Are you worried about an interview coming up? Here are a few tips to land your graduate job and how to prepare so you don’t freeze under pressure!
Pre-Interview
- Writing down a few answers to relevant questions on paper can help you remember them when you’re in the interview.
- Run through a few example questions aloud. This will help you articulate your conversation flow and help you remember certain points you want to highlight.
- Make sure to research the company!
- Write down all the amazing things you’ve done, describe your excellence. Put/save them somewhere you can refer to them during recruiter chats or interviews. Keep your confidence up!
- Take a walk before the interview, this can help clear your head and ease stress levels.
During the Interview
- Un-lock from interview mode. Don’t fail yourself because you haven’t prepared for *that* interview question. Instead, just remind yourself of how good you are, and you’ll be ready for any question.
- Look confident! Sit up straight, take a breath *then* answer the question. Look in control of the conversation. It speaks volumes subconsciously to the interviewer.
- Make sure to listen, good communication skills are key in an interview!
- Use professional language, try to stay away from any slang words or inappropriate language as it could jeopardize your chances.
- Don’t speak ill of a previous employer if you’ve had bad experiences in the past, it doesn’t come across as professional.
Questions to Ask at the End
- What are the biggest challenges that you foresee as part of this position?
- What does success look like and how will be measured?
- What could I do in the first 90 days to make an impact?
- How did you end up in your position, and how has your role changed since you started?
After the Interview
- Send them a quick email the next day thanking them for their time and that you’re looking forward to hearing from them, make sure to keep it short and simple!
- Ask for advice, not feedback. You don’t want to know why you failed, ask how you can succeed next time. And de-personalise it. ask what the successful candidates did better, not what you did worse!
- If you didn’t get that job doesn’t mean you are a failure. Maybe the role wasn’t right for you. Learn from it and move on. You failed the application, not life!
