The Interview - In The Interview
When it comes to kick-starting your graduate career, it’s essential to create a good first impression in an interview. By feeling comfortable and being prepared, you can go a long way.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Have good posture. When you’re sitting in the meeting, sit upright with your hands in your lap. Don’t cross your arms. If you’re feeling a bit shaky, don’t accept a coffee or tea as this may just highlight your shakiness!
- Make eye contact. Good eye contact shows commitment and lets you gauge the interviewer’s reactions to what you’re saying. It also shows that you’re confident and open to graduate employment.
- Talk. Don’t ever respond with simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Show your potential employer that you’re keen to explain why you’re right for this graduate career. If you’re nervous, take a deep breath before you answer.
- Be honest. This clearly doesn’t mean sharing anything negative, but never exaggerate or lie about your experience. It will be immediately obvious. If you’re not sure what the interviewer means by a question, ask them to clarify what they mean.
- Ask about next steps. If they don’t volunteer this information, ask the interviewer what the next steps will be, when they’ll be making a decision and if there will be any further interviews.
- Thank them for their time. Re-iterate how keen you are to land this role.
Getting around tricky questions
Regardless of how knowledgeable you are about the job and your experience, some interview questions will take you by surprise.
To help, here are a few common questions that employers may use to throw you off guard. Just in case they do throw them your way, prepare your answers beforehand:
- When did you face a tricky situation and how did you deal with it?
- How would your friends describe you?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Can you give me an example of a time when you’ve used your initiative?
- Do you prefer working in a team or on your own?
- How do you feel about managing people? Do you think you would be a good manager? Why/Why not?
- Give me an example of a time where you have been able to work under pressure?
- What do you see yourself doing in five years time?