Job interviews

I mentioned in a recent job post that I really hate writing job applications. But there's one thing that I hate more, and that's job interviews. Being forced to think on the spot, the pressure of being interrogated for 30-60 minutes, and the high stakes are enough to make me incredibly nervous. 

Here is my approach to overcoming the challenges of a job interview and (hopefully) succeeding: 

• Work to build up your confidence beforehand. I wrote this as a job application technique but it's just as important for interviews, where confidence makes a big difference on the impression you make. First of all: congratulate yourself for getting an interview! This means the potential employer picked you out of a bunch of applications as a qualified and promising candidate. Re-read the application you submitted to remind yourself of why you'd be great for the job. And reach out to friends and family for a confidence boost if you need it! 

• Do some preparation. Preparing for interviews can be difficult because you don't know what questions you'll be asked, but it's still important. Re-read the position description. Write out a list of possible questions you might be asked and how you might answer them. Write out some examples of times where you used your skills to achieve something. I find this a really useful exercise because I find it really hard to come up with good examples on the spot. Come up with some questions you might want to ask them about the role. Most importantly, decide on a few key things you really want to convey during the interview: maybe it's your vision for the role, or your people skills, or something else. You can try and weave aspects of these key messages into your answers. 

• Practice beforehand. I usually ask a close friend or family member to ask me a few questions, just so I can get in the habit of answering them confidently. Ask for feedback on your speaking style. For example, my Mum recently pointed out that I sometimes answer interview questions with a strange intonation which makes me sound doubtful. I was annoyed to hear this at first, but then I was able to fix it so I sound more confident in interviews. 

• Be honest and be yourself. I think it is really important to be natural and show a bit of your personality in interviews. And it's hard, because it's not really a natural-feeling situation! I think the most important thing is to answer questions honestly, even if it means admitting you're not that experienced in a particular area but you are keen to learn. 

• Try not to overthink it afterwards. After interviews, I always start thinking over and over about all the things I said wrong, and what I should have said instead. Interviewers don't expect perfect answers and it's not useful beating yourself up about it afterwards! Distract yourself while you wait to hear back about the outcome. 

Best of luck! 

Note: If you're currently applying for jobs and would like some assistance or support, you might like to check out the Career Services available here.