Like myself, you may be looking for summer work experience and with that comes interviews! Employability Points are holding their rewards interviews next month, making this the perfect time to research and compile some interview tips to help get you through – especially useful as it is also exam season! Many of these are taken from the Careers and Employability Service itself – there’s all sorts of career-related advice on the website. As a student with EP interviews in the next few weeks, keep an eye out for my upcoming blog as I reflect on what I learn from my own experiences.
- You’ve got an interview – go you! This means they were impressed by your application and like something about you. Remember this if you find your nerves getting the better of you.
- Write down the details – where it’s going to be, what time, what date. You want to make sure that you are turning up on time (EP asks for 15 minutes before), that you’re not flustered, and that you have had time to prepare. You can use this website if you dont know where the room is!
- Think about what you’re going to wear – It’s always better to be slightly over-dressed than under-dressed. E.g. shirt and tie, trousers or knee length skirt, a smart top– nothing see-through or with a plunging neckline! Make sure your shoes aren’t scruffy or covered in mud, it’s these things that make a good impression. Most importantly, however, is to make sure that you feel comfortable. You won’t come across as confident if you’re constantly fiddling!
- Make sure you have researched the company and the role – this will help answer questions such as “why do you want to work for us?”, as well as tailor your answers to the skills they may be looking for.
- Practice – Do practice interviews with whoever you can to boost your confidence on the day. You can book a mock interview with the CES staff here.
- Preparation – It’s worth spending some time formalising answers to some of the most common interview questions like: “What is your greatest achievement?”; “What are your weaknesses?” – but remember, you dont want to sound like you’re reading off a script, so don’t focus too much on memorising these, just having some prompts in your head. Click for more common interview questions.
- Think about how your experiences have demonstrated the skills you have. It’s OK to show how a challenging situation helped you develop a certain trait, or what you have learnt from a role you have had. This is better than just listing adjectives when asked what your strengths are!
- Smile! Shake hands firmly with each person in the room, making eye contact. If you start to get nervous take deep breaths, speak slowly, and take your time – this is when preparing your answers to draw upon can really help! You can feel confident at this stage knowing you have the right skills for the job, all you have to do is prove it! When you walk into the room you want to feel confident and able (even if you’re shaking inside).
- Don’t worry too much about making a mistake. Move on, and answer the next question!
- Pre-prepare some questions for the end – they will likely ask if you have any, and it’s also likely that your mind will go blank! Don’t ask about salary or the tea rota. I always think it’s good to ask about the size of the team you will be working in, what interaction you will have with other departments or how your role fits into the broader workings of the organisation. Just make sure you ask something!
- End positively – When the interview is approaching an end try to conclude on a positive note. This could be as simple as saying something like, “I look forward to hearing from you.”
- Reflect – Jot down some notes of the questions asked and anywhere that you felt you could have responded better. You may want to work on these points before your next interview. If you’d like to talk about an interview you have had, just book a quick advice appointment. The CES staff are more than happy to talk about past interviews, as well as to help you prepare for the next one. This may be useful if you have been successful so far with multiple EP rewards applications and have other interviews to attend. If not, it will be useful for the next interview opportunity you get.
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If you are turned down for the reward, you may pick up some useful tips to improve your performance next time by telephoning or emailing your interviewer to ask politely what – if anything – you did wrong. Not all interviewers are willing to provide this feedback but it’s worth a try. Remember that it may not necessarily be something you did wrong, just that you weren’t right for the position, or someone just pipped you to the post.
If you have arranged a telephone or skype interview, much of the same applies, but click here for extra information.
Fingers crossed you demonstrated all the reasons why you’d be perfect for the position. Good luck – just do your best and be your (professional) self. Go get ‘em!
-Grace Couch, CES Student Emp Rep
Kent Employability Blog 