Interviews
Interviews can be (and generally are for most people) difficult/stressful. Admittedly it’s been a while since I last had an interview as I’ve been at my current job for a few years, but I do remember the experiences and how I dealt with each interview.
The first impression I gave was not actually in my interview, it was with my CV. Due to troubles that I had with secondary school my grades were somewhat lack lustre. As this was the case I had to create a CV that would catch the eye of the reader rather than let them dismissively move onto the next one without reading mine. I added colour to my CV which I’m pretty sure some people will tell you is prospective job suicide, but I was fighting my way out of the ground as it was ;-) Despite how dramatic I made it sound, in truth I was only one strip of red but against black and grey text it did as I intended and draws the eye. It must have been fairly effective as I got interviews for all the jobs I went for :-)
So if you're successful and get a phone call for an interview it’s good to remember that you’re going to be making an impression even for the short time you’re talking. Even if you’re not a phone person it’s important to sound upbeat as the person on the other end of the phone is considering you for a job. If you’re anything like me having a pen and paper handy to make notes would be useful, as I have the best memory in the world until I forget things lol.
You know how you eye somebody up and down and make an almost instantaneous judgement about them? Well that’s what will happen to you when at an interview, so it’s important to dress the part. It’s much easier to under dress than it is to over dress so airing on the side of caution is advisable, so going smart. Here’s where the internet comes in handy as there are plenty of “How to” guides for dressing for interviews for both guys and gals.
So now it’s time to meet your potential boss in person. It’s always a good idea to do research on the company you’re applying for the job with. This show the interviewer that this just isn’t any old interview you’ve turned up for, and it also shows that you’re an organised person that is willing to put effort into knowing their stuff. Depending on the type of job you’re going for there is an expansive number of question you can be asked. As there are so many that can be asked it’s worth going to a search engine and typing in phrases such as “top questions asked in interviews”, and if you’ve have trouble at a previous place of employment “difficult interview questions.” This will allow you to think about the answers you would like to give rather than feeling pressured and on the spot.
Things I found that helped me in interviews were little techniques to help take the pressure off myself. Although they were small it allowed me to clear my mind of distractions that may have caused me anxiety. The first thing I’d do was to prepare my clothes for the interview itself. I’d make sure I’d ironed everything, cleaned my shoes and put everything together to put it on when it was needed. Once I’d done that I’d make sure I had a pen handy for taking any notes that I may need whilst at the interview. I personally don’t have a “Record of achievement” but do have certificates of the qualifications I have, so I would ready them in a good quality folder. On the morning of the interview it’s also worth listening to the radio for traffic updates so you can make allowances for any disruptions.
What helped me was to realise that a good portion of the pressure from being interviewed was actually me placing it upon myself. I didn’t go for the interviewee to watch me fold under pressure; they arrange an interview with me as they felt I had potential. As small as it is, it helped me to think that in the absolutely worst case if I completely messed my interview up I’d only meet this person once. That helped me to relax more and not have lots of “what ifs” running through my head while being asked questions and giving responses. As I mentioned, being given an interview shows your CV had something other people’s lacked, and you’ll have already succeeded where others fell by the way side. If you can try and stay calm you’ll again set yourself apart once again from others from the selected few having an interview.