This week Maria Browne from the career development office at ITB, She gave us some information on going for interviews the most important I think is that to be called in for a face to face interview means that the potential employer thinks that you are qualified to do the job, you just have to convince them that you want it and that they want to give it to you.
Some key points she made were:
- Be prepared: find out as much as you can about the company you have applied to work with. This is really important, because if you look hard enough you might find some reports or blog posts on what the company is like to work for.
- Know your CV, and tell the truth. I also find that have information on your CV that is really easy to expand on and be able to link your experience to skills and where you have used them before.
- Be positive: don’t speak negatively about anything, especially about previous jobs and experience.
- Listen to questions your asked and answer questions with detail, such as how you dealt with situations before. I also found going into an interview if you have a glass of water with you (and I get a dry mouth all the time in interviews) taking a sip gives you a second to form answers clearly and accurately.
- Talk sense and don’t use jargon, use plain english to explain different things.
- Ask questions that make sense, this is where your research into a company can really pay off, it shows you are genuine about your interest in the job and if you ask interesting questions a potential employer will be impressed with your knowledge.
- Don’t ask about money/ holidays or benefits, this can be worked out if you get offered the job. Through your research you should have a fair idea of what a job pays.
- Dress to impress, if you think you look over dressed = good
I’ve always been really good at interviews and have always got offered a job from any that I’ve done. I think as a man one of the most important things for a good interview is to look your best, not for the employer but for yourself. If you think you look good enough to get the job, it will boost your confidence and carry you through the interview.
Also be aware through the interview that you are to be interviewing the company as well. This may be the first time you have met people who work directly for the company and see if these are people you could see yourself working with in the long-term.
