At an interview, do not put yourself in a position where you have to lie or say you don’t know or blame someone else for a failure or shrug your shoulders. Even if this is true, don’t say you came for ‘the money’. Try not to put yourself in a bad light without saying something positive to compensate.
Always show: You have valid reasons for your answers. You are honest and open with your replies.
The exit – should be a stunningly good one. The way you leave is just as important as the way you enter.
Steps to an effective exit: gather together the items you brought with you ensure you have a tight grip on them.
• Stand up and straighten your clothes.
• Shake hands with your interviewers if this is expected.
• Thank the interviewers for their time.
• Smile
• Make your exit by – stopping at the door, turning, smiling and thanking again, leaving, closing the door quietly behind you.
Remember: A good interviewer will be looking for:
• Qualifications
• Experience
• Motivation
• Personality
• Additional or transferable skills
Your interviewer will also be looking for signs that you are interested, attentive, communicative, keen and most important of all, be able to show you have that ‘something’ extra. In the overall analysis of an interview, a good interviewer sums you up on several fronts at once by:
• Your answers to factual questions;
• How you answered these questions;
• How you responded to questions designed to encourage you to ‘sell yourself’:
• By your overall demeanour:
• Appearance, awareness, decisiveness, politeness, humor, openness and so on.
Just before: The night before and the day of the interview, close your eyes for a few minutes. Create a picture in your mind of the interview; picture yourself relaxed and confident, responding to questions and asking questions of your own. Sea yourself getting up to leave the interview and the interviewer saying exactly what you want to be said. Literally imagine the words you will hear from the interviewer. Believe me, it works! Make sure you have clear directions to the interview location-the bus-routes/suburban train links, etc. and / or landmarksand plan to arrive a few minutes early. Use your extra time to assess the atmosphere, talk with a receptionist, check out the publications in the room or go through the day’s newspapers and pick up any background information you can.
I am sure that you can see that preparation is your best ally when handling a standard interview. You can always make things better for yourself by using anytime you have before the interview to do your homework for yourself and the employer’s needs. Even if you are doing a series of interviews on the same theme, prepare for each one as though it were the only one. Whichever way the interview ends, always try to leave a favourable impression behind.
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