Wednesday 20 May 2015

How to Kick Ass in an Interview!


Today’s post is a little different, I am going to talk about job interviews! As most of you know I recently got a new job but I have to admit the thought of an interview nearly stopped me going for it! I hadn’t had an interview for years and I am a terrible mumbler when I’m nervous! So how did I get over this? Have you ever heard of the 7 P’s? Well it’s something I heard a while ago that has stuck with me and is something I think that is so relevant to so many different situations. The 7 P’s stand for ‘proper planning prevents piss poor performance’, a quote I love!

I think this saying can massively be applied to job interviews, if you take the time to prep you feel so much more confident and ready to tackle whatever’s thrown at you. So here are my top tips for interviews...

Learn as much as you can about the place your interviewing for, find out as much as you can about the job role and if it’s a job for something specialised make sure you’re up to date on the latest. Do your homework!

 Plan your outfit! This one’s actually an important one for me, I don’t do smart work wear! My jobs have always involved working with young people so I dress pretty casual most of the time. Therefore having to go for super smart for an interview worries me more than anything else! I am way out of my comfort zone and it makes me uncomfortable. A feeling I do not want to walk into an interview with. So over the years I’ve realised suits are out the window for me and I usually go for a dress instead. I smarten it up with a blazer or if I go for black trousers I wear funky shirt (my fave has parrot print) with a smart black jumper over the top of it.

 Arrive 10 minutes early, show you’re keen! So make sure you know exactly where you’re going, go the day before and make sure you know where you are heading. You don’t want to be late because you got lost!

 Have a question prepared! Seems daft when you’re being interviewed, but as someone who sat in on interviews it’s always nice when the candidate asks questions. It can be something simple such as ‘what are the hours of work?’ or I like to ask them what they like about working their? It shows you are keen and that you are confident to enquire.

Be enthusiastic, friendly and smile! Goes without saying! If you can show them that you are warm and approachable and create a nice atmosphere for your interview they are more likely to remember you after a long day of interviews!

Do you have any top tips for interviews?

This post has been sponsored by City Calling a great careers site that has all the latest job vacancies, make sure you pop over to the website if you’re looking for a new job! All words, thoughts and views are my own. 

4 comments:

  1. these are great tips, I'm the same as you with dressing smartly, I prefer casual and funky over plain black work gear.

    Rosy | sparklesoflight76.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for these tips! I like them. I have just finished my degree so these tips are going to come in so handy!

    Suitcase and Sandals Blog XX

    ReplyDelete
  3. My biggest tip as someone who has had a few job interviews, but also been on a panel of interviewers is take a notebook.
    When everyone introduces themselves, write down the name of your interviewer(s) and then use their names where it seems natural.
    Instantly forgetting someone's name always happens to me when I'm nervous but it's something that sticks in my mind when interviewing people.
    It always makes someone seem more confident if they use my name.


    ReplyDelete

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