Job Interview Skills - Better Job Interviews

Job Interview Skills: Better Job interview techniques and good job interview guide.

Refining job interview techniques and making the most of your job interview skills
are important for ensuring a better job interview performance and making a good impression. This section highlights proven job interview techniques to gain the very best interview performance on the day. It gives specifics about handling certain job interview scenarios, being confident, creating the right impression and 'closing' the job interview. Preparation, practice and awareness are ways of improving job interview skills. Gaining feedback from unsuccessful job interviews is also important.

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Home >> Job Interviews >> Job Interview Techniques | CV Help | Career Articles | Job Hunting

Job Interview Skills: Improving job interview techniques - ensuring a better job interview performance - 'Big Day'

This is your big day - go for it!

It is important to make the most of any interview opportunities - the employer is interested and you have been invited to attend a job interview. There are various interview techniques and ways to prepare for maximising interview performance.

Winning CV has structured key elements of job interview preparation for helping with interviews 'on the day'. The following guidelines should help to build confidence. An interview should be no more than a formal discussion about a job vacancy. Candidates should not be intmidated by the prospect of a job interview - instead it should be an opportunity to shine!

Good Job Interview Guide: Making good job interview preparation to improve job interview performance and skills.

Before the interview

Take extra copies of a CV (be prepared just in case!).
Arrive in good time. Lateness is inexcusable.
Dress smartly & conservatively (presentation).
Ensure fresh breath.

Get the basics right & be positive

Keep body language calm & understated.
Be courteous, make eye contact & smile!
Be prepared & show enthusiasm.
Speak clearly & concisely.
Give a firm handshake.
Sit properly & relax.

Be warm, pleasant & polite to make a good impression

Helps to relax the interviewer - remember that it can be stressful for them too!
They will often reciprocate & help make you feel more comfortable as well.

Take your time & consider each answer

Always answer questions using examples (i.e. shows evidence of past performance & suitability).
If you are unable to answer a question, be honest & ask if you can come back to it later.
Ask for questions to be repeated if you do not understand or mis-hear.

Be honest & confident

Recruiters will often pick up on dishonest answers via your body language.
Gaps or weaknesses in your career history can be turned into strengths.
EG: Undertook successful training or study during an employment gap.

Impress interviewers with your insight & knowledge of the company.

Shows initiative, professionalism & that you are genuinely interested in the company.
A lack of research shows poor enthusiasm, laziness & even unprofessionalism.
This is a common weakness, so it is a chance to shine!

Prepare effective questions

Asking questions shows professionalism & wanting to learn more about the role.
It also shows a genuine interested & there is a serious (credible) candidate.

Consider closing the interview - very important!

There should be clear positive intent & use it as one last opportunity to sell any skills & qualities.
Remember to state what you want from the first interview (i.e. a second interview!).

To leave a positive impression and close the interview, summarise experience, main skills and
qualities in one sentance and then ask when you would be invited to attend a second
interview (i.e. gives positive intent and states exactly what you want).

Leave a positive impression

Smile, firm handshake & thank them for inviting you before leaving.
Do not look as though you are desperate to get out of the room.

JOB INTERVIEW PREPARATION | The Recruitment Process

Keeping you informed

Recruiters should keep you informed as to what will happen throughout the recruitment process.
This can be clarified at interview (i.e. ask about next stages, assessments, timescales, etc.).

JOB INTERVIEW PREPARATION | Feedback From Unsuccessful Interviews

Learning from your experiences

Find out any underlying reasons, strengths or weaknesses as to why you were unsuccessful.
This will help you to get it right next time & refine / practice interview techniques.
Always ask for interview feedback - a great opportunity to learn & improve!

Job Interview Resources

Job Interview Preparation

Preparing for job interviews is strongly advised. There are several important things a candidate can do prior to the interview to help prepare.

Job Interview Questions

There are only so many questions interviewers are likely to ask. Profiling a list of job interview questions and answers interviewers tend to ask.

Other Job Interview Questions

A detailed list of other interview questions that have been asked before. Remember, having some really good examples to hand really helps!

Day Of The Job Interview

Making the most of job interview opportunities is crucial. Working so hard to secure a job interview is wasted if not properly prepared for the big day.

Questions To Ask At Interview

Asking good questions at interview shows preparation, professionalism and research. It allows candidates to find out more about the role.

Common Job Interview Mistakes

Feedback from recruiters shows many typical interview mistakes made by candidates. Eliminate such mistakes with sound advice.

Telephone Interviews

Telephone interviews are widely used as a pre-interview selection method. They are used to screen candidates quickly and effectively.

Behavioural Job Interviews

Competency based interviews are becoming more popular. Using scenario-based questions to probe and gain evidence of past performance.

Interviews - Candidate Suitability

Profiling candidate selection criteria used by recruiters to find the best people. Understand what recruiters are looking for and why.

Interview Tests and Assessments.

Objectively measuring capabilities and skills of candidates within the context of carefully chosen tests, tasks and various interview assessments.

Job Aptitude Tests

Job aptitude tests use statistically proven norms to assess candidates. Employers use tests to evaluate aspects and compare this to the 'norm'.

Presentation Skills

Ten steps to improving interview presentations. Building confidence. planning and practice are all critical elements for successful presentations.

Negotiating An Offer Of Employment

Well done! You have been successful at job interview. The process does not stop their as it is important to evaluate the finer detail of the offer.

Interview Salary Negotiation

Successful salary negotiation at job interview requires effective research and planning. We profile useful steps for devising a strategy.

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Job Interview Guide

Guide to job interviews. From job interview preparation to performing at job interview. Common interview questions and more...

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