Bonus season in the City is upon us once again and for many in the Square Mile this signals the start of the annual shuffle as those dissatisfied with their number look to move on to a more advantageous position.
It is a good discipline for all of us to review our careers regularly to ensure that we stay motivated and satisfied with our roles and that we are being the very best that we can be.
For those of us who decide that it is time to find a new job, unfortunately the process is not as simple as sending in our brilliant (and mostly accurate) CV, asking for an outrageous salary (with full benefits, perks, and a generous signing bonus), and waiting for the letter one week later confirming our appointment. It requires organization and focus and the element most likely to trip people up on the road to their dream job is the interview.
It’s your chance to sparkle, to show your future boss that you are smart, funny, quick on your toes, able to communicate, and relatively stable. Yet the social skills that we all practise every day are immediately forgotten in an interview situation and we transform from articulate and proficient conversationalists into monosyllabic androids only capable of giving one word answers, whilst hunched up in a chair staring at the coffee stain that we have noticed on the carpet.
However, whilst every job will have different required elements in an interview, by remembering a few simple rules you can greatly increase your chances of getting hired.
Do your research.
In my years as a headhunter I never failed to be amazed at how many people would turn up for an interview knowing absolutely nothing about the company that they were claiming to want to work for. The internet makes research very easy to do and a quick search for a company’s website, any publically available information on performance and the last few months worth of press comment will arm you with enough background to be able to ask relevant questions.
If you are interviewing at a small private company for which there is little information available, search the industry sector instead. Make notes so that you can read them jut before you go into your interview, although you will probably already know the information the positive act of refreshing your memory will give you confidence.
As important as it is to know about the company, you also need to research the person who will be interviewing you. Clearly, you don’t have to know the interviewer’s shoe size or what they like to eat for breakfast but their name (including correct pronunciation) and job title, how they fit into the organization and any personal information that may be available on a company website profile will all help you to make a connection with them.
Many people would say ‘dress to impress’ for an interview and whilst I would agree I would caveat it with, dress to impress the person who is interviewing you. Yes, they want to see that you have made an effort, but an effort to fit in with their organization and culture specifically shows an understanding of what the company is about and the more likely you are to fit in the more likely you are to get the job.
If you are applying for a job in a large bluechip organization then dress to look groomed and conservative. Corporations whatever their literature promises, want people who will fit into their structure seamlessly and not rock the corporate boat. Show that you have personality and spark with your conversation not your attire.
If you are looking for a more creative role then you can relax a little and show a little more personality in our outfit but don’t get carried away- interviews are all about convincing someone that you are just like them and that you are going to fit in to their world, if you are too individual in how you present yourself you drastically reduce your chance of doing this.
Show yourself to be organized.
It makes logical sense that if you look like you are in control, you are also telling your interviewer that you will be in control for them. That is why it is crucial to pay attention to the details on interview day – don’t be late, interviewers have schedules to keep and won’t care that the tube was delayed, your cat went missing or you dropped coffee down yourself and had to change.
Things can go wrong so leave yourself plenty of time to get there and if you are early, stop for a coffee round the corner or just sit on a bench and get your thought together. It is better to get there an hour early than even five minutes late. Make sure that you bring extra copies of your CV, a pad and multiple pens (one will always decide not to work at the crucial moment!).
The key to a successful interview is for both sides to come out having enjoyed it and there are a number of little tricks that can help make that happen.
Offer a firm handshake but not one that crushes the interviewers fingers. Firm exudes confidence and grace, crushing will only remind them of an irritating older sibling when they were children.
Make eye contact but don’t stare, again try to imagine that you are talking to a friend. You want your eyes to sparkle and be alive in order to really engage the other person. Staring or wandering eyes will make you look bored. Smiling will help to make your eyes light up so begin the interview with a smile and try and keep it going. Smiley people come across as confident team players, which is what most employers are looking for.
