Job interviews are all different but the formula for each one is pretty similar. You want to impress the interviewer, show your skills and demonstrate your knowledge and interest in their business. But there are a few myths floating around about job interviews and you shouldn’t always believe them…

First Impressions Are Everything

While first impressions are crucial, they are not everything. Yes – many people will make assumptions upon first meeting you but many people will actually remember the last few moments of when they met you. So ensuring you make a positive impact at the end of a job interview is vital. Leave them with a positive thought, emphasise your skills on your resume template or chat to them about something you know will grab their attention. It’s true that people buy people but remember it’s not all about first impressions – it’s about how you perform during the entire day.

It’s What You Do During the Interview That Counts

This is of course true but you need to consider what you do before and after as well. Picture this: you attend a job interview and perform brilliantly. You answer the questions well and strike up a good rapport with the interviewer. But before the interview you had a funny five minutes with the receptionist after you asked where you could place your chewing gum. After the interview you leave the building and ignore all of the other staff on the way out. As soon as you are outside (but not out of earshot) you yawn and sigh in relief that it’s over. The interviewer can see all of this. Would you hire you? Just like when you are writing a cover letter you need to remember what assets and personality traits you want to demonstrate and you shouldn’t let this slip until you are home from the interview.

 It Doesn’t Matter What You Wear

Considering what to wear during a job interview is a crucial part of your success. If you turn up wearing bright, casual clothes it could give off the wrong impression. You need to remain smart – for more information on this watch our career video on how to dress for a job interview.

If You Don’t Hear Straight Away, You Haven’t Got the Job

Some interviewers will take a while to get back to you depending on the amount of people they have had apply and the urgency of the role. If you haven’t heard anything for a few weeks don’t despair – this doesn’t always mean you haven’t got the job. There could be a number of other factors to consider; the interviewer might want to conduct a group interview, they might have to compare your resume with other candidates or they might want to organise a workshop interview.

Wait For Them to Contact You

Why not contact them? Writing a follow up letter or email is a great way of reaffirming your interest and ensuring the interviewer doesn’t forget your name. Writing a thank-you note a few days after the job interview is also another way of refreshing their memory. You don’t have to wait for them to contact you!

We’ve previously covered typical job interview questions but one theme that will come up time and time again in job interviews is YOU.

Interviewers will want to know as much information about you as possible. Sure, they will be scrutinising your resume template for signs that you possess the relevant skills and qualifications to do the job but they will also be looking to see your personality.

Personality is crucial for any employer because they will want to know that you will fit in with the team and compliment the work atmosphere.

When an interviewer asks you questions about yourself ensure that you are honest. If you lie you may end up finding yourself in a job or a work environment that is not right for you (for more information on this read finding a career to match your personality).

Here are some other tips to consider;

• Don’t prolong your answers. Most questions will require an answer that takes no more than a minute. Ensure you get to the point.
• Re-read your resume template to make sure it fits with your personality.
• When writing a cover letter think about personal questions that might come up i.e. why do you want to work for this company? And try to pre-empt any awkward questions.
• Share your aspirations and goals. An employer will probably ask you about your motivations and career goals. This is to find out if you will be a dedicated employee so try and answer the questions whilst relating it to the job role.
• Let them know your hobbies. Hobbies and interests can be placed on your resume but many employers will want to hear directly from you. Don’t be afraid to show your social side – this will show you are a dynamic individual.

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If you have sent out your resume template to an employer and been selected for a job interview – well done! But this could automatically leave you feeling nervous about your interview preparation. One effective way of preparing for an interview is practice!

You’ve probably heard people say ‘practice makes perfect’ and this is certainly true when it comes to job interview preparation. While there are some things you can’t prepare for, like curveball questions, you can work on a lot of other things that might improve your chances of getting the job.

Interview body language, voice tones and dress code are all things you can prepare for in advance. When it comes to the questioning side of things you can also think about typical job interview questions and how you might answer them.

There are a variety of other ways to practice:

• Ask a friend to interview you as the employer and practice your responses on them
• Write down possible interview questions and your answers
• Ask a group of friends to interview you – in case you go to a group interview
• Sit in front of a mirror and look at your facial expressions
• To measure your tone you could record your interview answers and play them back
• Re-read your resume template and familiarise yourself with everything on it
• Ask a friend to take a call from you to practice a telephone interview
• Get someone to ask you a list of questions about the company to test your knowledge of the employer

Choosing something from above might help you to feel less nervous and more prepared. There will almost certainly be things that you cannot prepare for but by practicing you should feel more confident.

You’ve attended a job interview, answered all of the questions brilliantly and left feeling confident. If you then receive a call informing you that you haven’t got the job, it can be easy to feel confused and disheartened. What went wrong?

Firstly, don’t be too hard on yourself. You can still perform brilliantly during a job interview and not be offered the position – there are lots of factors that might lead to an employer choosing someone else over you. Here are some to consider:

Experience

Your resume template is what made the employer interested in seeing you face-to-face. But after meeting you they may feel you don’t have enough experience. This is no reflection on you or your resume. You did well to get to this stage but if the employer feels they need someone with a bit more experience there isn’t much you can do about it. Take the interview as a positive learning curve, try and gain some more experience and next time you might get a better outcome.

