Job interview tomorrow - getting nervous

[MyCatLovesMeSometimes]

My first job interview in over 10 years so I'm getting very worried about the interview I have tomorrow. I got made redundant recently so not feeling overly confident anyway.

I've re-read my job application and the corporate plan of the place.

Any ideas/tips from anyone about what else I can do? And is it a big no to having my notes/application form open when I'm answering questions. I always used to get very nervous and forget things in interviews.

Thanks.

I don't think it's a no-no to take notes in with you, but referring to them when you're asked a question might not look too good, sorry. Remember that an interview is a lot about fit, and that they will be asking you questions that either get you to expand on what you've mentioned in your CV or ask how you'd deal with certain situations. They're not asking questions to try and catch you out

Smile and be confident. Remember to offer to shake hands first and when you leave. Don't be afraid to take time to answer a question, it doesn't look bad that you take ten seconds to think about what you say rather than rush in. Standard questions that often get asked are things like "why do you want this job", and then there are the questions that you can ask them - always good to think of two or three questions you can ask them about the job. Take a look at the job description and see if there's anything you'd like clarified, that can make a good question.

The best tip I had from some interview feedback recently is not to fluff through a gap in your skills for that particular job. If you think there's something you are missing or they might question about you afterwards, sometimes it is best to acknowledge it and then talk about how you would approach fixing this gap - extra reading, asking if there is a course or qualification you can go on, etc.

Good luck!

Cheers for that.

I thought it might not be ok to have my notes (I always liked hiding behind something......).

Taking deep breaths now to fake that I'm calm. I'll be hyperventilating tomorrow!

Go through your CV and imagine what questions you'd ask yourself - how did that project work? What did you do in that situation? That sort of thing.

Interviews really are about teasing a bit more information out of you, and about whether they like you as a person.

MyCat

Think of examples to back up the claims you've made about your abilities on your CV and in the covering letter/application form and rehearse them. Also ways in which you match the qualities in the person specification.

Be prepared for questions on handling competing priorities and pressure and the responsibilities listed in the job description.

Type it all up and rehearse it; walk around spouting it - well that's what I did in preparation for today's interview and it was definitely helpful. If you have someone who can "play" interviewer and help you rehearse by throwing a few questions at you that would be even better.

I took a list of questions that I wanted to ask and I think that was an OK thing to do (more acceptable than taking a list of responses to possible questions anyway). Of course lots of the questions were answered in the course of the interview but I still got to ask a couple.

Best of luck!

No to notes, if they're like a crib sheet for you, but I have taken in notes in the form of questions to ask at the end, if not already covered, because you should have some ready for when they say, is there anything you want to ask us?

So think about that - what do you want to know about the job? Things like flexibility (I'm just waiting for the AA, so knowing they'd be reasonable about problems like that feels particularly important to me just now...), overtime, training opportunities, promotion chances, whether you're always based in the same location, what size team you'll work with. I ask questions about hardware, on-call and things like that which are pertinent to me, but we all have different motivations and priorities, and some questions may or may not be relevant to your industry.

Also be prepared to expand on things in your application, give concrete examples of how you're a good problem-solver or team-player or whatever you've got. STAR answers are good - situation, task, action, result, i.e. when and how did you achieve a good result. Have some examples prepared, preferably in that sort of format.

Also, good body language

I agree with all of the above but will add a couple of others.

Decide on what you are wearing now and get it ready.

Arrive 10 minutes prior to interview time , if seated near other staff while waiting , chat to them, don't sit silently as this could be your team and they will be asked their first impressions.

Body language is huge. A confident, smiling candidate will always grab attention.

If a panel interview, address your initial response to the adressee but make eye contact with all when extrapolating.

Good Luck!

Good advice to be friendly to potential team members but be careful what you say - don't let the fact you're not yet in an interview situation lead you to say anything unwise.

I worked briefly in an HR department and quite a bit was made of the sometimes frankly daft things candidates said before or after the interview, when they were on their way from and to the front door. I had forgotten about that and fear I let loose a bit of a blooper today in response to a "casual" question the HR person asked as she was escorting me to the interview room. Realised it immediately and felt annoyed with myself, which probably didn't help!

Sorry, I stalled to a halt, because the AA turned up to fix my car :-) Didn't think that had actually sent. But I was only going to witter on about body language a bit more, and taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, and it's okay to pause before answering a question.

Good luck!

jobbo I would keep the chat about the weather etc

Cheers for the advice everyone. It didn't go brilliantly as I'm not sure I showed enough bubbly enthusiasm due to nerves (& I asked a daft question!) I also forgot to ask when they were letting me know ;-( so not feeling very good about it.

However on a more positive note, I have another interview now lined up and feel a bit more confident about that now. I will do more practice before that now and try and sound a bit more polished.

You gave it your best shot and I think (hope!) people are understanding to an extent about interview nerves. I'm glad you have another interview lined up and it's a good idea to get lots of practice in so you'll feel more confident when that one comes around.

The almost universal requirement (except possibly if you're applying for a job with an undertaker) to show bubbly enthusiasm and even passion really peeves me off. If I had enough confidence in my job pulling power I would just love to squander my chances at one interview by saying something like this: "why do you THINK I want the sodding job saddo. I like having a roof over my head, I have bills to pay and no-one else is going to fill my fridge with sauvignon."