Information for Mentees
How to make a Great Impression at an Interview
Do your research before arriving at the interview:
- Research the organisation/position/sector
- Use the internet
- Read annual reports / journals etc as appropriate
- Look in the press
- Find out about their new products so that you drop the names into the conversation
- Ask friends/acquaintances who have worked for the company
- Try to find out who is interviewing you and try to find out about them
- Think of possible questions and prepare good answers
- Think of a couple of interesting questions to ask the interviewer
- Ask someone to give you a mock interview, mentors are normally very happy to help in this respect
Dress appropriately for the interview: smart, neat and professional. Make sure you feel comfortable, or you spend your time worrying about your appearance.
Give yourself plenty to time to travel to the interview and find the location you don't want to be turning up late and flustered.
While waiting to go into the interview:
- Control your nerves
- Breathe slowly and deeply
- Think positively, you can do it, you are going to do well!
- Thinking about an occasion when you did well can help, think about how you felt at that time.
In the interview:
- First impressions are important stand up to greet the interviewer(s), walk into the interview room confidently and shake hands firmly.
- Check your body language, come across confident and relaxed.
- Keep you head up
- Speak clearly, with enthusiasm and conviction
- Maintain eye contact
- Emphasise your strengths which are applicable to the position
- Structure your answers to provide the information required without waffling!
- Try to make the situation into a conversation rather than an interrogation
- Try to build a rapport with the interviewer.
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