As we all know when it comes to interviews, there are some pretty obvious dos and don’ts. It goes without saying that first impressions are pretty damn important – an employer’s doubt is sure to rear its ugly head as soon as a candidate turns up late, having forgotten to iron their shirt, or worse, brush their teeth…
And whilst these initial school boy errors are easy to avoid, it’s much harder to fully prepare yourself for the main event. It’s impossible to have a textbook answer at hand for a seemingly unrelated question that gets thrown your way. For example, how do you answer “If you were an animal, what would you be and why” in the best possible way? Tell your interviewer that you’d be a lion and they could assume that whilst you’re, on the one hand loyal and confident, on the other, you’re arrogant and aggressive. Suggest that you’re a fox and they might assume you to be intelligent yet have a sly and cunning streak.
In short, there are some questions that you won’t ever be able to prepare for, or give a perfect answer to. Whilst these kind of spanners might throw you off the scent, it’s likely that you’re being given an opportunity to showcase your personality and natural intuition. Interviewers, after all, want to find out a bit more about you. Who you are and what you’re like is just as important to your employer as your skill set, experience and ability to do the job. It’s absolutely essential, therefore, to be yourself in interview – getting to know your character is a significant part of a company’s recruitment process. Smile and make conversation with your potential employers before and after the interview – perhaps you’ll find a hobby that you’ve got in common that you can discuss. It’ll humanise the process and help to make both parties feel more relaxed. Remember that you’re gauging if you like the employer too, and if the work environment seems like one you could be happy in.
When you’re having your interview, good body language and confidence are really important. If you’re being interviewed by more than one person, maintain eye contact with everyone on the panel – although it’s tricky, try not to look at one person more than another when delivering answers. Whilst confidence comes more naturally to some people than others, if you’re shy, you can still appear self-assured. Arrive early and give yourself a few minutes to breathe and relax. Sit forward in the interview, to give yourself an air of confidence and don’t fidget. There’s no need to be ashamed of your shyness. Try to bare in mind that many employers will look to balance their team with a mix of people – introverts are just as valuable in a workplace as extroverts.
A certain confidence can also be conveyed through your ability to guide the interview. Whilst, of course, you shouldn’t try to undermine the questioning of your potential employers, you can manipulate your answer to showcase your achievements. If you’ve been asked about a specific project that you previously worked on, you could easily bring the answer around to another that you also enjoyed and might have taken a more senior lead in, or gained experience in line with the role you’re interviewing for.
Autonomy can also be gained in the interview by asking good questions. Too often job descriptions are vague and non-descript, so probing your interviewers about the opportunity whilst you go along will show interest and help you to tailor your answers to the role’s requirements. If you have a burning question, there’s no need to save it up until the end of the interview. If it’s relevant at the time, asking a perceptive question shows that you’re listening and want to learn – it’ll give your vocal chords a break too. If you feel a bit stumped during the interview, or don’t feel like there’s an appropriate question to ask, it’s better to have questions prepared for the end of the interview, rather than asking none at all. Questioning your interviewers about the company culture can be intriguing and opening up a conversation about a project they’ve worked on shows that you’ve done your research.
It’s also a chance for you to see how your role could pan out if you were offered the job – you can find out about career progression and personal development for example, or what kind of person usually does well in the company. Although it’s easy to forgot when you’re feeling the pressure, try to keep in mind that your interview is very much a two way process.
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@KDHAssociates 1:00 AM Jan 1st