Interview tips and tricks?

[TheWitchersWife]

Hello everyone.

I have a job interview for my dream role next week, I've been doing the job as a 0 hour contract employee for a year now.
The job is everything I hoped it would be, I really click with the team and to be honest I'm really good at the job.
I never wanted to have a 0 hour contract, but the position is one that it really sought after and the only way of getting a permanent contract is to get your foot in the door through volunteering or as a casual employee.

I have an interview for a permanent contract next week for the branch that is closest to where i live and makes the most sense for school pick up times.

I already do the job, so I clearly have knowledge and real life work experience in the role.
I've been given a list of questions that the employers might ask me during the interview by my manager and have spent time writing practice answers and going through them.
I've got my interview outfit ready.
I've researched the drive to the interview location and have several car parking options (interview held in a different location to where the job is).

What's else can I possibly do to make the interview go as smoothly as possible?

I don't think I've ever wanted anything this much, especially nothing job/career wise.

There are web sites that give hints and tips.
They would not be interviewing you if they didn't think you could do the job.

Good luck and I hope you get it.

Thank you. I've been on a few websites, read articles, watch YouTube videos.
This is my last chance for someone to say something that is either so obvious that no one mentions it, or so out there that no one thinks of it.

Plan to arrive about 20 mins early , this allows for traffic hold ups / car problems.

Go to reception 5 / 10 mins early , its much better that you are waiting for them than they are waiting for you.

Do you know who is interviewing you ?
As its a job you know can you make a suggestion to any changes you think would benefit the company / department.

Be careful not to be critical of the current procedure it could be the interviews brain child

So dont say "this method doesn't work , it's outdated/ no good "

Do say " I know this is a tried and trusted method but I wonder if you would consider xyz , here are some examples of how I think it would work "

if you know the person that is conducting the interview , stay on point and don't go of on a
tangent about non work stuff or who said what to who in the canteen.

Good luck !

Good luck - I hope you get it. It does sound like your manager thinks you should get the position.

Don't discuss your home life, they should not be asking about it.
Watch your body language.
If they ask you a question, answer it giving examples. (I'm terrible because I'll answer a Yes/No question with a Yes or No, instead of a Yes, I...)
A good interviewer will put you at your ease.

Read about the STAR technique for answering questions, and practice doing this before the interview. Apparently you should spend around half the time on the A (Action: what you did) part.

Take a notebook with you, and feel happy / confident to note down a word or two when they're asking you questions. They might ask multi-part questions, so this could really help.

Have a few questions that you're planning to ask them at the end. You could use this to show that you understand the role really well, and / or that you relate to the organisation's values.

Good luck!

I found Madeline Mann really straight forward and helpful (although ultra enthusiastic which is not my personal style). She has you tube videos and free resources on her website www.madelinemann.com/

The 'tell me about yourself' sheet and 'Story toolbox' were particularly helpful for me.

Also, practice saying your answers out loud. You could even record yourself and play them back if you're feeling brave. I had to record an introductory video for an interview recently 😱

Good luck! Let your enthusiasm for the role shine through.

Ask questions at the end. A couple of good ones: what challenges will i face in this role?

What skills and experience are you looking for?

Whatever their answers may be, you say you will easily overcome those challenges because a/b/c and been doing the job so will hit ground running

You have the skills and experience they're look for because x/y/z and you already do the job and have proven those skills

STAR advice is good - great way to structure your answers.

Also - don't say 'we' when you answer questions. The interviewer wants to know about your experience/part in a project. Always say 'I' - making sure to position what you personally did.

https://www.vawizard.org/wiz-pdf/STARMethodd_Interviews.pdf

It’s sometimes good to have prepared a couple of questions for you to ask them at the end (other than salary stuff etc) which demonstrate your understanding and interest in the position further.

To add to STAR - add an F on the end, so STARF. For Future - what would you do next time? What did you learn for the future? How did this impact long-term?

There are some great pieces of advice on here. Last one is power poses, before you go in. Do a power pose to give a last minute burst of confidence