The correct interview tips & techniques are essential when trying to land that dream job that you've worked so hard towards. Implementing the correct interview techniques can really make a difference to your performance! These tips can also be applied to other areas of life when interacting with professionals, to ensure you’re conveying yourself in the most appropriate manor.

When you’re in the hot seat, all of the attention is on you, sometimes from more than one interviewer, which by the way, you shouldn’t get flustered about! The idea of this blog is to make the hot seat a little less hot and a little more comfortable. Therefore allowing you to relax and get the best out of your interviews in order to maximise your personal success!

 So let’s get underway;

1. Eye contact;

   Eye contact is a crucial aspect to a successful interview. You will notice that the interviewers will more often than not maintain good eye contact with you for the duration of the interview. Eye contact is seen in many cultures as respectful and engaging, and a lack of eye contact can give off the impression of disinterest, nerves and unprofessionalism. Now, I’m not telling you to stare the interviewer down for an hour, this is an interview not a stare off. When you’re talking and listening to the interviewer be sure to maintain eye contact for around 70% of the time, this may already come naturally. Likewise, if there is more than one person interviewing you, be sure to give everyone in the room equal eye contact, engaging with everyone is paramount when trying to convey yourself as confident and engaging!

2. Preparation;

   “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Preparation is everything when going for an interview. Most companies will expect you to have shown some prior interest in their business by doing your personal research and knowing your stuff. Now I’m not saying you need to be able to quote their Q4 2017 cash flow forecast back to them, but I’m saying that they will ask you questions about the business, with the expectation of some elaboration! Common questions include “why do you want to work for the business”, “how do you believe you will add value to the business” or in my personal experience “tell us what you understand about the business”. By conveying to the interviewers that you’ve done your research, you’re immediately showing that you are interested in the job and that you have good organisation skills.

3. Body language & posture;

   Similar to eye contact, the wrong body language and posture can influence the way your interview goes and really give off a bad impression. When you first walk into the interview room you're being judged from minute 1 and the way you conduct yourself will be picked up on! If you are seated in your interview, be sure to sit up straight, shoulders back and arms either on your lap or where they feel most comfortable! Show you are confident and make yourself seen, almost like a goal keeper in a penalty shoot-out, you want to make your presence known! On the other hand, if you are stood up giving a presentation for your interview, make sure your hands aren’t in your pockets, you are engaging with your audience and that you move around occasionally to draw attention to your confidence.

4. Positive energy;

   Thinking positive is everything, not just in interviews but in life! The worst thing you can do before an interview is worry about all the possible things that could go wrong, it hasn’t happened yet, you dictate your own interview so make sure you are positive! From minute 1, be sure to walk in, shake everyone’s hands and smile. A smile and happy persona can work wonders; after all, nobody wants to work with someone who is miserable and negative. Be sure to show your interviewer that you are confident and easy to get along with, ask them how their day has been, how long they’ve been at the company, what their position is, do they enjoy working there? Not only are you making conversation and being friendly, but you’re also showing an interest in the company and their personal life.

5. Dress for the occasion;

   Different interview scenarios call for different dress codes, I personally have been to a multitude of interviews, all of which have required fairly different dress codes. The last thing you want to do is turn up and everyone is wearing a suit and you’ve opted for the jeans and open shirt, or vice versa. Be sure to ask what the expected dress code is beforehand! If you’re totally unsure and can’t seem to get an answer, then a black suit with coloured or black tie is a good starting point that demonstrates professionalism.

6. RELAX;

   Easier said than done I know! Stressing yourself out or becoming really nervous doesn’t actually have any positive impact on your interview experience. Stress and nerves lead to more stress and nerves which usually leads to messing up or not being at your best! The way I like to view an interview is like you’re meeting up with a friend you haven’t seen for ages and you are just having an in depth catch up, you don’t need to demonise the situation.

7. Eliminate confidence knockers;

   What do you think could go wrong or what do you think could knock your confidence? For some people it’s underarm sweat marks, for some it’s stuttering, for others it’s mind blank. Similar to preparation, make sure you have eliminated anything that could knock your confidence whilst in the interview. Get yourself some dandi patches or pads to prevent those nasty sweat patches if you are nervous (view product details below). A full suit can also become very hot and sweaty in busy rooms and tense situations so trapping any bad underarm odour is always a good thing to do! If you have issues stuttering or remembering your content, then practice and get someone to play the role of interviewer and take you through a few questions!