Unemployment statistics in the UK are still at record levels and the fierce competition is driving companies to take tough action in the interview room. So what can you do to impress in a job interview and walk away with the job offer? These simple but effective tips will help.
The Office of National Statistics announced last month that there were nearly 2.5 million unemployed people in the UK. This excess demand for each job is forcing employers to take a more critical approach to interviews than the standard Q&A session.
Competency based interviews, group exercises, presentations are just some of the job interview tools that are being used as common practice rather than just for specialist roles. Candidates must change with the times and learn a whole new set of interview skills if they want to beat the competition.
Annette Lewis, an interview coach at Anson Reed, the interview coaching and skills training specialists comments that applicants need to understand how demanding the interview process can now be and therefore they need to be fully prepared. “Gone are the days when you can just turn up and wing it.”
Here are 4 interview tips to get you started:
1. Refresh your key skills – skills such as communication and people skills are just some of the key transferable skills that employers are looking for. The best job interview advice I can give would be to make sure these are honed.
2. Practice – Probably the best way to prepare your interview answers is to practice on friends and family. Ask them to conduct a mock interview with some relevant job interview questions. This is excellent interview preparation.
3. Research – Find out as much as you can about the company by reading their website and corporate literature. Also, why not jot down a few questions to ask the interviewer about the company and the specific position. This will show the interviewer that you really are interested and have taken the time to use your fantastic research skills on them.
4. Presentation – This is your one chance to sell yourself and prove you have the right skills. Answer each interview question as if was competency based and tell a short but relevant story to illustrate HOW you have the skill or experience rather than giving one word answers.
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