How to nail an interview

How do you impress during an interview? The truth is, there’s isn’t just one single thing you can do that will blow your competition out of the water. To really nail an interview, you need to be on your A game before you step into the interview room, during the interview, and after it!

So let’s take a look at all the ways you can stand out in the interview process:

• Research the company 
• Practise common interview questions
• Use the STAR method
• Prepare intelligent questions
• Dress sharp
• Arrive early
• Use open body language
• Show genuine enthusiasm

10 ways to nail an interview

Research the company

It goes without saying that you should never walk into an interview without having researched the company first. That includes things like the product/service, company values, their mission, and their achievements. Try to go a little further and learn something unusual about the company too. This will help you stand out against the crowd.

Practise interview questions

There are very few people in this world who can crush an interview without having practiced answering the most common interview questions first. And honestly, this step should begin before you’ve even been invited to an interview to give yourself the best shot at sounding confident when delivering your answers. Who knows, you may have to attend an interview at short notice… and then you’ll thank yourself (or us) that you didn’t leave your interview practice until the last minute.

Use the STAR method

There’s an art to answering interview questions. It isn’t just about saying the first thing that pops into your mind or listing off some buzz words. You want to structure your answer so that it’s based on a real-life example. If you’re not sure how to structure your answer, follow the STAR method:

• Situation – start by describing the scenario, who was involved, what your job was at the time.
• Task – then explain what task or problem you had to resolve and why it was challenging
• Action – this is the part where you describe the action you took and how you actually went about resolving the issue
• Result – close your answer by talking about the final result and what you achieved.

Prepare intelligent questions

The best interviews take place when the interviewee asks intelligent questions too. It’s not just about you getting grilled. You should have prepared 5-10 thoughtful questions about the job role and company.

Dress sharp

If ever there’s a time when first impressions count, it’s during an interview. Make sure you’re looking your best, wearing smart clothes that are ironed and shoes that are shined. If you turn up looking scruffy, the interviewer will soon form opinions about you that might not be true!

Arrive early

Don’t just be on time to an interview, be early. Interviewers want to see you arrive 10-15 minutes early to show you’re organized. Plus, they might have some forms for you to fill out before the interview takes place. 

Use open body language

Your body language can often say more about you than what you’re actually saying. So make a conscious effort to uncross your arms, smile when you’re talking, and use lots of eye contact to really engage your interviewer.

Show genuine enthusiasm

You can’t always guarantee you’ll be the most skilled or experienced candidate in the process, but you can guarantee you’ll show the interview that you’re enthusiastic about the position. And that, my friend, counts for a lot! In fact, many times interviewers will decide to hire someone not because they’re the most talented, but because they’re the most passionate.

The floor is yours

Once you’ve followed these steps, we know you’ll be able to walk into your next interview with bags of confidence. Just try to stay cool, calm, collected and be yourself!