Advice
Interview Techniques
1. Don’t be late
A job interview is one appointment that must be met on time. Plan your route and journey into the location where the interview is taking place well in advance to make sure you are not late. Try and arrive early so you can sit down and relax or take a walk round the block before the interview starts to help calm any nerves.
2. Making your entrance
When you are called in to the interview, offer your hand and try to shake hands firmly, but not too strongly. Look at the other person in the eye and smile, this will demonstrate confidence. You will then be introduced to the other people on the interview panel. Shake their hands firmly and introduce yourself with a smile.
3. Sit up straight
Try not to slouch during the interview – you don’t want to give the impression that you’re not interested. However nervous you may feel, sit up straight in the chair, smile and try to relax. Show interest in what others are saying by nodding your head or leaning forward slightly when they talk. Keep your hands loosely in your lap during the interview, or use arm rests on the chair.
4. More than words
If you want to use hand movements to add emphasis to what you’re saying, try and do this later on in the interview. Pay attention to the body language and posture of your interviewers and try and mirror this. No matter how nervous you are don’t make any annoying moves and noises such as kicking the table or drumming your fingers as this will probably irritate your interviewers.
5. Eye contact
When someone asks you a question during the interview look at them when they are talking and nod your head to show you’re listening. When replying, start looking at that person and then talk at the other members of the panel, finishing off looking at the original person who asked you the question. At the end of the interview you should have looked at everyone interviewing you, and talked to them all for a roughly equal length of time.
6. Pick up signals from the interviewer
Be aware of the body language of your interviewers. Their postures and movements are a subconscious signal of how you are doing. They may demonstrate their displeasure by shaking their heads, sighing or crossing their arms if you are talking for too long. If you’re aware of their body language, you can adapt your style and save the day.
7. Finally, relax!
It’s easy to say but try and not get too nervous. Although it’s only natural to be anxious before an important event such as a job interview don’t let nerves get in the way of who you are. The interview is a chance for you to show potential employers your personality as well as demonstrating your abilities. However, over confidence and no nerves whatsoever can make you appear too confident and uninterested in the job. The main thing is to relax and be yourself. Remember everyone else in the room sat through a similar interview before they got their job!
Questions you could ask at the interview
• How many members of staff are there in the department, and in the organisation as a whole?
• How does the company plan to expand in the future and how would my role fit into these expansion plans?
• What are the five most important duties of the position?
• Could you please describe an average week’s work?
• What are the day to day responsibilities?
For a further discussion please contact us on 08444 121 792 or email info@oceanedge.biz
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