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Danny
15-12-2014, 02:27 PM
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It's hard to get a job these days, there are many people all applying for the same job, with limited vacancies available. But you're one of the lucky ones, you've been invited for an interview, but wouldn't it be a shame that you get so close and mess up at the final hurdle?

Worry not, because I am about to give you some advice on getting through an interview, the last 3 jobs I applied for, I got the through the interview stage with flying colours and a job given to me more or less straight away, so i'm going to explain the steps I took in getting myself the jobs.

Okay! Step one:
You know you have the interview, so the first thing you should really do before anything else, is research the company. It may be a well known place but having knowledge about the company will make you look eager for the job and willing to put in the effort, something employer's will look for!

When I knew I had my interview for Home Bargains, I looked up their company which is owned by TJ Morris and found out their history, what they sell etc, and that seemed to impress my interviewer.

Step two:
If you really want a job, then you are going to need to make the effort with appearance. It's a little strange I need to include this, but i've seen people turn up to interviews in a tracksuit. Does this give off an air that you want the job, that you should have the job, as opposed to someone that's made the effort? Always dress smart, give yourself time to get ready so that you have clean hair and clean nails, as these are things the employer will notice for sure. If you have a suit, then wear that, but as long as you are wearing smart trousers (usually black) and a smart shirt and decent shoes (not trainers!), the employer is likely to notice this, because more often that not, you will be one of the few that has actually made that effort!

Step three:
It always helps to look up common questions in an interview, so you're not sat there going (Um, errr) or in silence whilst you think of an answer to a question. These questions will be things like, "Why do you want to work here?" "Why should we hire you?" Ones that i've had have been along the lines of "Tell us about a time you have provided good customer service" or similar questions to that. These questions are really where you want to sell yourself, make sure you have answers prepared. But! If they ask a question you've not worked an answer out to, don't lose your head, sometimes in work you need to think on your feet and this will show you work well under pressure. And this leads us to the next step.

Step four:
Confidence. In the past, I was always nervous when in interviews, infact the first job I got my interview was pretty bad, but the employer wanted to give me a chance and I did end up proving myself. Because I knew I had gotten this job with a bad interview, the next one which was for Home Bargains, I walked in with an air of confidence and maybe you would call this arrogant, but I also went in with the mindset that I deserved the job, so that helped me with confidence which I have previously lacked in a major way. But don't appear to be arrogant, if this makes sense.

Step five:
Follow these tips when in an interview! First, relax! Be polite! When you walk in try to smile. Also when you're sat talking to them, eye contact is important but try not to stare too! Look at them if they are talking so you are showing an interest in what they are saying. When you're answering a question, you can look away as if thinking about your answer so that helps to avoid staring, but when your close to finishing your answer, look back at them. Try to be positive, even when answering a question that asks about weaknesses, try and think how you can turn it into a positive. Think of any questions you may have before hand, more often than not they will already be answered for you within the interview. If you have no questions, say something like, "No, I am aware of what the job entails". Hopefully they will give you some indication of how you done, but remember to still smile. At the end, always shake their hand, it shows you are respectful of them!

These are the main things I was aware of when I had each of my interviews recently and I got given the job more or less straight away in each occasion. I'm not saying this will definately get you a job straight away but you have more of a chance.

Got any other tips? Let us know by commenting below!

scottish
15-12-2014, 02:34 PM
If you really want a job, then you are going to need to make the effort with appearance. It's a little strange I need to include this, but i've seen people turn up to interviews in a tracksuit. Does this give off an air that you want the job, that you should have the job, as opposed to someone that's made the effort? Always dress smart, give yourself time to get ready so that you have clean hair and clean nails, as these are things the employer will notice for sure. If you have a suit, then wear that, but as long as you are wearing smart trousers (usually black) and a smart shirt and decent shoes (not trainers!), the employer is likely to notice this, because more often that not, you will be one of the few that has actually made that effort!

That would entirely depend on the job, I highly doubt anyone would go to an office job etc interview in trackies. Maybe those who don't actually want the job yes, but those who want the job will always dress smartly. So 'one of the few' is very inaccurate.

This article is basically just what's said on every website that deals with jobs.

