Plan for Job Interview Success

You've got an interview for a great opportunity! In the current economy, you can't afford not to ace this one. Here are some things you can do to help ensure your success.

• Find out as much as you can about the interview situation. How many people will be interviewing you? How many applicants are being interviewed? Will there be a second interview for the top candidates before a decision is made? Do you have the job requirements? Do you have directions and parking details?
• Research the company. Everyone enjoys having others take an interest in them and companies are no exception. A short period spent researching on the internet will pay dividends at the interview. Get an overview of the company - its main products or services and its main customers. Focus your attention on the sector of the company related to the position you have applied for. If it is a job in Marketing, you could look at their marketing campaigns and product launches. If it is a job in Sales, you could familiarize yourself with their products and market areas. Learn enough to be able to talk comfortably about the company and to be able to explain why this is THE company you MUST work for!
• Familiarize yourself with your own resume or CV. Practice talking out loud and conversationally about your work history to date. Focus on your achievements and the contributions you made to each role you have been in. Match your experience to the job specification and become comfortable with explaining how you will fit in. If there are any new areas that you don't have experience in, think about how you will rise to the challenge and get to the point where you can explain this with confidence. Familiarise yourself with the dates on your CV. If there are gaps on your CV, be ready to talk about them in ways that show you filled your time constructively. If you have exaggerated a few minor details on your CV, make sure you can talk about them easily. If you happen to be the one person out of four who invents things on their CV, then a word of caution for you. Employers are now becoming aware of the common areas that people do lie about; some even employ specialist agencies to vet candidates. The penalties of being caught can mean being refused the job or being fired if you've already started work. Depending on what you have invented, there could be legal complications too.
• Practice the interview. A quick online search will bring you a huge collection of practice interview questions. Many sites provide sample answers too. Always input your own direct experience into the sample answers so your interview is honest and flows with integrity. As a rule, you should not say anything negative about your past work experience, even if your last boss was the worst on earth. There is always a positive reframe that you can use to show yourself in a good light. "My boss hates me and criticises everything I do" can be turned into "My boss makes challenging demands and through him I learnt to improve...". This is a true statement because you will have learnt something through working with him.
• Be a Good listener. Throughout the interview, you'll receive clues on how to proceed with your answers. For example, if the Interviewer asks more than once about how you deal with difficult people, you can be sure that this is important to him and you will do well to reassure him on this. Bring in examples from your background and from your CV. Avoid simply quoting rehearsed answers to any interview question that is asked. Listen instead to the question and allow the flexible and adaptable side of you to quickly sift through the information in your mind and customise your answer to the question you are being asked.
• Dress for success. There's no need to spend a lot of money on a new suit, but do wear something smart, clean, tidy and appropriate. You know how you make snap decisions about people you see on the train and on the street? Well, people make those decisions about you too. Research suggests that interviewers know at a subconscious level within 30 seconds of meeting you whether or not they want to offer you the job! Give them a good first impression. Arrive on time. Arrive tidy without multiple bags and cases. Arrive without anything lingering on your breath.
• Plan your route. Make sure you know where you have to go. Don't rely on your SatNav - we've all been led astray with that at one time or another. If you can, do a dry run the night before so you know how to get there and can plan where you will spend time if you arrive too early. Arriving between 5-10 minutes early for the interview is acceptable and allows you time to collect yourself. Arriving late is a sin!
• Smile. It's interview time and there's nothing more for you to do. If you are feeling last minute nerves, or even desperation because you really need this job, you need to lose the air of vulnerability that this gives you. Focus your attention outside of yourself. Imagine someone in a position of authority you knew a long time ago but have now lost touch with. Someone who had time for you and you liked and respected them. Imagine that person appear in front of you now. How would you smile at them? Smile that smile now and feel how that smile sits on your face, in your eyes and in your body.