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ATTENDING THE INTERVIEW

 

Hopefully your CV will get you the all important interview, and then the work really begins!

 

Before the Interview

Try to do a little research, using the Internet, on the company. This will help you to understand more of what is involved in the job. Also, you may be able to use the information you gain during the interview, and this will make the interviewer aware that you are thorough and should hopefully impress.

 

Dressing for the occasion

You need to be nicely ‘turned out’. The clothes you wear should be suitable for the position you are applying for. So, if you are attending an interview to work in a City Bank then you would be expected to arrive in a nicely pressed suit and tie (if you are male). Make sure you know the dress code, and arrive at the interview suitably dressed.

Many people can be suitably dressed, but still untidy. For example, make sure that your hair is combed and your shoes are clean. A little spray of aftershave or scent is nice, but obviously it’s important not to go over the top with this.

Arrive on time

In the case of interviews it is not fashionable to be late. Arrive about five minutes early, but not too early, and certainly not late. In order to make certain that you arrive on time you might wish to do a practise run. If you do this, then ensure that you do your practise run at a similar time to that which you will be travelling when attending the interview. The practise run will also ensure that you know the way there! Interviews can be daunting, carrying out a practise run will to some extent put your mind at rest and stop any unnecessary panic on the day of the interview.

HAND SHAKE AND SMILE. Try to make the first move to shake the interviewers hand, and, of course a firm hand shake and a smile will get you off to a good start. If you are lost for words on the initial hand shake, then the words “Pleased to meet you” cannot go wrong.

 

The interview

Ensure that you sit up straight, don’t slump in the chair. Stay alert and make sure you listen carefully to the questions you are being asked. If you loose concentration you might miss-hear or misunderstand the question that is being asked, and therefore reply with incorrect or irrelevant information.

 

Interviewers often ask questions that are designed to draw you. The person interviewing you wants you to speak as much as possible so that they can form opinions about you. Questions like, “Tell me about the course you recently undertook” are common. This type of question is designed to get you talking, however, don’t over do it, stick to the points and try to get the points over clearly, but don’t ramble.

 

Before attending the interview consider some of the questions that might be asked, drawn from your CV. If you have previous employments you may be asked to describe your duties in more detail. Make sure you have thought more carefully about the duties you carried out. Perhaps you might find it useful to actually write down all the duties you conducted, and then summaries them in your mind.

 

If you have recently undertaken a course, you will be asked about what you learnt from the course, and also, perhaps, about your study patterns. This will shown whether or not you were organised with your studies.

 

You will be given the opportunity to ask questions. It would be best if you have already prepared a list of questions that you want to ask. However, don’t make the list too extensive, try to consolidate your points. Remember that each candidate will be allocated a specific amount of time for the interview.

During the interview you need to ‘sell’ yourself. You need to try to put forward your strengths, and back these up with examples and experiences that prove the strength. And, please, don’t mumble, be clear in what you are saying.

 

You may be nervous, but try not to come over as such. Your prospective employer may well want someone who can cope under pressure, and, if this is the case, the interview will be an excellent place to show that you can.

 

Obviously you will wish to be very polite, sometimes, when an interviewee is trying to get points over they inadvertently speak when the interviewer is speaking, so be careful not to do this.

 

The interview should tell you when you might expect to hear from them about the result of your interview, however, if this is

omitted then it is something that you need to ask.

 

When the interview is over, make certain that you thank the person for seeing you and shake hands.