Easy ways to shine in interviews

Interviewers sometimes use a mental peg to identify candidates, as a day of meeting new people means taking in a lot of new information.

Stories make you easy to remember but they’re also a great way of demonstrating your skills. Before your interview, identify situations you could talk about that match key requirements of the role or soft skills. You can then draw on these examples at your interview – outline what the issue was, what you did about it and how things turned out. Being known as ‘the one who solved the ice cream problem,’ can really set you apart.

Few things lower an interviewer’s spirits more than candidates who don’t seem interested in the role.

Someone who is keen and knows their stuff can really help lift the day. Enthusiasm, initiative and a can-do attitude often compensate for a lack of experience too.

Be sure to check out the company website, do a Google search and try to get a sense of current priorities, likely challenges and future plans.

Ask a couple of questions that will show your understanding of the company and help you find out more about the role.

Sounds obvious, but this is a common bugbear for interviewers.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of launching into a long reply without taking time to consider what you’re really being asked.

Try and keep things fresh – don’t memorise set answers or you’ll seem stilted. Respond in a clear way and avoid waffle –  better to be short and focused, rather than long and boring.

Even when faced with an excellent candidate, a boss will always think, ‘Do I want to work with this person and will they fit in with my team?’

So much of an interview is really about personal connection. If you’ve got through to the interview stage you’re probably capable of doing the job, so success often comes down to other factors.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula as every situation and all relationships will be different, but do try to smile, make eye contact and be warm and friendly.

Interviews can often feel one-sided so it can really help to remember this is also your chance to explore if the employer and role feel right for you. Do you like the place or the people? What does your instinct tell you?

And don’t forget that your interviewer is probably uncomfortable too!

Finally, keep in mind that job interviews often get better with practice – one that goes badly now can give you an advantage next time or result in a better opportunity down the line. Thinking about what you can learn or do differently (and making some brief notes) will really help you in future.

Five ways to make yourself more employable