Before you sit down and the interview formally begins try to find something to compliment in an easy and relaxed way. Anything personal is too direct and may come across as creepy but comments on the office environment or the neighbourhood make you look observant and relaxed, which again exudes confidence.
If you are offered a drink, then take one. Again, it will make you look relaxed and as if you are looking forward to the conversation rather than wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. Equally, taking sips of your drink will buy you a little extra thinking time with your answers.
The most important thing of all is to make it a conversation not a series of questions that you give answers to and sit silently waiting for the next question.
The most likely candidate to get a job is always the one that the interviewer liked the most, the one that they felt that they had the most in common with and that they shared a vision with. In many ways an interview is very like a first date; if it is stilted and awkward with one person asking questions and the other answering then it is unlikely that either of you would want to meet up again, but if conversation flows and is easy, you laugh and smile and feel like you have things in common you will be exchanging numbers by the end of coffee.
Don’t feel that you have to do all of the talking either, where appropriate ask questions and get the interviewer to talk too. Research has shown that interviewers who spend more than 50% of the time of the interview actually talking rated the candidate 3x more highly than those who spoke less.
Be wary of sharing too much personal information, particularly in response to questions about your weaknesses. This is not the time for the brutal truth, in answer to the classic question “what is your area of weakness?” the correct answer is not that you have lousy attention to detail, are always late, hate having to get out of bed in the mornings or that you are incredibly shy, however true that may be. Instead, try to find something to say that isn’t a real weakness, but a slightly less-than-ideal characteristic such as “Sometimes I have a hard time saying no to people, and I end up taking on more than my share of work.”
Be equally wary of questions about why you left your old company and why you are interested in the new one.
These questions (or their offspring) are designed to make sure your interest in the new company is sincere and not due to you being fired and/or having serious problems at your former place of employment. Wherever possible, be positive about your previous employer and look for proactive reasons for your move, such as “I had a wonderful time in my last role and learned a lot but feel that this company would offer me new opportunities and stretch me further.” If you were fired from your last role and you are asked about it, keep the answer simple and brief. “It was a hostile environment in which many people were let go,” is a good way to handle it. Quick, easy, to the point.
Toward the end of interview, the interviewer is going to lean into you and say, “Do you have any questions for me?” E
ven if you have managed to ask questions throughout the interview, you must have questions prepared at this point.Wherever possible, try and make them relevant to the interviewer to show interest in them as a person as well as the company, for example, “what is the best aspect of working for this company for you?” or “how would you say that your career has developed through working here?” In both cases you are showing interest in the company and the individual as well as gathering information, which will enable you to ascertain whether the environment will be a good fit for you.
Always end the interview thanking the interviewer for their time and stating how interested you are in the position and ask what the next steps will be. You look keen, proactive and organised – all desirable traits.
Finally don’t be fooled into thinking that your interview has ended when you walk out of the door.
The follow up is equally important and this should start with a simple but swift thank you, ideally by letter. This should be a simple note thanking that person for taking the time to meet you, saying how much you enjoyed your discussion, and how much you’d like to join the team. If you haven’t heard anything after a week then make a phone call.
Clearly, you don’t want to be perceived as a nuisance, but a little perseverance never hurt anyone either. A friendly phone call after a week tells the employer that you are truly interested. The call will serve to remind the company about the incredible interviewee they don’t want to let go.
You can also ask (in a polite fashion) in about how long they’ll be making their decision. If that date passes and you still haven’t heard anything, call again. It’s not being pushy, it’s being persistant. Pushiness is bad, but persistence is good and if they have simply given the job to someone else and not told you then they deserve to have their own bad manners highlighted.
Excelling in an interview is a skill, and as such it can be learned, practiced and improved upon. Doing so will certainly reap rewards and see you ending your interview process with the offer letter that you deserve.
Executive and Life Coach, Rachael Wood, www.ogilviedavies.com can be contacted at Rachael@ogilviedavies.com
Tags: career change, confidence, cv, Interview Tips, job hunting, Rachael Wood
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