Preparing For a Job Interview

If you have been invited to an interview it's a given that someone has, however briefly, looked at your CV. Something about you, or the way you have presented yourself has felt a good enough 'fit' to get you through the door.

Here's the key and the most important thing to remember before you go through that door.

Unless they are simply going through the motions because they've already appointed someone, they want it to be you

They want to know their search is over, so for the length of the interview, the job is yours. Something else you need to make the most of.

Having said that, first impressions are incredibly important. People do make up their minds quickly so be yourself right from the start.

Of course you can turn up the volume on those bits of you that most match the job and turn it down on the bits that don't. This will help show you in your best light. However, never ever shut the volume off entirely, as you will then be pretending to be someone you're not - people can smell pretence and it is a sure recipe for disaster.

For the same reason it's not a good idea to lie!

You can be judicious with the truth yes, but lies have a tendency to return and bite you in the bum! Even if they don't actually know that you've lied they will sense something is not right. When you are under pressure it's virtually impossible not to give out the signals that tell your interviewer that something is wrong.

Even if you think your current job stinks, present the good points as though you were looking at the job from the outside in. Most jobs appear much better from the outside than they do from the inside (only you know the real truth); so pump up the goodies and soft-pedal the baddies!

However, we do know that being put on the spot can feel very uncomfortable, and it's easy to fall into a defensive posture. If you're not sure of the answer or feel boxed into a corner it's all right to buy time - including saying "I need some time to think about that."

No matter how nervous you are you do need to look after the people interviewing you. They will be looking for signs that you know how to communicate and relate to people. If you get stuck or tongue-tied ask one or two of the more surprising questions you have prepared.

Have a stockpile of anecdotes of past triumphs (and even a few disasters, as long as they're funny or the humorous side is apparent). This is not just a list of what you can do, but some personal examples that help paint the whole picture.

For instance, you could say "I successfully launched a new product for my company." Nothing wrong with that; it just doesn't tell anyone very much about you.

Or you could say, "Let me tell you about the new product launch I ran earlier this year with my colleagues. We had a very tight deadline, the venue was booked, the product was ready, but it was bringing all the elements together that helped make it a success. I'll explain my part in all this...." And off you go.

You're telling a story, not reciting facts. People like stories (as long as they are not long-winded and either too boastful or too self-deprecating) because they help show who you are as a person.

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