Maxwell Bond are often asked what interview advice or interview tips do we give to candidates to ensure they’re more likely to succeed in an interview. It’s all too easy to apply for roles now that we frequently find that a lot of people go through heart ache sending their CV to lots of “black holes”; when they finally get an interview request, they believe just turning up will get them the role…. They believe they’ve already passed the hardest bit and think “the person must like me so I’ll get the role by just turning up, right?”.
I cannot stress this enough; the interview is the most important stage of the job search. It’s your chance to sell yourself whilst; more importantly, finding out if it’s a company you want to work for and deciding if this opportunity aligns with your GOALS.
IF you want to succeed, you need to remember your competing against other people and you need to be a cut above the rest.
Maxwell Bond have a lot of success with our IT and Digital candidates by following these 6 interview tips;
1) Prepare, research and do your homework!
We see so many people fail interviews and missing opportunities they really want through lack of preparation, turning up is not enough!!! Research the website, look at news articles, use social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, even Instagram to see common connections, beliefs, hobbies to create commonality. Think about your answers to questions; stating you’re “a quick learner” or “passionate” about X, Y & Z, with no examples of where you’ve learnt quickly or picked up the skills in your own time because you’re “passionate” is not good enough. Actions always speak louder than words!
2) First impressions count!
We all know the saying don’t judge a book by its cover but in interviews, your first 2 minutes’ count massively for or against you. Think about your appearance. I’m not just talking about your clothes; posture, energy, enthusiasm, eye contact, tone of voice, firm hand shake, all count! This also applies for your social media accounts, CV format and your initial communication via email, phone calls etc. Put some effort in, you’ll be surprised what you get back!
3) Create Commonality!
When interviewing make sure you still focus on the Human element; Human interaction is still the main influencing factor why people are hired. People love to belong and work with similar minded people. This can be shared beliefs, values, similar career path, known colleagues, university, children going to the same school, similar events you attend, the list goes on. Research your interviewee and create that commonality immediately! 4) Remember you’re in competition, go the extra mile!
If you really want a new role or want to work for a business or a person, go the extra mile as 9/10 of your competition wont. We’ve seen people achieve “dream roles” over someone with a better technical aptitude because of their attitude. We’d love to hear your best examples of when someone or YOU went the extra mile to successfully find a new role.
5) Ask questions throughout the interview, don’t just wait until the end!
We recommend having a list of questions prepared as a bare minimum!!! However, to really put you ahead, you need to ask intelligent questions throughout the interview. Not only does it show interest, understanding and helps with engagement, it shows that you’re listening and “get it”. We hear all the time; “x candidate really “gets it” because they’ve asked intelligent questions. People love to talk about themselves, get them speaking!
6) Don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket and think the interview is all or nothing!
You will never know what opportunities can become available now or in the future. We’ve recently had a candidate offered a better role, they didn’t know were available because it was better suited to both parties and meant a £10k increase! I’ve also recently had a new client win from an interview that happened to me 6 years ago!!! You will never know what’s around the corner, conduct yourself professionally and with integrity no matter the circumstances and things tend to work out in the long run.
These 6 interview tips will help you improve your success ratio whilst interviewing but remember your attitude is the critical success factor in your success. Many people have failed on their first, second, third attempt but still succeeded. The best example for me is Sylvester Stallone. Stallone failed over 2000 times to get Rocky up and running and we all know what a success that is now. Watch here for the full story on his journey and for further inspiration.
Look forward to your thoughts or questions!
Partner with Maxwell Bond, Best Specialist Tech & Digital Recruitment Agency 2021, Manchester & Berlin
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