You have had job seeking success and you've been invited for interview ? and are feeling nervous already. Firstly congratulate yourself on getting this far! They wouldn't be interviewing you if they didn't think potentially that you could do the job. But how are you going to demonstrate that you are the candidate they should choose above the rest? This is where your come in.
There are 3 main criteria against which you are being judged:
Can you do the job?
Assessing your , skills, achievements, intellectual and physical capabilities.
Will you do the job?
Assessing your interest, enthusiasm, work ethic, energy level and availability
Do you fit in?
Looking at your communication style, values, dress and appearance to see if you will work well within that particular team and organisation.
Their questions and interview techniques are going to be based around finding out how well you meet these criteria. So, how are you going to demonstrate that you are their ideal candidate?
Preparation in my experience, I would say that about 85% of all candidates are insufficiently prepared for interview ? maybe even more. Most candidates have done some preparation but maybe they haven't practiced out loud ? or have skipped over the bits they have found most difficult. As a result, they are unable to talk confidently about their career achievements and find themselves getting tied in knots as they struggle to say what they mean.
Prepare your answers, appear articulate and organised ? and ensure that you get across to the employer the things that you want them to know about you.
Tricky Interview Questions
The first deceptively tricky question is usually "Tell us about yourself". Your answer is going to be important because it is helping to form the interviewer's first impressions. Your answer should concentrate on the aspects of your career development that are relevant to this job. Do not talk about any personal/family details unless it is immediately relevant e.g. a career break of significant length.
If they ask you for your weaknesses then talk about a lesson you've learnt from experience e.g. how you've grown in confidence in dealing with difficult customers or a new software package.
Image
Whether you like it or not, an interviewer will be strongly influenced by your image as to whether they think you will fit in within the organization. You need to look smart, well-groomed and up to date. It is worth taking advice and getting feedback on this in order to get it right.
