Top 3 interview tips

We spoke to our career coaches and concierges and asked them their top interview tips. From the responses we received we could easily have written an article titled, top 30 tips for a successful interview. However, there were a number of pieces of advice that came up more often than others, from these we’ve whittled it down to create this. Our ultimate top 3 interview tips…

1. Prepare – this single word covers a whole host of other mini tips. Make sure you do the basic preparation before your interview. Research the company, check their website and social media activity. Read through your CV and the job description and ideally have both to hand. Think about how you would answer common interview questions, think of examples of how you can show you’ve got the key skills mentioned in the job description.   Have a list of questions you want to ask the interviewer.  Whether an interview is in person or remote know who you’re meeting when and what their role is.  Being late won’t make a good first impression – if traveling to an office leave plenty of time, ideally arrive 30-45 minutes beforehand and find a coffee shop or somewhere to sit and go through your notes. If your interview is remote, check everything is working, your microphone, speakers, internet, that you’ve enough battery, are sat in a comfortable and in an appropriate place and that you won’t be distracted or disturbed for the duration of the interview.  Don’t leave anything to chance.
2. Sell yourself – an interview is basically a sales pitch and you’re the product. So, make sure every question you answer paints you in the best light possible.  For example, if answering a question involves discussing a team project, try not to start every sentence with ‘We…’.  It’s not a good idea to lie or take credit for something that isn’t your work, but focus the answer on the role you  Where possible have facts and figures to hand to back up the examples you give.  If you increased sales by 50% or reduced costs by £50,000 then say so.  It makes the answer all the more believable and impressive.
3. Relax – it’s an easy thing to say, but harder to do. Interviews can be nerve-wracking but try to relax and not let nerves get the better of you.   Take some deep breaths, and try to think of it as an exciting experience, that could lead to a new job. Rather than something you must endure.