Monster, about, theguardian, reed, forbes, etc all have similar. so it's fairly obvious i'd imagine.

Danny
15-12-2014, 02:39 PM
This is based off of my own experiences though, not what's written elsewhere. The information about being one of the few is from what i've been told by employers who have seen many people turn up in clothes not suitable for an interview.

scottish
15-12-2014, 02:57 PM
Maybe in your typical Shops people won't dress up as smartly. But in most jobs they will.

Danny
15-12-2014, 03:03 PM
They're just tips anyway, not sure what the issue is.

scottish
15-12-2014, 03:10 PM
There is no issue, you posted an article and I replied with my thoughts on the article.

Matthew
15-12-2014, 07:07 PM
I'd probably include something in there about first impressions. I swear i've read somewhere that an interviewer will decide a lot about you in the first few seconds after you first meet. A good handshake and a polite introduction does a lot.

I'd also add that don't feel like you have to answer each question immediately. It's perfectly acceptable if you get a question that you're having trouble on to politely ask "do you mind if I take a second to think about this". As long as you don't keep the interviewer waiting too long you're fine; just 5-10 seconds can be the difference between a really good answer and a rushed, almost cliché one (as the cliché's tend to be the first things that will come to your mind in my experiences).

Also on dress code, it entirely depends on the job. Its always better to overdress than underdress but if you really overdress then that can be bad too.

Try to end by asking a thoughtful question, it shows you're genuinely interested in the job and the place of work. Again, try to make it a decent question and not something bland. End again with a good handshake.

Rachel
15-12-2014, 10:26 PM
Very nice article.

The interview I had before I worked at the hospital was similar to this. It was stressful at first but after you get use to it. You have to realize they are not there to bite you. My interview went quite well and the only part that was nervous is the waiting time after the interview. I had to wait 2-3 weeks after by mail if I got accepted or not. :)

Having a good night sleep, have a good image and every little details you think they will look at the interview. :)

Zak
16-12-2014, 10:03 AM
I'd probably include something in there about first impressions. I swear i've read somewhere that an interviewer will decide a lot about you in the first few seconds after you first meet. A good handshake and a polite introduction does a lot.

Yeah a lot of people will judge you on first impressions. When I went to university I deliberately dressed up as a chav to see if anyone would talk to me - they didn't - but at the end of the three years I was really popular. People judge books by their cover I'm afraid.

Though when I went for my first job I shook their hand and the HR person just laughed at me. Depends on the job. I shook all interviewers hands when I went to work in an office and that appeared to be the norm.

Preparation and coming across as a nice, polite person will usually do the trick (with the skills of course). With my office job I had to do an impromptu test - which I did really well on because I researched the essentials and desirables on the job description before my interview.

Empired
16-12-2014, 06:47 PM
Yeah a lot of people will judge you on first impressions. When I went to university I deliberately dressed up as a chav to see if anyone would talk to me - they didn't - but at the end of the three years I was really popular. People judge books by their cover I'm afraid.

Though when I went for my first job I shook their hand and the HR person just laughed at me. Depends on the job. I shook all interviewers hands when I went to work in an office and that appeared to be the norm.
You can kinda see why people judge you based on your clothes + first actions in an interview. They'll probably want someone who will take the job seriously so if you turn up in jeans and a hoodie you're clearly not really interested and the interviewer(s) will pick up on that.

And what was your first job lol? The HR sounded mean :'(

Zak
17-12-2014, 12:28 PM
You can kinda see why people judge you based on your clothes + first actions in an interview. They'll probably want someone who will take the job seriously so if you turn up in jeans and a hoodie you're clearly not really interested and the interviewer(s) will pick up on that.

And what was your first job lol? The HR sounded mean :'(

Well it wasn't technically my first job but it was the first job I had an interview for :P

It was at Morrisons. They weren't mean at all but obviously didn't expect a handshake on arrival :P

Empired
17-12-2014, 03:38 PM
Well it wasn't technically my first job but it was the first job I had an interview for :P

It was at Morrisons. They weren't mean at all but obviously didn't expect a handshake on arrival :P
That's so weird. I had an interview at Build-a-Bear (lol don't) and even they expected a handshake!!

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