Interview Tips

Preparing for the interview: Failure to prepare means that you are preparing to fail! The more information you are armed with, the better the chances of your interview being a success.

Research the company

The first question you will be asked will almost certainly be "so what do you know about us?". If you struggle with this key point you will show a lack of professionalism and more importantly, a lack of interest in the opportunity. Look at their website, call ahead and request a corporate brochure, download white papers, check out key competitors. In this day where information is so easy to find, do the work and put in the effort that will make things easier for you when you eventually get in the interview.

Know where you are going

Plan your route and time frames well in advance. Aim to arrive early, even if you have to wait in your car / coffee shop until the appropriate time. Rushing or arriving late will do you no favours at all and are totally un-necessary if you think ahead and are committed to the opportunity. Arriving late is a cardinal sin and probably the most common reason why people are unsuccessful. If you can’t get to something as important as an interview on time, then how can they believe you could manage you days working with them efficiently?

Dress appropriately

Are you well dressed and in a manner that befits the industry sector you are approaching. Dark suits, white shirts, plain ties, polished shoes and neat hair are a good starting point for men as well as women. Avoid brown shoes, light tan suits, bright shirts, funky ties and trendy hairstyles (unless you are targeting a market that will appreciate this look). Remember, if successful you will be the face of their company and that must be a face that commands respect and credibility!

Prepare a presentation binder and take it with you

The key metric that any sales person is and can be measured on is their figures. So many people turn up without them or worse still, not knowing what they are. Get prepared, take as much of this information with you, present it professionally in an Excel spreadsheet or set of graphs, take additional stats that you may have such as league tables, letters of reference and client recommendations. Any information that will substantiate your claims will be a massive bonus and it is definitely better to have it with you and not need it, than the other way around!

Cover all eventualities

Take spare copies of your CV. Clients have a habit of turning up without them but if you can volunteer a spare copy, again it will show great foresight and professionalism. Also take a decent notepad and quality pen to make notes. So many people don’t do this and it’s amazing how many clients comment on how poor they feel it is – sometimes it’s the smallest things that are the most important.

Before the actual interview:

A firm but not "bone crushing" handshake

With an enthusiastic greeting and good eye contact combined with a self introduction will make a good first impression and set the tone for the rest of the meeting. It will also allow your potential new employer to see how you would conduct yourself in front of their clients!

Never carry anything in your right hand as this is the hand you will shake with

A small but important point, as you don’t want to be passing papers, coats or briefcases awkwardly from hand to hand as they wait for you to sort yourself out.

Do not sit down in the reception area or read magazines while you wait

By standing up you will appear immediately more confident and be on a level with the person that walks out to meet you.

Be comfortable in the first few minutes

There will typically be a small gap before the point of getting down to business. Respond enthusiastically and pleasantly to the interviewers’ questions and remarks. You never know, this could be part of their interview technique…

ALWAYS be polite to any other staff that you might meet

Whether they are on the front desk or walking through the office as they count too and could influence the key decision maker, especially if you are rude or abrupt with them. You could end up working with these people and it only takes one negative comment.

A guide to Body Language

Before an interview, although this will help you in your current job as well, read a decent book on the art of Body Language. This could help you strengthen the good signals you already have combined with controlling your weak ones that could be your undoing!

What is body language? Try looking at it like this – Normal conversation speed is around 100 – 200 words per minute. In the same amount of time, the average person can think about 800 words! Therefore Body Language is the outlet for this huge amount of unspoken thought and feeling e.g., when you walk, be upright and relaxed but let the silent voice inside of you say ‘I know this place back to front, not I own it top to bottom’

Be aware the basic signs of bad Body Language as well as signs of uncertainty and submissive gestures:

Basics

Biting pens or other objects
Jiggling the contents of your pockets
Clearing your throat
Hand-wringing
Clicking tongue

Uncertainty

Squinting
Touching nose or face
Darting eye movements
Pointing
Rubbing back of neck
Chopping one hand into the palm of the other

Submissive

Fidgeting / fiddling
Covering your mouth and eyes
Poor eye contact
Closing your eyes briefly
Imitating too many gestures
Slumped posture
Quiet, faltering voice
Pleading smile
Body lowering

Be able to recognize difficult types of people

People who stand with their arms folded and leaning back slightly are typically dominant and very object driven. People with their hands steepled upwards, betray someone who knows everything – this tends to be a very common gesture among lawyers and accountants!

Dominant people like to use a stiff armed, palm down handshake, whilst they fix you with an unwavering downward glaze. To counter this, move forwards with your right foot as you take the shake, making a short and surprise raid in to their personal zone. At the same time try to bring the handshake into a horizontal position, if possible with your hand above his, to raise it almost back to the level where it started. This will have the affect of neutralising the dominant handshake especially as there is nothing the individual can say or do about it… in contrast a weak handshake tends to imply low self-confidence. Avoid this kind of shake but don’t read too much in to it if you’re on the receiving end.

Good Body Language

Whether right or wrong the following factors tend to create a good first impression. You can do this by:

A positive entrance
Smiling in a relaxed manner
Making good eye contact
Give a firm but not heavy handshake
Make use of hand gestures that support what you are saying
Maintaining good posture
When seated, leaning forward slightly to convey attentiveness

Finally, consider the smallest of detail such as buttoning and unbuttoning your jacket. Does it look too informal to have your jacket unbuttoned when you are standing or walking and when you’re seated; does staying buttoned up make you look uptight? When you next watch TV, observe how the presenters continually button and unbutton their jackets when sitting or standing – a great skill and one certainly worth acquiring.