Excelling at Job Interviews: A Few Hints and Tips

The interview element of any job application is often the most daunting for any individual. The completion of a job application form may be arduous (and, if we’re honest, occasionally tedious) but at least it can be done in the comfort of one’s home, filled in at one’s own pace with plenty of opportunity to reconsider answers. The pressure of an interview situation does not afford such luxury. The reality is, though, that an interview is an equally, if not more, important part of selling yourself. You are essentially putting yourself forward as an invaluable product and encouraging the potential employer to snap you up. It enables them to put a face to your (obviously brilliant) application, allowing them time to decide whether you really are top-notch goods, or simply alluring packaging! Here are a few tips to help you with some successful self-marketing.

Interview tip number one: smile. Not to terrifying excess – you don’t want to be a doppelganger for the Cheshire Cat – but to a level which convinces your interviewers that you are a personable and generally positive person. It has been proven that the act of smiling releases positive endorphins which will help to put you at ease, and in turn encourage a more relaxed approach from those in charge of questioning you. It may be a case of faking it until you make it: you may be nervous and as far from smiling contentment as you can imagine, but chances are if you smile anyway, you will feel more cheerful. Job done, as they say.

Interview tip number two: Maintain eye contact. It may sound insultingly obvious, but when you are responding to someone, make sure you are looking at them (not the builder on the other side of the window, or the funny, shiny thing on the desk…). Looking someone in the eye is a sure fire way of convincing them of your confidence, your self-possession and your sincerity – qualities which are beneficial for any job. A little tip, if you are anxious about the idea of constant pupil-on-pupil contact, is to focus your gaze on the spot between their eyebrows – they won’t be able to tell the difference!

Interview tip number three: Listen. Another basic point, but undeniably important. It is common habit for the mind to run away with itself in situations of pressure: have you ever found yourself hearing the start of an interview question, wondering where this question is going to go, pondering your answer and then realising that you’ve failed to take in the actual question? Be strict with yourself and make sure you listen, and then engage your thoughts. There is no harm in taking a few moments before you respond. Don’t be afraid of the silence as it shows that you taking your time to consider. Employers recruiting for jobs would not want you to rush without thinking when you have the job, so why now? Besides, what invariably seems like an age to you is, in reality, a few inoffensive seconds.

Interview tip number four: Don’t fidget. There is nothing more distracting for an interviewer than a consistently tapping foot, or a hair swipe, or a repeated crossing and uncrossing of the legs… You want to ensure that the interviewer is focused on what you are saying, rather than your irritating physical ticks. Make sure you are comfortable at the start of the interview so you are not tempted to be continually shifting around. In the same way, you want to be expressive, but try to avoid wild and exaggerated gesticulations. Your hands can certainly help to emphasise a point, but you should not look like you are about to take off.

Interview tips number five: be honest. It is of course tempting to present a version of yourself which is impressive, and this can often lead to a desire to stretch or embellish the truth. By all means big yourself up at a job interview – in a manner which is forward but not arrogant – but do not say anything which you cannot fully substantiate. Nine times out of ten it will be obvious that you are being less than truthful and you will be caught out, making you seem ridiculous rather than laudable. Even if you are forced to admit ignorance or lack of experience, it does not have to be a negative thing: coupled with evidence of a willingness to learn, such honesty will come across as integrity – a shining quality which will result in numerous jobs and opportunities opening up for you.