Well done! You’ve sent in your CV, wowed them with your cover letter and now you’ve been invited to interview.
That’s great news, but it’s just the first step and now comes the real challenge: meeting with your would-be employer in person and convincing them without doubt that you’re the person they’ve been looking for.
Here are our tips to securing that job:
Do Your Research
An effective way to really sell the fact you’re interested in taking a job at a particular company is to familiarise yourself with the firm (and the surrounding industry) as much as you can beforehand.
Use all the tools available to you online: have a good comb over the company website, browse their social media, and see if any of their projects have made the news recently.
LinkedIn is also a great tool for getting to grips with their company structure and identifying who you may end up reporting to!
Know Yourself
Once you’ve managed to bag an interview, it’s always worth reading back over your CV and cover letter; this will prevent you from getting caught off-guard when they dig deeper into the things you’ve told them.
They’ll likely ask about your strengths, so make sure you have a few to mention and are able to tie them into the job description and company culture. Equally, they may ask what you think your weaknesses are – it pays to be honest and open here but think about how you can frame them without shooting yourself in the foot!
Practice Your Interviewing Skills
Interviews can be particularly stressful if you’ve not done too many before or you’re a little rusty.
To ease yourself into the process, ask a trusted friend or family member if they have a spare half an hour to give you a practice session and provide some constructive feedback.
This will allow you to brush up on your technique – including basics like maintaining eye contact, speaking calmly, and recalling information on the spot – in a low-pressure environment.
Plan Your Journey
After you’ve done all your hard preparation work, the last thing you want is to spoil it by turning up late to your interview – or worse still, getting lost and not turning up at all!
That’s why it’s key to meticulously plan your journey to and from the interview: when to set off, modes of transport, fall-back options etc.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re going for a senior managerial role or entry-level position – half the battle of a job interview is putting across a great first impression.
Now you’ve spent ages researching the company and brushing up on the finer points of your CV, it’s just as important not to let the little things slip.
Here is a quick checklist of the main things to bear in mind when meeting a potential employer face-to-face for the first time:
Watch Your Timekeeping
Starting off with Job Interview Basics 101 – whatever you do, don’t be late.
There’s nothing worse than losing out on your dream job because your bus was cancelled, so plan your route accordingly and set off with plenty of time to spare.
Equally, though, try not to be ridiculously early, as this can inconvenience your interviewer, who may still have some preparation to do or other work to finish before they can see you.
Dress Appropriately
A lot of companies nowadays are less strict on formal attire than they were in the past – this is especially true of small start-ups or places where the staff skews younger. Nevertheless, it’s vital that you show professionalism through the clothes you wear to your interview.
As a general rule, it’s easier to dress down once you’ve left the house than it is to smarten up, so when in doubt opt for your suit – particularly if it’s your first meeting with the firm.
Check Your Body Language
For this one, just stick to the classic: make confident eye contact, sit straight up in your chair and try not to look around or fidget too much.
On the flip side – don’t point, cross your arms or lean forward as these can be misconstrued as threatening, even when you don’t mean to be.
Turn Off Your Phone
Switch your phone off and forget about it until you leave the building – and don’t even think about glancing at it between questions; it suggests your mind is elsewhere and conveys a deep lack of respect for the interviewer’s time.
Ask Questions
Though you may not always feel like it, the best job interviews are meant to be a two-way affair; an opportunity for you to ask questions about the company just as much as it is for them to grill you on your experience and skills.
A couple of good go-to’s if you get stuck are ‘what attributes would your ideal candidate for this role possess?’ and ‘what is the current scope for progression look like within the team?’
Accept That Drink
If you’ve attended more than a couple of job interviews before, you’ve likely experienced being offered a drink upon arrival as a matter of courtesy.
A lot of recruiters advise that you accept the offer, whether it’s a hot beverage or just a glass of tap water.
It’s a great subtle way to break the ice and make you seem more personable, and it’ll give you something to reach for as a sort of calming ‘palette cleanser’ in between questions.