Personality Clash

If you have applied for a job working within a small team your personality will be scrutinised during your job interview. Your personal statement on your resume should introduce your personality but a face-to-face interview could involve you meeting with the team, interacting and even doing group activities. If it’s working with a specific team they may even invite you to a workshop interview to see if your personality stands out. If for any reason the employer does not feel like your personality is right for the company then do not panic. You shouldn’t change your personality for anyone and if you did it would be quickly found out. This, unfortunately, is out of your control.

Attitude

It is crucial that you go into a job interview with the right attitude. You can avoid this as being a reason for not getting a job by leaving a positive impression and ensuring the employer remembers your interview. If you went in with the wrong attitude work on this and improve for the next interview.

Dress Code

If you turn up to an interview dressed inappropriately then there is every chance an employer won’t give you a second chance. Think about your outfit carefully.

In order to successfully prepare for a job interview you need to think about what questions an interviewer might ask.

The more preparation you put in, the more chance you’ll have of winning the interviewer over. It’s most likely questions will come from what is on your resume template but sometimes interviewers can throw in some unexpected things (for more information on this read our article on dealing with curveball questions.)

When you know you are going to be attending an interview there are a few things you should do before you even think about preparing for the questions;

• Research the company – find out their ethos, the amount of people that work there and their goals
• Study your own resume and ensure you know it well
• Print out any extra information including a career portfolio to take to interview
• Prepare some questions you would like to ask the employer

Typical Interview Questions

To help you prepare for your interview take a look at some typical interview questions below. This may vary depending on the industry;

• Tell me about yourself
• I have your resume in front of me – but tell me about your work history
• Tell me about your last/recent role
• Why do you want to leave/why have you left the company?
• What makes you want to work for us?
• Why do you think you would be good in this role?
• From the job advertisement, what do you think the main responsibilities of this job will be?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your biggest weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?
• What do you think you can bring to this role that other candidates can’t?
• Give me an example of a time where you were put under pressure and performed well?
• Can you name your biggest career achievement?
• Can you tell me about a time where you struggled at work and what you did to overcome it?
• What are your skills?
• If you had to describe yourself in three words what would they be?
• What do you know about our company?
• What experience do you have that would be relevant for this role?

So now you know the typical job interview questions you should prepare a brief answer for each one. It doesn’t need to be comprehensive as often interviews are better if they are spontaneous – you don’t want to sound like you have written a script.

But take a few minutes to look over each question and think of possible scenarios as this will mean you can answer questions a lot more efficiently and effectively during your job interview.

If you have made it to a job interview there are so many things to think about. What to wear during your interview, how many copies of your resume you should take…the list is endless. Another subject you need to think about is facial expressions and having the right attitude.

You could be the best interviewee in the world – your resume template could be perfectly polished and your cover letter writing could be amazing. But if you go into the job interview with the wrong attitude and display some inappropriate facial expressions you could really damage your chances of winning the job.

Facial Expressions to Avoid

Generally speaking you should not;

• Frown at questions
• Chew chewing gum
• Eat food
• Look bored
• Raise your eyebrows too much – this could look like you don’t agree with what they are saying and could appear confrontational

Facial Expressions You Should Do

The following facial expressions will demonstrate a positive attitude during your job interview;

• Smile
• Keep eye contact
• Laugh (when appropriate)
• Pause and look away – to demonstrate you are thinking about the question
• Relax – keep your facial expressions natural and let them occur on their own. If you force a smile it will look wrong.

If you have gone through a telephone interview and successfully completed a one to one interview you should be feeling good! But what some employers introduce (sometimes unexpectedly) at the final stage of interviewing is a workshop day – where multiple candidates are invited to take part in a day of interviews.

This group interview is an opportunity for an employer to bring all of the potential candidates together and review all of their applications. Often an employer will do this to compare applications – if two candidates’ applications are very close, having them in a workshop together may enable the employer to make a decision.

What Do Workshops Involve?

Depending on the industry it can involve practical or written work. An employer will usually show all of the candidates around the premises and then introduce them to key members of staff. They may then give the group an activity to complete and will sit back and assess how the candidates deal with this. They may then conduct a final one to one interview at the end of the day and this may involve some curveball questions that you will need to think about.

Here are some tips if you’re attending a workshop interview:

• Ensure you print out your resume template and take this with you. Just because an employer has met you already, it does not mean you should be complacent. Refresh their memory of how great your resume is!
• Be punctual. Quite often these workshops will test punctuality and remember – you will be assessed against other candidates so ensure you are not late.
• Greet everyone accordingly. Greet the employer and their staff well and ensure you stand out from the crowd.
• Bring ideas. During your interview you will need to stand out from the rest. Having good ideas and ensuring you voice them will highlight you as a star candidate.
• Don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s crucial you have a voice in these workshops – otherwise the other candidates will drown you out.
• There is a thin line between being bossy and assertive. You need to be assertive but you don’t want to come across as being too dominating.

