Job Interview Tips

 
Several awful interview experiences - and how to handle them

 
You go blank
This usually occurs when people are extremely nervous. If it happens, you will need to take a couple of deep breaths (which will calm you down by getting oxygen to your brain) and try to get your perspective again.
You can stall for time saying something like: "I couldn't quite hear you exactly - could you repeat that?" If you need to, you could come clean and say "I'm sorry: my mind has gone blank."
You could then explain that you are prone to nerves in interviews and your disarming honesty may save the day.

Your interviewer becomes aggressive
When he or she exclaims: "Why should I take you on rather than that person in the street?"
Few people go in for this approach. Stay calm, answer the content of the question rather than the emotion behind it and avoid getting angry back.

You are interviewed in a noisy and crowded room
This is a sign of an inexperienced interviewer who may be trying to suggest that he is so important that he cannot leave the centre of his powerhouse. In most cases, you will just have to put up with it and concentrate hard to keep out the interruptions. You could drop them a line afterwards, underlining a couple of points which you think may not have come across well because of the background noise.

The questions don't make sense
Ask them to repeat or rephrase the questions. If you give a good answer in the end, they will probably forget a little bit of clumsiness along the way. But if you get hold of the wrong end of the stick to start with, your interviewers are more likely to assume that you are a bit dim.

The interviewer clearly doesn't like you
This is a sign of a poor interviewer. Try not to be put off. They could well have some problem in the background which you could not be aware of. But you cannot do anything about any of this - so just carry on as positively as possible.

You don't like your interviewer
Don't let it put you off if you really want the job. Try to "like" them as much as possible during the interview because feelings such as these can communicate themselves through body language. If you discover you will be working closely with this person, you may decide later not to take the job.
Similarly, if you think everyone in the organisation might be a clone of the same type, think through your emotions carefully later.

You are interviewed by a panel of eight
Try to respond to the person who asked you the particular question, but include all the people in the panel. There could be a voting mechanism that gives each of the eight the same voting powers, so you will want to engage with each panel member, even if it is only through eye contact.

You got some bad news on the day of the interview
Getting upset - whatever the cause - in an interview will be very bad for your chances. If you felt under par, you could drop a line afterwards explaining what happened. But the best solution in this situation may be to ring beforehand, explain the situation over the phone and see if another appointment can be found.

You know your interviewer
Don't let this worry you. If it is a one-to-one, the interviewer may need to consider their position and the onus would be on them to do something about it. If there is more than one person interviewing you, your contact is under less pressure.

Several ways to nail the job at interview

• The best way to get that job is to find out what particular problem the employer is looking to solve and then show how you can do it. For instance, instead of going for a job as a secretary you are really going for a far more precise role than that.
  If you asked the right questions in interview, you might discover that the interviewer wants someone who is great at Excel spreadsheets because no-one else can do them, and who can deal with difficult people because most of the directors are quite peculiar.
  You can get into this sort of conversation by asking questions such as "Which projects would I be involved in?" and "Are there any particular requirements of the job worth talking about now?"

• Prepare thoroughly and know exactly what sort of qualities you need to demonstrate.

• Dress in the way your interviewers are dressed. You can get an idea of dress styles by looking on the website or looking in their reception area or shop window.

• Make eye contact frequently.

• Smile.

• Be positive in your outlook. Try to avoid saying "no" in answers.

• Demonstrate the skills you claim to have. If they are likely to ask you if you are well organised, you need to have that anecdote about how you switched 200 people from one hotel to another in 30 minutes.

• Make yourself stand out from the crowd. Make your comments and stories interesting. If you are a marathon runner, you might include a story to prove your endurance.

• Show your knowledge of the industry you are applying for - not just your knowledge of your role within it. Your employer should be obsessed by that industry and should see your interest in it too as a recommendation.

• Have a list of points you want to make. Don't be shy and let your interviewer chatter away at you just because he likes the sound of his own voice. You need to demonstrate various things in the interview and you must not let a poor interviewer get in the way.