Job Interview help

I hate interviews! I'm either ok or as you describe raeble, trouble is I never know which one it's going to be.

I've failed to get a job with people that I had worked with before because I find it very hard to be interviewed by people I know. Try to think of them as strangers because I think I omitted to actually say things in the interview because I knew that they knew what I could/couldn't do. Think that you have just met them and have to describe all your skills & what you have done in this job & previous one to people you don't know.

However, in a previous life I spent 20 years as a recruitment consultant, and there are some real does and don'ts:

Do: Spend some time on the internet doing lots of research. You may never need to use it, but a few well placed comments which show that you understand the company/organisation will go a long way.

Do: Be "nice" to everyone you meet the moment you go through the door - especially anyone that offers you coffee before the interview. Make sure you make an impression on them - even if it's just about the weather/how easy it is to find the place/what a great cup of coffee they make - I'm sure you can do better! You'd be amazed how, at the end of the day, in a small co/org, the difference this can make.

Do: (even at a panel interview) ask the interviewer lots of questions - don't save them up for the end - (well, do save at least one!). Ask them things like how long they have been with the co/org, what they think are the strengths of the co, where they see the co going in the future. Apart from getting some useful information, just about anyone other than a really professional interviewer (and you will only meet about 1 in 20 of these), would actually much rather talk themselves than listen to you. Sad but true.

Do: If asked a difficult question, you don't have to give an instant answer. It's perfectly OK to say nothing and look thoughtful for at least 5 seconds. It's also OK, if nothing comes to mind, after 5 secs to say "Well, that's a difficult question to answer", and give your self a bit more time. As a last resort, if you don't have a clue what to say, then "I'm not sure I really understand what you mean?" will give a second chance.

Do: Try and find out, by asking questions, why the last person they hired to do this role and was really successful, what was it that made them hire that person.

Do: If you don't have the actual skills needed to do the job (but bearing in mind it's them that have read your CV and decided to interview you), then try and find out, again, by asking questions, what set of values the company/job requires, and then focus on talking about these values, rather than your skills. Almost always, people will recruit others who they believe have similar values to their own, even if they don't have the skills.

And just 2 don'ts:

Don't: If asked if you have any questions, say anything about working hours, holidays, sick pay, etc. etc. Just don't. If they offer you the job, you can always bring these up later.

Double don't: Once the interview is finished, apart from the normal thank yous and goodbyes, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT UNTIL YOU HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING. You'd be amazed, once the stress situation of the interview is over, how many people chuck it all away by saying something really dumb on the way out.

Good luck!!

Glad it went better than you thought.

I've always found it helpful to write a list of questions/examples of things I've done on a notepad and refer to it in the interview when appropriate.

Most interviewers are fine for you to take a few well-chosen notes. It shows you are serious, organised and thorough.

It also stops me waving my hands about excessively!

Hey, glad to hear you thought it went well.

I don't want to sound really trite, but you must not EVER get into the habit of using throw away lines like "I don't think think it went as horribly wrong as usual"

Having spent years coaching people for interviews, one of the most important things I forgot in my previous post was to suggest that before going for the job, you spend a few minutes thinking about how well the interview will go, and how well you can do the job.

In all my experience, the very words we use, even if only half joking or in a self deprecating way, although quickly said, seem to get stuck in our minds, and can easily sabotage how we perform at interview.

Not every interview will turn out how we want, but it's really crucial to view the eventual outcome in some kind of positive way - e.g. - Well, that wasn't the job for me, or - that kind of company / job is/is not what I want to do - I really must take note of that.

Also, it's often the case that the final choice is made between 2/3 applicants who are equally good, and have done equally well at interview - and then it really just comes down to virtually a flip of the coin - some you win, some you lose.

Anyway, just to finally bang on about my topic, never ever use words that don't move you towards what you want to happen. I know this sounds like a load of p-babble, but the language you use has a habit of sticking in the mind. Even when things get hard, it's important to not let the little voices of self-doubt that we all have in our heads take control, and to take active steps to counter them with remembering and replacing them with thoughts and memories we have of when things have worked out.

Finally, sorry to rabbit on, but in hindsight, in all the time I spent coaching people for interviews, getting them in a positive mind set was probably the most important thing to do and I regret leaving it out of my previous posting.

Best wishes, and good luck!!!!!!!