Job interviews

• Demonstrate your potential & what you have achieved
  How will you prove this?
• Demonstrate you have a basic understanding
  Can you prove you have researched the industry and their business?
• Prove you have a good attitude
  Show them you’re a friendly, helpful and hard working individual joining their team?

• Prepare something impressive to leave the interviewer with - to ensure they remember you e.g. one page of: new ideas for their company, ways you will add value to the team, a sample of your talents or a demo show reel DVD / CD - be creative!
• Prepare a nicely presented portfolio (folder of your achievements and talents) - to demonstrate your potential to progress in the role / company.
• Re-read the job description (if you have one) – as a reminder to what they are looking for and to prepare examples to explain and prove that you can, or have the potential to do the job.
• Do your research on each company - many employers get put off by people who haven’t taken the time to really understand what they do. There are no excuses either, as you can Google them, check out their website to see: what have they achieved, what are they working on, their clients list, their ethos, team profiles etc.
• Research other similar companies - to understand the competition and show you’ve done your research if it comes up.
• Call the company 2 days in advance to confirm - time, date, place and person interviewing you. This shows you have good organisation skills and it’ll avoid any nasty surprises if one of you has got the details wrong.
• Plan your journey at least 2 days before hand – plan for unexpected delays and aim to get there at least 20 minutes early. There are loads of good travel sites to plan the best routes i.e. Google maps, AA route finder and your local public transport company website.
• Prepare a smart outfit the night before: washed and ironed and at the ready
• Before you leave, take a few minutes to imagine the interview going really well – a bit of positive thinking will give you more confidence and will make it more enjoyable.

• Give a good hand shake with a smile – it shows you can handle yourself and that you are confident. Do this with all the people in room, as you enter and leave.
• This is your chance to show off your passion and enthusiasm for the industry and job – so make it clear to them in your responses.
• Listen carefully to the questions, take your time and answer it as clearly as you can. If you didn’t understand, ask them to repeat it. After answering, it looks impressive to say “does that answer your question or would you like me to give more details?”
• Avoid making up the answer or telling tall tales, if you can’t answer a question, it’s best to say something like “that’s a good question, can I have more time to think about this?”
• Normally you’ll be asked if you have any questions, even if they don’t offer it’s good to have one prepared, to demonstrate you’re really interested in the company. Powerful questions are “what are your main goals over the next few months?”, “what would be the ultimate future achievement for the company this year?”, “what has been the biggest achievement for your team to date?”
• When leaving, thank them for their time and say you are looking forward to hearing from them soon.
• Try to enjoy it and smile – it will not only relax you and make you seem in control, it’s also contagious – which is a bonus because the employer is more likely to warm to you.
• Tip: Practice using confident body language – open arms, both feet flat on the ground, giving direct eye contact, pausing after each point, smiling, deep breaths, sit and stand tall
• Avoid fiddling with cloths, crossing your arms or looking around the room during the conversation.

• To send an email to the interviewer thanking for the interview and attention.
• When possible, asking for the reasons that made the interviewer to choose another candidate.
• To use the interview like an evaluation for improving your presentation for next opportunities.
• To ask for other companies that may look for job seekers with similar professional profiles.
• Don’t be discouraged, the positive attitude is essential for getting a job, and there are many other opportunities waiting for you!

Competency interview (also referred to as a situational, behavioural or competency based interview) is a style of interviewing often used to evaluate a candidate's competence, particularly when it is hard to select on the basis of technical merit: for example, for a particular graduate scheme or graduate job where relevant experience is less important or not required. Increasingly, companies are using competency based interviews as part of the selection process for experienced recruitment, as it can give valuable insights into an individual's preferred style of working and help predict behaviours in future situations.

In the link below you can find competency based interview questions and some tips and examples:

• https://www.wikijob.co.uk/wiki/competency-based-questions

More useful links:

• Tips to boost your interview skills

Sample Job Interview Questions and answers

• Sample Job Interview Questions
• Sharing My Job Interview Experience
• The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions

Videos

• Tell me about yourself - The perfect answer