5 Tips for Surviving Your 1st Ever Interview

Entering the job market is daunting after the academic safety bubble.

Being a professional headhunter for the last 13 years I have coached lots of people through interviews. Regardless of grade, sector or geography, I have learned a thing or two about how to survive, and actually, enjoy them!

1. Relax!

Well, I mean within reason… Don’t turn up in sweatpants and put your feet on the desk. But look like the type of person that’s unflappable, even if underneath you’re crazy stressed!

To achieve this zen look… smile! It sounds too simple but according to Twin Employment, about 40% of interviewers thought that a lack of a smile was a good enough reason to reject a candidate.

As a bonus, neuroscience proves that those who benefit from our sunny grins actually see us as more competent!

2. Prepare, then prepare again…. And again

I know it’s dull but you MUST research the hell out of the company.

Who is interviewing you? Check them out on Linkedin. Where did they work before? Do you have any companies or connections in common?
Do you know anyone who worked at the company previously?
Look them up on Glassdoor for some anecdotal views.
Get up to date info by Googling the company name and then look on the news tab for recent articles.
Look at the share price, even if you have no clue about the stock market! Is it going up or down?
At the very least know the CEO’s name!

3. Ask Informed Questions

By this I mean ask questions that demonstrate your knowledge of the company. It’s a way of nonchalantly showing them you have put the time into researching the company.

For example “I can see your share price has gone up significantly over the last 6-months what was the biggest contributor to that?”

“I read your CEO joined 6 months ago, what has been their biggest impact so far?”.

You are looking to show your knowledge by asking follow on questions to what you have learnt. It’s a low key show off tactic basically.

4. It’s a 50/50 game

Get the interviewer talking at least 50% of the time. People love to talk about things they are interested in, to interested people. It sets off all kinds of pleasure hormones in the brain.

Ask them what attracted them to the company? What do they see as the big opportunities for the company?

It’s also important to remember an interview is a 2-way process. The more they talk the more information you’ll get. Then you can decide if you like them too!