Has anybody got any interview advice?

What to say and how to dress

Cheers

prepare – read up on the employer/job so when they ask if you have any questions, you might actually have one or two (impresses the hell out of me when candidates ask something)
relax – you’re there so you have as much chance as anyone else, staying relaxed helps you think clearly
dress appropriately – i interview for client facing support roles and expect a suit and tie
expect dumb questions – my interview panels vary but normally include at least one clueless muppet

we always stick a line in the advert saying call for an informal chat. Think of something and call – again that shows preparation and is worth brownie points

Use a tick box by referring to the ad. i.e. usually they will say what they are looking for and all you need to do is make sure you mention them, with added extra by brown nosing them. You will get the job.

If you’re apply for a bureaucratic job the tick box rules because the computer say so.

Do NOT sneeze a bogey onto the table between yourself and the interviewer… no seriously!!!

Suit and boot it. Read the job spec and be able to example all the desirable / essential criteria and be aware which will be discussed at interview.

Get there early, sit outside for an hour if needs be, but don’t be late.
Eye contact and don’t fidget.
Assuming you qualify on paper then engage with the interviewers, be bright and personable. And all of the above esp the bogey part.

Suit and Boot as qwerty says.
Read up about the company and their business sector. Check out their website, google them and make notes.
Be pleasant, respectful and try and make a good impression.
Work out in advance how you are going to get there and how long it will take you. Arrive at least 10 minutes early so you can get a feel for the atmosphere in the place.

Lean back, hands behind head, legs open. Works particularly well if there’s a laydee on the panel (and you’re a boy). A scratch every now and then to let them know who exactly is the leader in the room.

What type of job?
What level/position?

prepare – read up on the employer/job so when they ask if you have any questions, you might actually have one or two (impresses the hell out of me when candidates ask something)

My wife interviews for a multinational IT firm. She thinks it bizarre that people come up with all sorts of questions that they think sound intelligent. It has no bearing on the interview what so ever, she’s stopped taking notes at that point as they have very rigid interview criteria.

Do, however, do a little bit of research into the company, what it does, where it does it and who it competes against. Again, common question my wife asks is to name the major competitors in the market – they don’t want chancers they want people interested in the job so you’ll know the competitors because you will also be applying to them.

Personally I’d always wear a suit unless there was a very good reason not to. Listen to what the interviewer is asking and answer that question no the one you want him to ask. If they ask for examples then give examples don’t hypothesise about what you might/would do.

If anyone turned up for an interview with me and hadn’t made a reasonable effort to look smart they’d not get very far. That’s not because I care but because the people I work with do. Suit is great. As above, research the company and the role, have some intelligent questions ready.

if money hasn’t been mentioned, ask about the entire package, it’s important, don’t be ashamed to ask. Ask where you’ll be working, what the training plans are like, opportunities for promotion. These all come across well.

Do not lie would be my final piece of advice.

Also bear in mind you’re interviewing them, if the role / company ethos doesn’t work for you it’ll be miserable for everybody.

As above, get there early (don’t go into reception too early though, park up around the corner and get to reception 5 to 10 minutes early). Suit it, very least shirt & tie (can depend on the position but it’s difficult to be over dressed for an interview).

Relax, treat it as interview experience. Listen to the interviewers, be hyper alert and don’t talk across them, watch for signs you’re boring them, listen to the questions and try to stay on topic. Talk, they want to know about you and it’s much easier to interview someone who talks rather than having to force the interview forward.

Good luck

The suit is mandatory – regardless of the company’s dress policy. Take a contact phone number with you in case you get held up in traffic (pretty likely in the south-east!) – being late for an interview but making a call to say that I was stuck in traffic meant that I wasn’t ruled out from the start: and I got the contract and it was one of my best ever.

Many interviews these days are behavioural based interviews, especially with large employers, assessing how well you score against behavioural criteria as well a job specific knowledge and experience.

So you will need to think about the behavioural skills they are looking for that are most relevant to succeeding in the role. Eg. Motivation, Leadership, Organisation, Decision Making, Business Competence, Influencing, Communication etc etc.

The interviewer will be looking for hard examples, and your answers should address the situation or context, your approach (how), and the result. People will always be looking for self awareness and learning, so having good answers for what went wrong and what you learnt and applied next time is good.

I truly hate them, but almost hate doing behavioural based interviews just as much

it helps if you know what the company do.

seriously you would be shocked by some peoples research.

YOUR A TIGER RAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Good luck

What type of job?
What level/position?

Heavy vehicle mechanic Apprentice

Thank you all for the advice, it helps me put some bases down on how to act and what to/not to do. 🙂

Good preparation is very important, you should get some information about the company you are going to for the interview. You may be asked questiones about the company, or how much do you know about the company sort of questions. you also need to think clearly before hand how to express what you are good at and what you can do for the company. They may give you some kind of test about your ability, so preparation is always very important before an interview. 😀