How to succeed in a job interview?

For most people, their full-time job is their main source of income. Unless you’re some rich wonderkid with multiple passive income streams the likelihood is that your full-time job income is the single most important thing in your tool belt to achieve financial independence and security. Increasing your full-time income by securing a better job is one of the best things you can do for your career development and savings account. Especially in the early stages of your career. Moving around and developing different experiences and skills can lead to some great opportunities and a higher salary bracket. But the prospect of securing that new higher-paying role can be daunting. You will after all have to succeed at the dreaded interview.

I have worked in recruitment for the past seven years and in that time I have interviewed a lot of people. Over the years I have witnessed incredible interview performances and some that were truly horrible. Doing a successful interview is like any other skill in life, it can be learned. It may not be easy to learn and certainly not to master but it can definitely be improved. Now let me be clear, the ability to interview well does not mean that the person will be incredible in the role. In the same vein, someone could be the perfect match for a position but miss out on a job offer due to poor interview performance.

I believe that anyone can learn anything on the job, sometimes you just have to fake it till you make it. Giving a solid interview performance and actually securing the role is the first step.

These are my tips on how to succeed in the interview and get that job offer.

1. Confidence is key. It is easy to tell someone to be confident for an interview when everyone knows its almost impossible to not have some sort of nerves when going for a new role. However, having confidence and belief in your experience and capability to do the role can make or break it. If you are a bundle of nerves try to think about the fact that you have nothing to lose from this interview process, only something to gain. Shifting your mindset into that attitude should hopefully allow you to focus less on the nerves and more on your answers to the selection panel’s questions.
   
2. Dress to impress. This might go without saying but I once witnessed a woman turn up to an interview in tights as if she had just been at the gym. Safe to say she did not get the job. It doesn’t matter why type of role you are going for, dressing professionally is a very important aspect to making a good impression. Portmans and target are my favourite places to buy workwear but only when it is on sale.
   
3. Research the role and the organisation. Make sure you read the position description and understand what the key function of the role actually is. It will help you tailor your answers in a way that touches on what the interviewer needs you to actually do in the role. It is also important to learn more about the organisation. Understand who they are and what they do. This will also help you to formulate good questions to ask at the end of the interview. You should always have at least two questions to ask the interviewer at the end of the interview.
   
4. Do a practice interview the night before & have some pre prepared examples. Get your mum, partner, dad or whoever to ask you ‘interview questions.’ There are some questions that are very likely to come up in interview no matter what role you are going for. Have a think about examples of your prior work experience that you can mould to fit various questions. For example, a scenario where you have dealt with a difficult situation and found a resolution or an example of great customer service can relate to almost any job.
   
5. Bring relevant documentation, including resume, references & examples of work (if relevant) in a neat folder to the interview especially if you are external to the company. 9 times out of 10 the interviewer will already have their own copy of your application documents printed out however if they don’t it is good to have this to hand. It also makes you seem organised.
   
6. Sell yourself. These people have only just met you and they won’t necessarily know how amazing you are unless you tell them. Make a mental checklist of some notable things you have achieved in your career so far and tell them what you would plan to do if you got this role. This is especially important for women, who according to one study only apply for a job if they meet 100% of the criteria, whereas men will apply if they meet 60% of requirements. This tells us all we need to know. Ladies, have that confidence and don’t be afraid to show off your skill set and experience. It isn’t bragging if it’s in an interview.
   
7. Arrive ten minutes early. No more no less. When I was younger I used to arrive at interviews half an hour early because in my mind I figured I was showing them just how keen and punctual I was. In reality I was throwing our their already booked schedule by arriving too early. They might have other interviews happening before your allotted time slot or other meetings. You also don’t want to be rushing and arrive right on time. This is a certain way to become frazzled and stressed if you are racing around at the last minute.
   
8. Be authentic but not too authentic. What I mean by this is that it is important to showcase your charisma and personality in an interview but there is such a thing as being too honest. If they ask you what are your hobbies or how do you manage stress? Do not answer that with heavy drinking and clubbing. Even if that is the truth, make something else up. Usually running or yoga is a good response this. They can hear about your clubbing shenanigans once you have signed the contract.
   
9. Make sure your social media is set to private. If you are interviewing for a new job opportunity please ensure your social media accounts are set to private. Even if you don’t post much on social media it is usually a good rule of thumb to know that your interviewers will have searched through your accounts. Private settings are safest.
   
10. Lastly, if you want the job tell them. At the end of the interview let them know how much you would love the opportunity to work for such a great organisation. You can insert a fact that you discovered during your research of the company and why being involved with a company that does that is really interesting to you. Let them know how you are a quick learner who always goes above and beyond in your work. Thank them for their time and you can ask them an expected timeline of when you might hear an outcome.

Everyone has different reasons for looking for new job opportunities. It might be an increased salary, better work-life balance, or just a change of scenery. No matter what the reason is, following these tips during interviews will help you achieve your career goals and set you up for financial success.