So you've got an interview for your dream job coming up you want to shine. Well I've
got good news you've come to the right place because today we've got 8 tips
that will help you feel more at ease at the interview, be more confident, help you answer
those difficult questions oh and by the way don't forget to show up you know what they
say 80% of success is showing up. So that's 9 tips for you today. And remember not to
have any pieces of spinach between your teeth or anything like that when you see the interviewer
- that looks really bad. OK so That's 10 tips. 10 tips for you today. A nice round number.
Today we've some tips to help you get that job. And we've also got a bonus tip at the
end so stay tuned for that. Now, in this video we've got some general tips about passing
the interview and if English is not your first language we've also got some hacks about how
to optimise your English at the interview.
Start with confidence. They say that an interview is decided in the first 30 seconds so you'd
better get that introduction right. We'll go into what you say later but the best way
to start is with a smile, maintain good eye contact and give a strong handshake. ok but
not so strong that you crush your interviews hand and they have to get rushed off to the
hospital for an x-ray for a suspected cracked wrist. As far as your voice is concerned keep
the tone down - a falling tone So "hi I'm Gideon" and not "hi I'm Gideon" A rising tone
so you want to sound friendly but serious.
There is an old much quoted piece of research that says that 93% of communication is non-verbal
and while that might be an exaggeration it's certainly true that it's extremely important.
So make that you sit upright with open body language. Not a closed one like this. Keep
good eye contact throughout. Use hand gestures if that's your style. And my top tip is if
they ask you if you want something to drink at the beginning of the interview ask for
a glass of water. This will help in 3 ways. Firstly, It'll give you something to do with
your hands instead of keeping them frozen in concrete or resting your knees or stop
you from fidgeting. Secondly, it'll give you thinking time if they ask you a difficult
question. And thirdly, you have something to drink if you're thirsty.
The interviewer is sitting there thinking what can you do for for our company and not
what can I do to help this person and your answers should always reflect this. They should
always focus on why it's a good idea to hire you. So for example if the question is "Why
did you leave your last job?" Never, criticise your former boss or your former colleagues
always keep things positive. "My last boss was stupid and my colleagues were all baskets
they didn't appreciate my genius and now I want to progress my career and hopefully become
a manager within the next 2 years.". No, no, no. Instead always put a positive spin on
things and what you can do for them. "Although I enjoy working at my current position, I
feel that after three amazing years, I've come as far as I can at this company so when
I saw your advertisement I thought wow this is a great position I've got the skills, I've
got the experience, it's a company with an excellent reputation and It's a place where
I can really make a positive contribution. ". So the answer is what you will do for them
and not why it's good for me.
Everyone likes a story and your interviewer is no different. By giving lots of examples,
throughout the interview you'll sound more interesting and give a colour to your expression
instead of talking in generalizations about your experience. So for example. Instead of
saying "I worked in the production department where I developed systems using XYZ" make
your example come to life. "When I worked in the production department I wrote a new
system which automated some boring repetitive tasks that they had previously had to do by
hand. it saved my co-workers about 12 hours each per month each My company were delighted
and my co-workers too because time they were able to spend their time on more creative things."
Your USP is your unique selling point. What makes you different from the rest of the pack?
What can you offer that the other candidates can't? Often the candidate with the best experience
and qualifications is not the person who gets the job in the job. Perhaps you can demonstrate
that you're a quick learner that you're versatile, you're a team player, you speak foreign languages.
So throughout the interview make sure you let them know what makes you unique and why
they shouldn't let you go.
This is often overlooked but studies have shown this to be one of the most important
factors for influencing people. To put it simply if the interviewer likes on a personal
level you're more likely to get the job. Who would you give the job too the highly qualified
candidate that you don't like or the less qualified candidate that you like? If you
have to work with the person every day in your team then you would probably choose the
less well qualified candidate and then train them up. So try to connect with the interviewer
get into his or her mindset and if you find something that you both have in common that
can help you too to bond with that person.
So my next tip is learn key phrases but don't memorize. Do your research well prepare for
the interview but don't memorize your answers.It won't work. Instead speak naturally and clearly.
However, if you are not confident about your English level if English is not your first
language here is a hack. Here are some phrases you can use to enrich your English expression.
By using them the interviewer will get the impression that you can express yourself with
subtlety in English. So for example Instead of using "a lot", or
"very" or "much" or "many" you could say A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT- "I did a significant
amount of work on the project" or A GREAT DEAL - "It required a great deal
of effort but I succeeded" you can use CONSIDERABLY - "It was considerably
more difficult than I imagined." Instead of say "a little" or "a bit" or "quite"
you could use RATHER "Although it was rather difficult I managed
to complete the task." and to show a nuance use SOMEWHAT
"His response was somewhat surprising. " Instead of "completely" say WHOLEHEARTEDLY
"She thought this was the best course of action and I wholeheartedly agreed. "
These are just some examples: But do your own research. But it's good to have a few
key words and key expressions to impress the interviewer if English is not your first language.
If English is not your first language you might be worried about making grammar mistakes.
Well you shouldn't be. The interviewer is not a grammar teacher and will probably, not
even notice your grammar mistakes (unless of course you're going for a job as an English
teacher of course). But generally He or she has invited you in to the interview because
they've seen you CV and they know you have the skills they know you have the qualifications
and they know English is not your first language. They don't care about that as long as you
can express yourself clearly and precisely.
And here's the bonus tip Enjoy yourself. Try not to see the interview
as an interrogation but rather as an interaction between two people in the same field. Have
a good conversation emphasise your friendliness and enjoy yourself. If you manage to do that
you'll come across as more relaxed, more affable and they are more likely to want to work with you
So there you are if' you have nay interesting job interview experiences then put them in
the comments. And thank you for watching and when can I start?