Interview Tips: How to ace your interview
The day has come: You found your ideal role through T2M Resourcing applied, and have been offered an interview.
Congratulations! However now it’s time to tackle the next hurdle… how to ace your interview! Need some interview tips? Luckily for you, we’ve got some good ones.
Do your research
Ahead of your interview, you should ensure you’re prepared by researching the company and going over the job specification in order to understand what the role involves.
Think about key experiences you’ve had that could relate to the job specification. This will get you thinking about the types of questions that you might be asked during the interview.
To start your research, check out the company’s website pages, LinkedIn pages, as well as any documents or job adverts you’ve seen for the role.
If you have applied through a recruitment agency, a good recruiter will be able to provide you with some information about the company that might be useful during an interview.
At T2M, we take a partnership approach to getting to know our clients, the people in them, their company culture, and future plans. So, we can offer you a wealth of knowledge about the businesses you’re interviewing with to ensure you are prepared!
Make a good first-impression
Plan your schedule appropriately so that you arrive 10-15 minutes early. Consider doing a trial run of your journey if your interview is in person.
Dress appropriately – your first impression is important. This is the case for in-person or online interviews.
If your interview is online, then it’s also important to make sure your background is tidy, quiet and not distracting where possible.
Check your camera and microphone work and that you understand how to use the software that your meeting is being held on – at T2M we will do these checks with you to make sure you’re okay with your setup before your interview.
Show you’re listening
Showing that you’re engaged by maintaining eye contact is important during any interview, whether it’s online or face-to-face.
Make sure to look at the interviewer (or down the camera) and use body language that demonstrates you’re actively engaged and listening.
Prepare yourself appropriately
Consider bringing a copy of your CV and role profile so you can make reference to it at any point.
Have some pre-prepared questions ready to ask at the end of the interview. This shows that you are genuinely interested in the role and the company.
You could also bring a bottle of water with you. If you get asked a question that you might be hesitant on, taking a sip of water can buy you some valuable seconds of thinking time before you answer!
Work on your answers using the STAR method
You can use the STAR method to structure your answers to interview questions.
What does STAR stand for?
- Situation – What was the situation that you were in?
- Task – The task you were given.
- Action – The action you took.
- Result – What happened as a result of your actions and what did you learn?
The STAR method is a great method to provide you with structure when answering interview questions, as it requires you to prove how you solved problems. It’s good to practice answering interview questions following this principle.
Using the STAR structure when answering interview questions helps to keep you on track and not go off on a tangent, this ensures that you are answering the question in the best way.
To follow the STAR method, you need to answer your questions using this key structure: Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
To practise ahead of your interview with the STAR method, you should consider printing off the job description of the job you’re interviewing for, and then think about examples from your previous and current work that align with the different elements of the job description.
Practise speaking these answers out loud, so you can sound confident when answering during the actual interview.
These points are a great starting basis to prepare you for your upcoming interview! Keep them in mind while you’re preparing, as well as during the interview process!
Need help securing an interview? Check out our articles on the best CV practices here: