5 essentials for passing ANY interview

Busy preparing for interviews? When it comes to passing your interview, there’s a lot of advice on the internet. And it can be a little overwhelming, right? You’re already nervous enough as it is when interviewing. So how can you be expected to remember 20 interview tips on top of all those nerves?!

Sometimes you just need to keep it simple. Bring it back to basics with our top 5 tips for impressing your interviewer.

5 steps to ace your next interview

1. Ask intelligent questions

Asking questions is key to passing your interview. But that doesn’t mean asking just any old questions. Some questions can backfire on you. For example, asking about your lunch breaks or how many sick days you’ll have won’t get you far. 

Instead, you need to ask questions about the job role itself. Your questions tell the interviewer how serious you are about the job. You could ask about the training, career progression, or the most challenging parts of the role. These are all great questions to ask the interviewer.

2. Keep your answers concise

One of the biggest turnoffs for an interviewer is when a candidate goes off on a tangent. The last thing they want is a 10 minute speech about something that doesn’t even relate to the question. This happens A LOT in interviews. You’re almost guaranteed to fail if you do this.

Don’t confuse the interviewer. And don’t send them to sleep. Keep your answers short and to the point. Snappy answers show you have great communication skills and a high level of emotional intelligence.

3. Draw on examples

Using examples in your interview answers is ESSENTIAL to passing your interview. Anyone can talk a good talk. But backing your answers up with numbers and examples will add meat to the bone. Interviewers will see you’re not blagging it. You can actually put your money where your mouth is.

So before your interview, be sure to prepare some real-life examples of the job’s key skills like:

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Initiative
• Critical thinking
• Going the extra mile

4. Build rapport

Employers want to know you can build relationships with people. So your job isn’t just to go to the interview and answer questions. You want to create a relationship with the interviewer too!

You can do this by engaging in small talk and using humour. Here are some other good ways of building rapport:

• Comment on the office decor
• Look out for talking points around the office like award placards
• Pay the interviewer a compliment
• Listen out for any talking points from the interviewer e.g. if they mention they have children or they like sport
• Ask the interviewer about their professional background and experience at the company

5. Look presentable

Finally, looks matter. So dress for the job you want, not the job you have. If you arrive looking scruffy, the interviewer might assume you have a poor work ethic. It can be hard to know what to wear to an interview. But if you’re not sure of the dress code, remember it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed! 

Don’t overthink it

Don’t overload yourself with do’s and don’ts before your interview. Too many rules will cloud your brain and dim your personality. You still want your personality to shine through. So keep it simple with these interview tips and watch your career flourish!

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