Cirencester Jobs. How to shine in interviews

How to make a good impression during your job interview

With clever use of body language and good preparation you can improve your chances of landing that job! Just follow our interview tips.

For many people, the job interview is one of the more stressful situations you will find yourself in. A lack of confidence, sweaty palms and a sudden loss of articulate speaking seem to coincide with walking into the interview room. The good news is that with a little preparation you can turn yourself into the perfect candidate.

Many of the people that conduct interviews are not trained interviewers. They simply have a list of questions to ask, and may make ham fisted attempts to read your body language.

The key to your interview success is to prepare, practise and then on the day of the interview to perform.

Prepare for the interview

Believe it or not, there are people that will turn up for an interview and ask what the salary is when it is clearly stated in the job advertisement. This is a sure fire way to tell the interviewer that you have not prepared for the job interview.

These days, many companies have their own web sites, and a few minutes researching the company using the internet will be time well spent.

The job advert will probably list qualities that the company is looking for (a good communicator, team player etc.). You can be fairly sure that these are topics that will be discussed in the interview so think of some good examples of how you have demonstrated the qualities that they are looking for.

As well as these "required qualities" there will always be the stock questions that are asked. What are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, where do you see yourself in 5 years time, and so on. The more preparation you do, the more you are likely to succeed and give a good impression. Make sure you prepare your answers to the standard interview questions and the typical interview questions that regularly get asked.

Practise your interview technique

You may be the ideal candidate for the job, but if you sit in the interview room speaking in monotone and not looking the interviewer in the eye you are likely to give a negative impression to the interviewer.

Practise your interview technique. Try to get the help of a friend or relation and sit a mock interview. Make good eye contact, give off positive body language, and speak with enthusiasm.

Whilst on the subject of body language, try to play the interviewer at their own game, and match your body language to theirs. If the interviewer is relaxed and chilled then try not to sit bolt upright, it'll just make you look uptight.

Perform on the day!

Make sure you wear appropriate clothes for the interview. An interview for a position within a bank or office will require you to wear a smart suit (or smart skirt and blouse for women!). But if you are to be interviewed for the position of fork lift truck driver on a building site then smart casual may suffice.

You are being judged from the moment you walk into the building to the moment you leave, so be friendly and polite to everyone you meet. Don't make the mistake of being rude or unprofessional to the receptionist as you never know when this information will get back to the interviewer or the boss!

And how should you handle rejection?

Just remember, you will probably be one of many people that have applied for the job. The law of averages would say that you will get rejected. Don't take rejection personally. Ask yourself, "Was I qualified for the job", "Would I have given myself the job given my interview performance"?

If possible, speak to the interviewer and ask for feedback. Don't be defensive, just be appreciative of their time and ask them to be candid and truthful.

Learn from your experience.