At various points in your life, you will go through an interview process. Whether it’s for a spot at University, your very first job or when going for a promotion in your current workplace, all are usually decided via some form of an interview. Yet apart from the odd lesson in school, interviewing technique is rarely taught, unless perhaps you take on some form of career counselling or work with a professional for assistance.
Interviews don’t have to be as intimidating and scary as they may often seem, they will be exactly what you make them, so it’s important that you approach them with a positive mindset. People often face many issues when being interviewed, including being underprepared, being surprised by various elements of the interview (e.g. role-play), or even preparing the most obvious, common answers.
In this post, I’ll share some real-life interview tips that should help lead you to interview success! Remember that all interviews give you more experience and there is something that you can take from every interview you have,
Assess & Research
Although it may seem obvious, you would be surprised how many candidates don’t do their research on the company and role they are going for. Don’t just have a read of their website and ethos to try and impress them, but in particular, try to take note of what they’ve done recently. Have they been working on any specific projects, been featured in the news or won an award? What have they been recognised for?
Assess the job ad that you initially came across. What specifics are they after? Consider how you can answer the questions that they may ask about particular job roles/skills. The goal of the interview is to convince them that you’re the right person for the job, so familiarise yourself with the exact qualities, skills and experience that they are looking for.
Back It Up
It can be all good and well telling your interviewer that you have experience in X, Y and Z, but what happens when they ask for evidence of this? This is where you need to become your own marketer and have the ability to give them what they’re looking for. For the skills and qualities that they have showcased that they’re after, you should be prepared with physical evidence or a (real!) ‘story’ of how you have demonstrated this in the past. Bonus points for if it solved problems too.
If it is something that can be physically shown e.g. graphic design skills, copywriting etc. ensure that you bring examples of these along that you can leave with them to look over once the interview is finished. If it’s more regarding soft skills such as teamwork or leadership, ensure that you have situational stories of where you demonstrated these skills ready and waiting to go.
Utilise Your Questions
Towards the end of an interview, the interviewer usually asks if you have any questions. One thing to not do here is saying no as it can show disinterest and may even be an automatic fail. At this point, it’s good to have a pre-prepared list of questions to ask. Always have alternatives, as they may answer some you have during the interview. Some good ideas for these could be;
- How many other members are in this department and what is the role of it within the organisation?
- What are the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of this role and how will my performance in the role be assessed?
- What can I do to impress in the first few months of the job?
- What is the progression of a role like this?
These questions can show both interests in the company itself, and the role, showing that you are keen to progress within the business and not remain stagnant.
Interviews are something you may come across multiple times throughout your career and the best advice that I can give is be prepared. By following these three simple steps, you’ll put yourself in good stead and hopefully give a great interview. Then, it’s just a waiting game!