5 Absolute Essentials to Ace a Job Interview plus “Do’s and Don’ts”

Preparing for your job interview is an absolute must to get a successful outcome. Being fully prepared will also help you to relax during the interview. You only get one chance, so make it count!

Here are 5 absolute essentials you need to do to ace your job interview:

1) Get to know your resume back to front

Study and learn your resume and ensure you can happily talk through all previous roles as well as the most recent.

2) Do your company research

Check the company website and Linked-in page for past articles and look up the people who are interviewing you.

3) Know what your unique selling points are – This is important!

What experience can you share that demonstrates that you can do this role. Where can you add value in this role and contribute to the company as an organisation? Make a list of these points. What problem do they have that you can solve for them?

4) Prepare for a competency-based job interview

Work through all of your scenarios and ensure all of your answers are relevant to this role. Weave in your unique selling points throughout. Think about the language you want to use. Try to mirror some of the language they have used in the job spec, especially if they have industry-specific terms. And prepare for this question:

• The NEW Way to Answer ‘What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?’

5) Choose your questions to ask the interviewer

Asking intelligent questions demonstrates that you are interested in the role, the team you will work with and the company. It will also show you have prepared and hiring managers love that.

• 21 Intelligent Questions To Ask In An Interview
• 10 Questions You Should Never Ask In A Job Interview!

Here’s what you should always do at a job interview:

• Dress smartly for confidence, and must be appropriate
• Always arrive early ( check travel times or do run through of the journey beforehand, so there are no surprises on the day)
• Turn your phone off
• Greet your interviewers with a big smile, a firm handshake, eye contact and introduce yourself
• Build rapport early. Maybe ask how their day is going or comment on the area, building etc. – be genuine though
• Be positive! Stand tall and go for it!

Job Interview don’ts:

• Don’t rush your answers, pause for thought and consider before answering
• Don’t say “we” through the interview when you mean “I”. You’re there to tell them what you have done previously.
• Don’t try to blag your way through an answer, if you don’t know something be honest!

And remember your post-interview thank you note:

• Learn How to Write Killer Post-Interview Thank You Notes

Here are some tips if you’re having a phone interview:

• 10 Tips to Breeze Through Your Next Phone Interview

Be Yourself – You Got This!

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