The Good Interview Guide

This list of things to do was brainstormed by a group of people, experienced in interviews, who were working out what is needed to be successful in interviews.

1. Preparation: Before the interview

  • Read, and find out all you can about the position - read between the lines
  • Use your network to research the department or organisation
  • Work out key requirements to do job
  • Prepare and extract appropriate experience (vignettes)
  • Find who and what job interviewer is and does
  • Check out or prepare CV
  • Prepare answers: know CV backwards
  • Think through likely questions
  • Review strengths and (one or two) weaknesses
  • Talk it over with someone else
  • Make sure you know exactly where interview is and how to get there
  • Dress well: look tidy
  • Allow plenty of time to get to your interview destination
  • Be courteous to all you meet
  • Relax and observe environment and people as you wait.

2. During: Things to do

  • Walk into the interview with a smile; firm handshake
  • Study the environment - for cues to style and culture and to the attitudes of the interviewer
  • Be alert and upright - and relax!
  • Look enthusiastic and interested - smile (a little)
  • Look at interviewer for signs and signals
  • Be positive, firm and polite
  • Blow your trumpet - modestly
  • Keep hands under control
  • Speak clearly
  • Let interviewer lead
  • Remember interviewer's name and use it
  • Make sure you express achievements clearly
  • Keep responses simple, clear and enthusiastic
  • Illustrate by real experiences - little short stories (vignette)
  • Use action verbs: "I did ...", "I sold ...", etc
  • Quantify results where appropriate
  • Be honest and open but not indiscrete or irrelevant
  • Attempt to steer gently towards favourable questions
  • Make sure you get your good points over in relation to the particular job or role
  • Think replies out, general - specific
  • Ask questions (not too many)
  • Be prepared to say "I don't know", but follow with question or relevant comment
  • Appear flexible - not rigid
  • Watch out when it seems to be all over and you may relax too much
  • Clarify details of the next stages
  • Thank for interview
  • Leave with a smile.

3. During: Things to avoid - don't ....

  • Slouch, fiddle or fold arms tightly or be too casual
  • Stare interviewer out
  • Let your eyes wonder all around
  • Frown or sigh
  • Mumble or let your voice fall away
  • Speak in a monotone
  • Go on too long, ramble, be irrelevant
  • Use passive words, "I was involved in ...", "I was responsible for ...", "It was decided ..."
  • Be negative about others, your previous bosses, colleagues, yourself, or anything!
  • Evaluate in terms of badness/goodness: stay neutral and factual
  • Dwell on failures or volunteer irrelevant information
  • Answer what you weren't asked
  • Be woolly, generalise or philosophise or think out load
  • Attempt to dominate, control and argue
  • Use cliches, slang or state the obvious (eg "ICI - that's a chemical company")
  • Repeat "in fact", "obviously", "so on", "you know", etc
  • Use jargon unless you're sure it will be understood
  • Mention `politics' (company or national)
  • Give too many hobbies or interests
  • Undersell yourself
  • Sound like a victim
  • Leave anything important out
  • Leave in doubt over salary range expectations.

4. Summary

  • PREPARE
  • RELAX
  • BE SUCCINCT
  • BE RELEVANT
  • BE CONFIDENT.

5. After

  • Don't do anything silly before you're off the premises
  • Don't make a fuss over expenses
  • Attempt to recall and write down what happened and how you felt about it - good and bad
  • Write to say thank you
  • Note especially areas of difficulty and prepare future responses now
    • What did I miss saying?
    • Discuss what happened with someone you trust
    • Don't criticise what happened to anyone (careless talk ...)
    • Prepare for further interview and if it happens
    • - don't be too confident
    • - don't assume you won't have to cover the same ground
    • Follow-up if nothing heard within time-scale + 7 days

Reading the above information will give you a taster of what to expect in an upcoming interview. Preparation is key. Flicking through a list of information or answering questions in your head may not necessarily count for constructive preparation. To make the best use of your time and energy into interview preparation and to make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of being offered any job to go for, contact our expert career coaches. They will work hand-in-hand with you, taking on board your particular needs and concerns to prepare properly for an interview. To Book a 1-1 Career Coaching session, click here