re interviewing for a workplace with a casual approach to employee dress code, it doesn’t mean you should turn up in jeans. It’s better to be too smart than too casual.
- Don’t fidget! It’s off-putting for your interviewer and can distract both you and them. Keep your legs still and clasp your hands on your lap if you fear they may fidget during your interview.
When you go through this process, not only are you increasing your chances of a successful interview, but you are increasing your self confidence – preparing for an interview is as much about the confidence boost as it is about the actual preparation!
Some other tops tips;
Keep your head
When interviewing, one of the worst mistakes you can make is to lose your composure – some interview questions can be difficult and even at times uncomfortable, so the best thing you can do is to keep your wits about you.
Preparing for your interview in advance is a good way to avoid losing control of the situation on the day – but even if you are caught off guard, don’t worry! Most interviewers will be happy for you to take a minute to compose yourself if you lose track of your thoughts. Don’t take too long though!
Don’t argue – discuss!
The worst mistake an interviewee can make is to get into an arguement with the interviewers. Even if you don’t full agree with a point being put across, you should debate it – put forward a logical arguement to the contrary – certainly don’t argue. Don’t tell the interviewer they are wrong or just end the discussion in a stubborn outrage!
Many interviewers will choose to put forward illogical arguments just to test how you react to them – your test is how you convey your answer, not the answer itself.
Turn off your mobile phone!
If you really didn’t think of this, well…
Be patient!
You may be on your lunch break and need to get back to your current job or you might have an appointment to go to. Either way, an interviewer doesn’t want to see a candidate who looks like they want to just get out of there.
If you have time constraints, then let your interviewer know beforehand – if the interview does run over time they should respect that. If not, then politely bring up your aforementioned arrangement and perhaps offer to schedule a second interview to discuss things in more detail.
This can actually work to your benefit – it shows you are assertive and considerate of possibly competing interviews and it opens the door to further communication at a later date.
