How to ACE the Interview

Interviews can be daunting to think about and difficult for us as job candidates to traverse at the best of times. When you go for an interview you could be doing a structured interview, semi-structured interview, group interview, behavioural interview, to name but a few, and when we consider the variety of different ways in which these can be conducted; over the telephone, face-to-face, and more increasingly now via the internet, it can make it seem even more challenging. There are also myriads of different roles a person can interview for within these interview types. How then do we make the most of our interviews and maximise our chances of success?

An interview hinges upon many things. First impressions are very important, and your appearance will be the first thing your interviewer notices, so make sure you dress well. Wear your hair neatly and at an appropriate length, dress conservatively and in a style best suited for the type of interview your attending (formal, business formal, etc). Also make sure you only wear a light amount of makeup/ jewellery/ cologne/ perfume

When you first meet the interviewer, start the interview off with a nice firm handshake…

Use the interviewer’s name
The interviewer will tell you their name when they first introduce themselves, do your best to memorize it and use it throughout the interview. Your interviewer will respond better to the personal touch, and it makes the answers you give more effective if you mention their name first before you respond to questions

Consider demeanor and body language
Demeanor and body language are also very important. When you take your seat sit up straight. Leaning very slightly forward in your chair is also acceptable, this is associated with an increased degree of interest in what is being said

Matching your interviewer’s tone and demeanor
When we consider the fundaments for an interview, a lot of it revolves around tone of voice, speaking clearly and concisely, and annunciating words properly. Matching the interviewer’s tone and demeanor are considered essential functions as concerns rapport building, and although generic, should be at the forefront of your mind when interviewing (unless interviewing for a group or panel interview)

It’s always touted that rapport is the most important aspect of an interview, and while this can be true, it can mean different things depending on who your interviewer is. That’s why when we think about rapport building, the best way to go about this is to match our tone and demeanour with our interviewers

Using notes
Using notes can also be another invaluable strategy during an interview (especially if subsequent interviews might be involved). Doing so can help you compose your thoughts when recalling the past duties and high points of a previous role. Some interviewers will be fine with you having a notepad, and taking or using notes can lead to them seeing you as taking the initiative – resulting in them having a more favorable disposition towards you, whereas others won’t want you using or taking notes at all. Although most people tend not to use notes, if you feel it would be worthwhile and are comfortable interviewing while having notes out in front of you, it’s worthwhile asking the interviewer if you can do so during your next interview

Pre-written notes
If you want to try and use pre-written notes in your interview, one of the first things you’ll need to do is clarify to the interviewer what’s on them and what you will be using them for. For instance, many candidates perform a multitude of different tasks and responsibilities within their job roles, and in order to give the interviewer a full understanding of their experiences and to be able to go into as much detail as possible, some people find it useful to outline their most important duties on paper. Or another thing that notes are commonly used for is to write basic bullet points down regarding the company and its accomplishments. (You shouldn’t read the bullet points directly from the sheet if used in this way, because when asked questions about the company the interviewer wants to see for themselves that you’ve taken the time to learn about them. With that said though, some people still find it useful to refer to the bullet points they’ve written down so they can compose their answers better, and as long as you’re elaborating on these bullet points this is usually acceptable)

Things your interviewer listens for
A large part of what the interviewer does during an interview is to evaluate you based on what you can bring to the company – in particular, how much you might be able to improve upon the skillset that already exists within the workplace. This type of mindset goes hand in hand with another common directive that many interviewers are set before an interview ever begins. The employer describes to the interviewer a specific challenge or problem that their company has, and the interviewer then needs to match a candidate to the role who is best suited to solving it. In this way, the answers you give go a long way to helping the interviewer distinguish how well suited you might be for a particular role when compared against other candidates. As an unwritten rule, if the interviewer feels you can’t improve upon the skills and experience already available within the company, they won’t consider offering you the position

An interviewing mindset
A good way to get yourself in the right frame of mind going into the interview is to try to think about what problem it is the business has, and about what makes you the one with the right skills and experience to solve this problem for them

Show availability
Another thing employers are concerned with is your availability to work for them as and when is required. This is something you can readily emphasize as it can easily be worked into the conversation over the course of your interview

Indicate your desire to progress
Mentioning that you’ve made use of career and personal development plans in previous roles and that you intend to do the same in this role if offered the position will make you stand out as both serious and competent. Emphasizing you’re looking for job progression is a highly effective tactic that always leaves a favorable impression and is also easily incorporated into the conversation with your interviewer. (If interviewing for an entry-level position, place additional emphasis on the desire to learn and proactively grow within your role)

Use statistics
The interviewer wants to be shown that you have come to the interview prepared, that you have read the job description and that you know about the company. The more you can show you’ve researched the company and are able to relate your past work experiences to the role, the more impressed your interviewer will be. To this end, statistics are particularly persuasive

Use examples in your answers
Look to strengthen your answers with strong verbal examples. Whether it’s a one-line answer in response to a question, or a longer description of past duties and experiences, in many of these instances it can be appropriate to elaborate, giving brief anticandidal examples, sometimes to express enthusiasm or confidence, or sometimes simply to lend authenticity to answers

For example, if asked a relatively straightforward question such as, ‘why do you want this job?’ Instead of responding with a generic answer such as, ‘I want this job because it fits with my skills, this is something I’ve always wanted to do, or I feel I’d be really good at it.’

Try adding a little extra to your answer in the form of a brief example

‘I’d love to have this job because I love this line of work. In my previous role, I always tried to make the most of the time I spent on the shop floor by talking with customers and assisting them as best I could. I believe the effort and commitment I put into my work is what makes me great at what I do.’

