And other not-so-obvious interview tips to kick off your year.
Do your best to remove any distractions on the day of the interview. Plan your outfit the night before, go for an early walk to clear the mind and catch an Uber to the interview (if your budget permits). That way you won’t get stressed in traffic or on public transport, and you’ll have an opportunity to read through any interview notes.
Tip: Anticipate arriving at the destination 15 to 30 minutes early, so you don’t get stressed en route. Although wait five minutes before entering the premises, because turning up too early may be off-putting.
Read: Eight Things To Do Before An Interview
It’s generally advised to wait until the end of an interview to ask the employer questions, but if opportunities arise, ask them throughout the interview. That way they’ll fit in more naturally and help steer the interview towards being more of a conversation than a stiff Q&A session. You’ll find interviewer prefers it that way, too.
By asking questions throughout the interview, you’re also less likely to forget what you want to know as thoughts arise.
Read: Five Questions to Ask in an Interview (and Why)
An hour interview may seem like a long time, but it can pass pretty quickly, and you may not get the opportunity to mention all your key points. So it’s important to be economical with your words.
The best way to do this is to remember to say the most important information first when replying to questions. Then follow this with any supporting details in order of priority.
Tip: Practise the above technique in the days leading up to your interview using anticipated questions and aim to keep all responses less than two minutes.
Here’s a little body-language rule to follow: If you have multiple interviewees, spend 80 per cent of the time keeping eye contact with the person who asked the question and 20 per cent with the others. That way you’ll engage the questioner, but also respect the others in the room.
Also, make sure you smile on arrival, but don’t over do it during the interview; it may unnerve the interviewers and distract from what you’re saying.
Read: Seven Body Language Tricks to Engage Your Audience
Nothing turns on a potential employer like solid performance stats, so come armed if you can. It’s a lot more impressive if you say the turnover of a restaurant improved by 40 per cent over a 12-month period under your management than just saying you helped increase its number of customers.
Read: How To: Ace a Job Interview
Here is a great strategy for getting a reference that will help you land the job: write a one-page personal summary that highlights all your key career information and send it to them. Include your key experiences, achievements and skills, as well as your personal strengths and how they relate to the work you did with or for them.
This summary will prime your reference to use certain key words that relate specifically to the applicable role; ensure there is consistency in the information communicated to the hiring manager, and guide them to the attributes you want highlighted.
Read: Sending This To Your Reference Will Help You Get The Job
