Interview tips

[Forpoxsake]

please… very very nervous, haven’t had an interview for a few years last few were awful, jumbled up words, mind blanks. This is a panel interview for a job I really want so don’t want to mess it up

Do not tell them what you think they want to hear. Interviewers can small BS a mile off.

Smile

I have an interview tomorrow too and I’m panicking !

Remember you're interviewing them as much as the other way round, you need to get a feel for the place/role/working relationships.
You get to talk about yourself, and no one knows more about you than you!
Good luck 🍀

Thank you. I do have knowledge of the company as have worked there previously, know the staff and the setup etc

Is it online? Someone I recently interviewed made notes during interview questions (which were scenario type questions with multiple parts) so they could make sure to answer all the points. I was impressed and they got the job 🙂

I try not to rush into answering questions too quickly . If there’s one that throws me a bit I try and pause, even say that’s a good question and then it gives me a few extra seconds to come up with a considered answer without an awkward pause .

Stop and think before you answer. I always think look up, smile and make sure you give your best answer. Start off with a simple response, then you can expand.

Have a copy of your resume, job description (I had colour coded mine with notes to prompt me of possible responses) and also some questions about different parts of the role.

Just get a good nights sleep before and be authentic on the day.

The topic of discussion is you... it shouldn't need too much thought.
If you know stuff, all you have to do is articulate it.

Take your time, if you need to stop for a drink that’s fine. If your not sure ask them to repeat the question and always ask at the end if there’s any questions you didn’t answer fully/properly that you could have another shot at. Good luck!

Read their strategy and annual report online and know what their top 3-5 aims are for the year.

Have questions prepared to ask at the end. Good ones are:

Ask the panel what to they enjoy about working there?
What is the culture like?
What do they thing are the most important things for the business/organisation in next 6 months?

Have answers prepared for things like:

Why do you want the job?
Why do you want to work here?
What will you bring to the job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Study the person specification. If there are good then the will have questions that will find out whether you meet the criteria. So have answers for the key points in the person spec.

Make sure you can give examples which demonstrate why you are the right person with the right experience.

I find it useful to try and remember 3 things to say on each of these topics.

Also try to remember to breathe and to smile.

Good luck.

Thank you.
Is it acceptable to take notes for an In person interview?

For me it was an elevator pitch. So I could confidently talk about my self for 1-2 minutes without waffling and keep it geared to the job on offer.

This was often the first question or similar the thennwrves eased.

If I fluffed the first question the rest R hard to get back on track

Think through the types of questions you are likely to get asked for the role. Write them all down, and your answers, and read them through several times, but not enough to parrot them, just to make you feel relaxed that you know what you're going to say. Definitely come up with examples where you personally have achieved things and slot those into the appropriate place to demonstrate your abilities ("I lead my team to improve our sales by 35% in one year by doing X") My problem is that I can never come up with an example of things on the spot, so I have to have a prepared set of things in advance, some of which can suit multiple questions! I'm also no longer afraid to say something like "I'm sorry, I'm a bit nervous and I can't think up with something off the top of my head, but I can come back to you on that".

I'd also say, don't waffle too long on any one question, they're probably bored of interviewing and hearing the same lines rolled out from multiple people, so concise answers are usually fine - you can always say something like "does that give you enough information, or would you like me to expand on that?"

Also, if there are multiple people in the panel, do try to look at each of them a bit, even if one of them is very quiet.

I guess every place is different but I don't see anything wrong with having a little index card sized thing with some bullet points. You could note down your USP/ the things you want to remind yourself to get across at some point. Probably not pages of notes, though!

Btw take my advice with a pinch of salt because I had an interview today and was shit. Good luck OP, I bet you'll do better than I did at least!

As someone who does a lot of recruitment, I never expect a 10/10 interview anyway! I find it endearing when a candidate maybe doesn’t know what I’m looking for in an answer but has the integrity to say “I’m really sorry, I haven’t ever experienced X scenario, however I would apply my Y skills and experience to achieve Z”.

everyone is human. Don’t rush to answer the questions, breathe. I love it when someone is relatable. It makes the interview flow and doesn’t feel as rigid.

lastly, just be yourself and let your personality shine through. I always try to gauge how candidates would gel with the existing team as I think this is equally as important as actually being able to do the job.

good luck! X