(When answering questions it’s also imperative to focus on your strengths and accomplishments and to avoid negative points at all times)

Don’t give vague answers
When responding to questions, DON’T LEAVE THE INTERVIEWER UNSURE ABOUT YOUR ANSWERS

Interviewers are trained to ask you a range of questions that are designed to test you and gain insight into your character. It’s your interviewer’s job to learn as much about you as they can, that’s why it’s important to answer any questions to their fullest extent. For instance, there is a big difference between saying ‘furthering my education is definitely something I may consider at some point in the future’, and saying ‘I don’t know if I would like to further my education at some point or not’. Simply saying that you ‘don’t know’ is a natural way to respond when you don’t know if your answer is going to be perceived positively or negatively. However, you should keep in mind that an answer that is too vague or ambiguous will only serve to leave the interviewer unsure as to what your response actually is, and will typically be perceived negatively by your interviewer. Again, it’s the interviewer’s job to gain as much insight into your character as they can. Remember that each question asked is an opportunity for you to score points with your interviewer. To this end, it’s usually best to commit to an answer fully rather than leaving your response ambiguous, especially when from the interviewer’s perspective in many of these instances there is no right or wrong answer. With this in mind, it is undoubtedly best to commit yourself to an answer rather than not at all

Whether you are a person who feels they interview well or not, the fact remains, you have anywhere from 25 to 45mins to convince the interviewer you are right for the role

Understand your interviewer’s mentality
Understanding the interviewer’s mentality can help you attain a calm and relaxed frame of mind before your next interview. Having this perspective can also help you understand and anticipate what kinds of questions your interviewer might ask during your next interview too. In order to understand an interviewer’s mentality though, what we really need to consider is what an interview actually is. This can be a difficult question to consider because the answer normally varies depending on whose perspective we are looking at it from

From an outsider’s perspective, in its most basic form an interview is simply a formal, (or sometimes informal), structured style of conversation. The results of which will lead an interviewer to determine whether or not someone is suitable for a given role

From the perspective of an interviewer, it is a formal assessment. It is a serious meeting between themselves and any prospective employee, which will result in them deciding if that person is the most suitable candidate for a given role or not. More than this though, to an interviewer your interview is the most important aspect of their job. This means it’s their responsibility not only to learn what they can about you, but also to ensure that they facilitate your interview accordingly. To this end, part of that responsibility involves making you feel comfortable enough to open up and answer their questions. They also need to take care that the questions and the conversation they’re having with you is appropriate and within legally acceptable parameters, as there are some questions that legally can’t be asked of you during an interview. On top of this, they will be instructed beforehand regarding what to look for and on what the employer needs in a candidate, and will have specific instructions on what areas to assess you on. For this reason, they’ll be listening and looking for you to respond in specific ways to certain types of questions during an interview

From the perspective of you, the interview candidate. The interview is the last obstacle between you and the job that you want or need. The interviewers themselves can feel like intimidating and imposing figures whose continuously challenging questions seem to get ever more nerve-wracking as the interview goes on. Although as we just discussed, each interviewer has their own challenges in the form of the duties and responsibilities they must focus on during the interview as well, and ultimately the decisions they make will be in large part based on the criteria set out by the employer

So, with this in mind, what can we say to make us stand out in the eyes of our interviewer:

Positivity, Preparedness, Perseverance…
Well, the first thing you should know is that there is no one thing you can say that will make you stand out that much the interviewer will simply hand you the job. However, there are definitely some things you can do to give yourself an advantage during an interview. Keeping everything positive and focusing on your strong points is one of the most effective tactics you can utilize. Also, preparing for the interview beforehand, not only as regards knowing the job requirements so you can match your past experience to the role, but more importantly, practicing for the interview in the form of a ‘mock’ interview beforehand, are some of the biggest things you can do to help yourself clinch the role on the day

Like the candidates they interview, the interviewers themselves each have different personalities and qualities. While one of the main functions any interviewer is tasked with is to get as detailed an understanding as possible of the person they are talking with, each interviewer will go about this in different ways

Some may be highly receptive to normal conversion, and as such may naturally gravitate toward charismatic candidates. Others are less open and completely focused on the task at hand in a very business-like manner. This type of interviewer is more formal in their outlook, and any overly enthusiastic attempt to engage in off-topic conversion might be perceived negatively, detracting from their overall assessment of you. While rapport building with your interviewer is regarded as the quintessential and most important aspect of any interview, the best way to do this is to go into the interview looking to match your tone and demeanor to that of your interviewers. While to a greater or lesser extent, interviewing is something you can learn how to do, some of it involves luck of the draw in terms of who your interviewer is, as well as luck in terms of the quality of the competition you are up against regarding the other candidates who are also interviewing for the same position

No matter how much effort or preparation you put in, the only thing that can be said with any certainty is that there are no guarantees when it comes to interviewing. An interview consists of many different variables and factors, sometimes these will work for you, others against you. What can also be said with certainty is that everyone, from the employer posting the job, to the interviewer who interviews you, as well as all the other candidates interviewing for the role, is that each understands and appreciates the importance of preparing for the interview beforehand. That’s why, in circumstances where you are unsuccessful, the most important thing you can do is preserve. Do this by always seeking feedback from an interviewer/ employer after an interview if you don’t land the job. While employers do not always provide such feedback, when they do, the insight it provides can be invaluable for honing your approach as you move forward onto subsequent interviews. Lastly, try your best not to think of a rejection as a setback. Remember that each interview you participate in strengthens you and helps you become more confident and experienced in the art of interviewing, propelling you ever closer to landing the role that’s right for you…