Workshop interviews are designed to compare candidates and an employer will be constantly assessing you throughout the day. Ensure you approach the day with the right attitude, ensure you take your most up to date resume and have fun – your attitude will stand out!

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We have all heard the expression ‘it’s not over until it’s over’ and this certainly applies to job interviews. Many candidates make the mistake of ‘relaxing’ too soon after their interview and this can leave an interviewer with the wrong impression.

An employer’s impression of you won’t start and stop during the interview process. They will make judgements on your personality and you as a candidate as soon as you send in an application.

Many interviewers will ask staff around the office what they thought of you during that nervous five minutes in the reception before the interview. They will even watch how you leave the premises after the job interview (they probably won’t stare at you but you get the idea).

A job interview really starts from the moment you prepare to send the company your resume template and it ends when you arrive home after the interview. Candidates who forget this and use all of their energy just trying to impress during their interview are likely to be overlooked.

It may sound unlikely but if an employer does not like the way you speak to one of their staff in the waiting room or they see you picking your nose outside of their office, they are likely to have pre-conceived ideas of you as a person, regardless of how well you perform at interview. You should also remember that if your interview is around lunchtime, staff members may be in the area so it’s important to remain professional long after you leave an interview.

To ensure you leave a positive impression you should;

• Arrive ten minutes early
• Do not chew gum
• Greet the reception and create conversation
• Sit upright in reception and don’t slouch
• When the interviewer greets you, shake their hand and greet them accordingly
• When you are walking through the offices ensure you smile and look at staff
• If you have time, ask staff members some questions about the company
• After the interview thank the interviewer for their time. If you want to score extra points, thank the receptionist.
• Ensure that (for at least a few miles) you remain confident and professional as you leave the premises  

Telephone interviews can be a strange process. You are speaking to someone you have never met before and you need to make a good first impression which is sometimes really difficult over the phone (this is true for email interviews too). That’s why a lot of candidates feel they fail at the telephone interview stage and fear they will not be invited to the face to face interview.

But failure is impossible (unless you do something absolutely out of character i.e. you are rude on the phone). If for some reason you are not chosen to meet the interviewer face to face it could be for a number of reasons:

• Someone else’s phone manner was slightly more fitting to the company
• Your skills do not match what they are looking for
• The telephone interview stage was very, very competitive
• They have stopped recruitment for the position to re-assess

Either way you should not look at this as failure – you should look at it as a learning curve. What you learn from telephone interview mistakes can help you to update your resume template, be more confident in your next job interview and it can make you more determined.

However if you genuinely feel that you have underperformed and you are very keen on the position then you need to highlight this to the employer. Being tactful and honest about your telephone interview and where you think you could have made improvements will probably score you points with the interviewer.

If you have been invited back for a second interview but still feel your telephone manner could have been better then be sure to bring this up with the employer:

• Be honest – tell them it was not your best interview and that you feel you could have done a better job
• Thank them for their time and explain that you are grateful as you feel you were not performing at your best
• Be open about mistakes you have made. Don’t wait for the interviewer to bring up your phone interview – approach it on your own.

Everyone knows that when preparing for a job interview you must be prepared to answer some difficult questions. But what a lot of interviewees forget is that you need to ask the interviewer some questions too.

It’s easy to be pre-occupied with preparing for an interview. You are naturally going to be nervous and will be thinking of the best ways to answer questions that you might be asked. But interviewers are often very impressed with an interviewee, not just because of their resume template, but if they have taken time to research their company and have some interesting questions to ask about the organisation and the role.

Asking insightful questions during an interview will demonstrate:

• You are well prepared
• You are interested in the role
• You are keen to progress within the company
• You are dedicated

When Should You Ask Questions?

Obviously there are appropriate times to ask questions – don’t interrupt the interviewer as they might be disgruntled by this. Often the best time is at the end of the interview. The interviewer will usually ask you if you have any questions before you go and it’s the perfect time to reply. There will be some points throughout the interview that you can ask questions too and create conversation but you will need to decide for yourself whether you think it’s appropriate or not.

Questions
You shouldn’t be asking questions that have an answer in the job title, the job advert or that are glaringly obvious. Here are some ideas of questions you should not be asking:

Are we almost finished?
What’s the salary?
When will the salary increase?
So the hours are 9-5 and I can leave at 5 on the dot?
What do you expect from me as an employee?

You need to be thinking outside of the box and asking questions that other candidates might not be asking. This will help you to stand out. Here are some ideas of questions you should be asking:

What is the company culture like?
What is the company ethos?
What do you look for in an employee?
What are the progression opportunities here?
What would I need to do to be one of your best employees?
What attracted you to the company? (if they are the Managing Director why not ask ‘What made you want to start up this company?’)

Always leave the interview asking ‘What’s the next stage in the process?’ This will re-iterate to the interviewer that you are keen to work in the position and it will give you some clarity.

But remember, although questions are important, do not dominate the conversation.