Your CV blew your future employer away, you got an interview and now you need to ace it to get the job. Interviews can be quite intimidating, but in the end success comes down to being well prepared, likable and confident.
Here are our top 11 tips that will help you be just that.
1. More knowledge = more confidence
You started the research process with a tailored application, now it’s time to up the ante: Find out about the company’s mission, achievements and milestones. Social media channels are as much of a must-read as profiles about the industry, the competition and the person you’re interviewing with. The more you know, the more empowered and confident you will feel.
2. Dress the part
Interview clothes should always look professional, be comfortable and make you feel confident. Find out what the company culture is like and how people dress before deciding on what you’ll wear (think suits for banks, something business casual for ad agencies etc.). And remember that if you never wear suits and want to wear one for the interview, practice wearing one in advance (you might end up looking and feeling uncomfortable otherwise.) Don’t forget to shine your shoes and make sure they don’t give you any blisters before you head out the door.
3. Master the warm-up questions…
You can bet money that you will have to tell the interviewer about yourself, why you should be hired and what your career goals are. Practice the answers but don’t sound like a broken record. Don’t just memorize your CV and basically read it out when asked to talk about yourself. It’s smart to use it as a reference point as your interviewer is likely to have it in front of them and to mention key events or points when appropriate, just make sure you answers always add something interesting to the story your CV already tells.
4. …and get ready for the tough ones
Why don’t you tell me about your weaknesses? Here’s how you score bonus points with tricky questions like these: Pick a weakness and elegantly turn it into a strength that relates to the job. “I’m a little impatient, but it’s simply because I like to finish projects on time and not disrupt the workflow of the whole team.” The key thing is to be honest and never ever answer with: “I have no weaknesses.”
