Interview Tips

The Day of the Interview

Finally it is the Day of the Interview and it is important not to panic and not to worry, because by now you should be completely prepared and you are at your very best.

The key is to arrive early, as there is nothing worse than turning up late; apart from it looking unprofessional, it sets a negative from the beginning. I suggest you arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time. When you are introduced to the interviewer you need to be confident and go straight up to him and say "Hello Mr Smith, I am very pleased to meet you" at the same time, shake their hand firmly and ensure that you haven’t sweaty palms! (NB a firm dry hand shake is a sign of confidence).

Also while I remember the ONLY thing you should take into the interview, is a pen, a note pad and your presentation or curriculum vitae. There is nothing more embarrassing when you open your brief case and your sandwich falls out plus umpteen reams of paper.

When you are asked to be seated, positioning is important if you sit directly face to face this can be seen as aggressive, so it is better to be slightly sideways on, as this shows confidence and is unthreatening.

During the interview pay full attention and relax, enjoy the interview because if you have enjoyed the interview, then more than likely the interviewer has too. When the interviewer asks you about your background or specific roles, this is a good time to refer to your presentation and show them your certificates, wage slips or the league table position, because picture evidence confirms what you are saying and shows credibility.

It is important to bear in mind that when an interviewer asks a questions, there is generally a hidden question beneath it. To have a clue, it is important to read the vacancy advert one more time before you arrive, as it will help you understanding what they will be looking for. Some company websites can give the game away completely, if you read their career pages carefully.

To give you some idea a recruitment advert may say, “We are looking for dynamic and assertive team orientated candidates”. So when the Interviewer says “do you belong to any clubs or do any sport?” What they are really asking, is “are you a team player and competitive?”


When you are asked a difficult question or you may not know the answer, a good tip is to ask them to repeat the question, thereby giving you more time to formulate an answer, if you still do not know, then tell them you will get back to them at a later date..

When the interview comes to a close it is always important to finish in a positive way, particularly if the role is for a sales position, as they will be expecting you to close the interview or ask them for the job. So when they ask "have you any more questions?" refer to your presentation to check all is covered and then say "no, you have covered everything I wanted to know and I would just like to say thank you for the opportunity to meet you today and is there anything else you would like to know and do you feel I am suitable for this position?" At this point he or she will either say yes or no or some other excuse, it is important here if they say no to find out what their reservation is is and then try to over come it rather than accept it.

The key is to ensure at the end of the interview you know what happens next, either a second interview, an offer or to call back, there is nothing worse than leaving the interview in limbo.

Other than that I wish you the best of luck.

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