Sally's Insights - In an Interview – ‘Whats’ and ‘Nots’ to do
You have to remember in an interview situation that you have one chance to make an impression on your potential employer. As my mum would say, “you need to be able to stand on your head and blow your socks off at the same time!”.
What this actually means is that you need to be articulate — answer the questions truthfully, ask questions about the business — whilst maintaining composure, keeping nerves at bay and displaying the qualities that have been discussed in the brief.
Things NOT to do:
- Bag your previous employer
- Complain about long hours in your previous job
- Talk about people that you have worked with in a negative manner
- Don’t be late to the interview and if you are; make sure you phone the company and explain to them why you are running late: ‘the train didn’t come on time, I had a flat tyre’
- If you can see you are not going to make the 11 am meeting, ring BEFORE 11 am NOT after — when you are already late
- Don’t make money your priority but have a clear understanding of what your worth is before you go in, in case the question comes up
- Don’t turn up with your bum hanging out of your jeans and wearing thongs, even if it is 40 degrees outside
- Don’t park in a one-hour parking spot and have to leave the interview to fill the meter
- Don’t say ‘ummmmm’ when answering questions
- Don’t have a big night before the interview, be clear-headed and clean breathed
Things to REMEMBER to do:
- Research the company prior to your interview
- Conversationally bring up some of the campaigns or projects you have seen on their website
- Look up the employer up on LinkedIn before the interview and see if you have any connections that you may be able to bring up in the interview
- Be honest and up-front
- If the interview is going well, and they start talking start dates, let them know there and then if you have holidays pre-booked
- Be observant in the meeting, if something catches your eye in the office, such a photo of a Staffy dog and you have a Staffy dog, it could be a nice, warming conversation to break the ice
- Dress appropriately and comfortably
- Be confident about who you are and what your skills are
- Look your potential employer in the eye
- Shake hands at the beginning and end of the interview, no matter how relaxed the atmosphere is
Good luck!
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