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Call us on 0800 222 733Interview tips to help you land the job
Career Services career consultant Sarah McIndoe gives five interview tips to help you get the job. This video first appeared on TradeMe Jobs.
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Transcript
Tip 1
Sarah: So when it comes to interviews, I think the first tip for me would be that first impressions last. So think about when you are first meeting an employer, good eye contact, a firm handshake and a big smile never goes amiss. Because what you are looking at is basically helping the employer to see that you are someone who will fit in with the team, so friendliness goes a long way.
Tip 2
Sarah: There's four Rs that I normally suggest for people to think about: The first R is research: find out everything you can about that company that you are going for an interview at. Potentially about the role, if there is a job description, great, they can give you a wealth of information. And from there, you can start to think about what types of questions that employer might be asking you at the interview. Chances are quite high that you will some sort of behavioural or competence based question, so 'tell me about a time when' or 'can you give me an example of ...'. and looking for a particular skill or competency. So that gives you a really good setup and preparation for what is going to be going on at the interview.
Tip 3
Sarah: The second R is the review and that is to think about your stories or ideas of times when you have done something that you are really proud of, or things that you have done within your work or within your study or somewhere else to help the employer to see the skills and the personal qualities even that you are looking to communicate with them at the interview. And really try to unpack those skills so think about all of the skills and all of personal qualities that you have been able to demonstrate at that particular time or when you were part of whatever it was.
Tip 4
Sarah: The most important one is to rehearse. So once you have had a think about things, you have written things down. Rehearse, practice your answer out loud preferably with a friend or someone who can give you feedback on how that answer is sounding. And then you can review your answers from there.
Tip 5
Sarah: The final tip would be to relax. I know that sounds strange when we're talking about job interviews, but I think it's important to remember that someone will interview you because they think you can do the job, but they will hire you because they like you, they think they can get along or they think you will get along as part of their team. So the more that you can prepare for the interview, I think the more relaxed that you will end up being. Don't know anyone who dances for joy when they hear about having to go for a job interview, but the more prepared that you are, the better off you will be in terms of helping them to see who you are as a person and how you would be as an employee or as part of their team.