10 tips to perform better in an interview

1.Know yourself: knowing yourself is by far best way to perform well in an interview. To me, a job interview is a marketplace as you get to sell your skills, experience and your personality. Like in any negotiation, the buyer would like to know what they are purchasing. So knowing yourself, your strengths and your values there is no way that employees would not hire you.

2.Tell a story: When people interview you, the genuinely want to know more about you. So the best thing to do is to prepare a story that would show them what you are, what you want, your skills, your experience, your value and overall a more clear description of you. By being the narrator you can guide where the conversation is going, what to highlight and even what not to mention.

3. Be prepared: An interview is also an exam, people want to hear the correct answer to the question asked. The best way of knowing how to reply or what to say is to study the market, the company and be genuine.

4. Be genuine: Some people get really overwhelmed by interviews which could incur on them behaving weirdly, using phrases that are not theirs, sounding like robots and so on. Try to avoid being something else as you do not want to change who you are for a job, most employers prefer unique people over robots.

5. Do not get overwhelmed: Being anxious and overwhelmed has become very common nowadays as we live busier and more stressful lives. Instead of letting emotions take control over you, try to utilize that time to prepare for the interview, meditate or even exercise.

6. Dress accordingly: I would say it is better to be overdressed for an interview than underdressed. In New Zealand, most companies-dress code is semi-formal unless you are applying for legal and corporate king of jobs where you would need to be mostly in suits and very forma. A great way to know more about this is to check the company’s Linkedln profile where you could get to see how the company´s day to day dress code is like. Alternatively email or call the HR and ask, that would also add points as it would show that you want to give a good impression.

7. Ask questions: a good way of showing interest in the company and the interviewers is to ask them questions that are relevant for the position that you are applying for or the recruitment process. I.e “How would you know that you have hired the right person in years’ time? “Whar are the KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) for the position?

8. Do not interrupt the interviewer: It might sound basic but not interrupting it’s a great way of performing better in an intervie. Let the interviewer finish their questions and think carefully when replying to their questions For example: How would you feel if someone you are interviewing does not let you finish a question and/or interrupts you? Would you give them a job?

9. Smile: A smile at the beginning and end of the interview is a great technique to show s great attitude, interest in the job and that the situation is not painful to you. A person that smiles is great to work with because he or she would add value to the team due to positivity and approachability.

10. Do not rush to reply: I have noticed some people would give weak replies because they did not take time to structure it before saying it. Meaning they did not have enough time think their response or simply did not understand the question properly. If you are ever a situation like this please use some of the following:

• Could you repeat the question, please?
• That is a great question, I think…. (is a great way of having more room to develop and answer)
• Could you be more specific on what you mean?
• Could I get an example?

If you ever need further help prepare an interview please get in touch as we work with a specialist that could help upgrade your interview skills or even your cv.