Candidate Services

Interview Techniques:

Interviews can be extremely daunting, especially if you are not used to them. But if you can arrive at your interview calm and confident then you are halfway to getting that job!

Be prepared!

Make sure that you know where you are going, who you are seeing (including their title) and the correct time of the appointment. Your agent should have confirmed all the interview details in writing and if necessary enclosed a map. Your agent should be able to inform you where to park or if the trains run regularly etc. Take your interview letter and map with you in case you get lost or forget the name of the interviewer.

Try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the actual appointment time. You must let your agent know if you are unable to attend or if you are unavoidably late. Your agent will relay this to the client to avoid any negative first impressions.

Remember if you are applying for a contract role - it is important to realise that the speed of the recruitment process is normally much faster than that of a permanent role. So instead of asking 'why do you want this role?' the interviewer is far more likely to just question your skills and may even give you a skills aptitude test to complete.

Although you should try to relax, try not to relax too much. Do not be tempted to drink an alcoholic drink to calm your nerves before the interview - the smell of alcohol on someone's breath never creates a good impression. Never smoke during the interview either.

Avoid leaning back in your chair, or worse still putting your feet on the desk. An obvious point, but the pressure of an interview can do strange things to some people! Once the interview is complete, remember to shake the interviewer's hand and thank them for taking the time to see you. Remember to keep on giving a good impression until you have left the premises.

Most importantly - be yourself After the interview, contact your agent with any feedback that you might have. It is your agent's responsibility to liaise with the interviewer to discover the result. If you have won the job then congratulations! If not ask your agent to discover the reasons why you did not get an offer. Is it because you did not have the right skill set? Or did someone with more experience beat you to it? Any feedback from your interview can only help you with your next one.

Remember practice makes perfect! Good luck!