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Interview Advice from a Recruiter


I have lost count of how many interviews I did during graduate season. Including, telephone interviews, Skype interview and video recorded interview. Now I work in recruitment so spend my day interviewing candidates on the phone and in person. As well as preparing candidates for interviews with clients. So along the way I have picked up a few tips from being both the interviewer and the interviewee which I am going to share with you now. 
  • Remember it is a compliment that they want to interview so go in there with your head held high! They are obviously interested in your profile and have taken time out of their day to meet you. 
  • Know your CV inside and out. They will ask you questions on your latest role as well as previous roles. They may also ask you to explain to your reason for moving between roles so have a think about the reason for each job move. 
  • Research what the company does, the interviewer will see that you are genuinely interested in the role. You can also use this information to support your answer. For example; "I am looking to work in a growing organisation. I know you have rapidly grown from two employees to thirty employees." 
  • Research common interview questions and write down your answer in bullet points (you can even have them in front of you as prompts for a telephone interview).
  • Answer each question with; What was the situation? What did you do? What was the outcome?
  • I, not We. The interviewer wants to understand what you did not what your team did. If you worked in a team make sure you explain what your role in the team was. 
  • Make sure you answer the question you were asked. If you are not sure what the question is asking, ask them to clarify.
  • Keep calm as a clear mind is more prepared to answer questions.
  • Relaxed body language makes you feel relaxed. 
  • If the interviewer is being a bit mean just think to yourself it is probably just an act. They do this to see how you handle pressure. So do not panic just continue on! 
  • An interview is not only the company seeing if they want to hire you but also you seeing if you want to join them. So make sure you find out as much information as you can about the company.  
  • Dress appropriately. Simple and smart is usually a safe bet.
Good luck with any interviews you have coming up. I hope this will help you. At the end of the day, it is only an interview! See each interview as a learning experience and in each interview, you will get better. 

Do you have any interview advice I've missed? If so please tell me in the comment section below. 

Love,
E. x

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