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Interview Tips |
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Preparation on the day of the interview |
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If you've followed our interview tips, you should be ready the day before the interview. Don't forget the following checklist of things to do on the day of the interview: |
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Always dress in a professional manner - never dress informally because you have seen the companies employees in casual attire. |
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Take into account the time of your interview and traffic, go early to find parking and make sure that you have money for parking meters. |
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Do you know the company and the job that you're interviewing for? Check their website, financial sources, annual reports, and news media for information on the company, their culture and current events. If possible, visit the company, their stores or offices to get a sense of the culture. |
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Plan to arrive for your interview at least 10 minutes beforehand. |
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Our top tips when you are in the interview: |
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Don't smoke, chew gum, tobacco, or anything else. |
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Make a positive and professional first impression by being assertive and giving a firm handshake to each interviewer and addressing each interviewer as they are introduced. |
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Reinforce your professionalism and your ability to communicate effectively by speaking clearly and avoiding "uhs", "you knows", and slang. |
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Use appropriate wording. You won't receive extra points for every word that has more than 10 letters. Use technical terms only when appropriate to the question. |
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Use positive words. Instead of "if", "I think", "I feel" and "I wish" use "when", "I am" and "I would". |
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Establish rapport by relating to each interviewer. Note the wording that is used by each interviewer and when appropriate use similar words. Maintain eye contact with each of the interviewers throughout the interview.. |
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Sit comfortably. Sit erectly, but don't sit stiffly or sprawl over the chair. |
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Project confidence and a positive attitude. Maintain awareness of your voice, posture, energy level, and enthusiasm. Make hand gestures to emphasise important points, but avoid distracting gestures or making too many hand gestures. |
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Smile confidently, but not to the point where you would appear to be too casual. Smiling will also help you relax and establish a rapport with the interviewers. |
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Emphasise your strengths and qualifications that make a compelling reason that you are the ideal person for the job. |
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Don't dominate the interview. Time does not equal quality |
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Manage weaknesses or barriers so that they appear to be indications of your strengths. |
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Be attentive. Listen to each question carefully and don't interrupt. If you aren't sure of what is being asked, politely request that the question be repeated. |
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Close the interview with a strong closing statement of your qualifications for the job. |
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Thank the interviewers. Shake their hands individually and thank each interviewer by name. |
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