Interview DOs & DON'Ts

Monday, November 30, 2015

Today on Let's Get Working will be focusing on the DOs and DON'Ts of interviews. To ensure that you give the employer a good first impression, here is a checklist of what you should and shouldn't do.

To make sure everything runs smoothly do the following things.

Look Presentable - Make sure you've showered, brushed your hair and are dressed in professional looking clothes appropriate for the interview. First impressions count and can set the tone for the rest of the interview.

Research the company - Being able to discuss the company with the employer will help you when talking about why you want to work for the company. By doing your research you can appear knowledgeable and interested to the employer.

Prepare and practise your answers - To avoid those awkward pauses and give yourself piece of mind; it's important to think about how you'll answer the questions employers most commonly ask. Don't forget to practise you're responses as well. Preparing your answers will be for nothing if you forget what you were going to say half way through the interview.

Bring your Portfolio - Make sure you bring your portfolio of documents to the interview. This includes your resume, educational documents and any samples of work that you think might be relevant for the interview. You may have emailed this information to the employer already, but it's a good idea to bring a copy just in case the employer doesn't print it out.

Make a travel plan - To ensure that you know where you're going on the day; make sure you've looked up the address of where the interview is to take place, and decided on what is the best way to get there. Having your journey planned ahead of time is just one less hassle you have to worry about on the day of the interview and will help you to be on time.

Be Polite - You may have all the skills for the job but if you give a bad first impression, that's just one more barrier you have to overcome. When you meet the employer make sure you greet them with a smile, shake their hand and introduce yourself. When you finish the interview, make sure to thank the interviewer for their time and consideration before you leave.

Show your skills - The point of the interview is to show the employer that you're the right person for the job, so make sure you show them how capable you are.

Ask questions - You should be asking the employer questions as well as answering them. Not only will this show your interest in the position, it will also give you an idea if this is the sort of company you want to work for.

Follow up with the employer - The employer will usually give you a date by which they'll make their decision, but sometimes you don't hear back from them. This is why it's important to follow up with the employer after an interview. Ask them if they've made a decision and let them know you're still interested. Be persistent, but not to the point of harassing them.

There are many things that can damage your chances of getting the job. Try to avoid doing the following things.

Don't be late - Being late to an interview is a bad thing because it shows that you're unorganised and not taking the interview seriously. Sometimes though things happen that are outside our control. When you know you're going to be late or won't be able to attend the interview; the courteous thing to do is ring the interviewer and inform them of your situation.

Don't use too much deodorant - A little bit of deodorant can make you smell nice, a lot can make you choke. The interview won't last long if the employer is distracted by your deodorant, or can barely stay in the same room as you.

Don't be rude - Make sure the interviewer has your complete attention during the interview. Don't fidget with things in front of you, and don't stare around the room at things such as the clock when the interviewer is speaking to you. If you seem distracted the interviewer may think you don't want to be there and end the interview early.

Don't speak quietly - Show that you're confident by speaking clearly and loud enough for the interviewer to hear you. If the interviewer can barely hear or understand you, it will be that much more difficult for you to show why you should get the job.

Don't ramble on - Small talk is natural and helps you ease into the interview. But don't tell the employer your life story; there'll be time for that later if you get the job. Try to be more direct and address what the interviewer has asked you for. If you take forever to answer the employer's questions, they may lose focus and not hear everything you say.

Don't leave your phone on - If your phone goes off during the interview it will be awkward and embarrassing. So make sure that you turn your phone off before you enter the interview. You want all the focus to be on you during the interview, but not for the wrong reasons.

Until Next time,
Steven

Would you like to comment on this article?

Name:
Location:
Comments:
	Please type the red letters and numbers into the red box above. This is to protect our system from SPAM and viruses.

Previous Comments

There are no comments for this blog post as yet. If you have recently commented then please be patient while your comment is reviewed by our staff.