Nervous about a job interview

Cromulent

Cromulent

Cromulent

Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2007
Posts
7,143
Location
England
I have a job interview in the next couple of days and I'm a bit nervous about it. I've prepared some questions to ask which I think are pretty good but I'm rubbish at things like this as I tend to get really nervous and clam up.

Does anyone have any winning tips for job interviews?
 
Make a connection with the interviewer. If they can see themselves enjoying your company then they'll be much more likely to hire you.

Turn that nervous energy into excitement and smash the interview!
 
Dress well, speak clearly and be polite. Remember a handshake on entering and leaving and sit with them not before. Be excited but remember they're people who you could work with not people to be afraid of.
 
I wouldn't ask questions simply because you think they sound good, ask questions because you want to know the answer. It would be quite natural to have some questions about the role/company that might not have been covered in the job interview, ask them. If you pre-prepare some "smart" sounding questions and they've already been answered essentially during the interview process then they suddenly become rather silly ones.
 
Did job interviews a few times this year, oddly enough a couple of times for a friend who owns a company. Really liked one candidates questions where he asked my mate about why he started the firm etc. It was a smart move as it allowed my friend to talk a bit less formally about something he loves, used up time and made the guy more memorable than the others.
 
Depends entirely on the job you are going for really but Ive done some recruitment for the company I work for and while it was only for routine fairly low level positions I can tell you there is NOTHING more annoying than someone asking questions jut for the sake of asking them. The interviewers generally will be able to tell and it doesn't make you look good at all. On the other hand if you are asking something that is based on something that has come up on the interview itself and therefore is clearly not scripted then that looks much better.

I would also say there is nothing wrong with being a bit nervous and its expected. Ive never penalised or thought less of a candidate because of obvious nerves at the start. The interview panel are likely only there in the first place through having gone through the same process that they are putting you through so they will know how you feel.

One last bit of advice I was given which Ive taken into job interviews Ive been on myself is that the people interviewing don't know you (usually) so even if you are nervous just pretend you are acting and are playing the role of a confident person. They wont know that inside you are nervous or that you might not be a super-confident character normally.
 
Cromulent said:
I have a job interview in the next couple of days and I'm a bit nervous about it. I've prepared some questions to ask which I think are pretty good but I'm rubbish at things like this as I tend to get really nervous and clam up.

Does anyone have any winning tips for job interviews?
Click to expand...

How much do you know about the company?

Spend some time researching what they do, read their annual accounts which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company if they dont publish them on their site. Even if it is just to get a feel for their strategy, structure, finance position and ownership.

Your technical skills are either what they require (+with training) or not. That is an absolute.

Your character, knowledge and interest in the company which will enable you to have a meaningful conversation with them and engage in a way most won't; is more intangible but hugely valuable.

The number of people I interview who have no understanding of what the company interviewing them does, its structure, strategy and most importantly how it performs financially still amazes me.

The more you can engage on, with and about the company the more you will be seen as an asset not just a resource.
 
If you don't get given a glass of water when you sit down don't be afraid to ask for one. Then if you need time to think certainly don't be afraid to take a small drink and say "just let me think about this....."

There is no extra marks for just being able to blurt an answer or past scenario out without thinking.
 
Cromulent said:
Does anyone have any winning tips for job interviews?
Click to expand...

Go in and nail it. Answer any of the questions and make sure you are keen to learn anything you don't know. People can get jobs these days even if they don't know how to do the job they are going for but have a willingness to learn. Ask 5 questions at the end... you can prepare these before you go in.

As above, ask for a glass of water if it's not already there. :) Good luck.
 
Thank you all for the answers they have been beneficial.

I know enough about the company to ask some interesting questions (from my perspective). Thankfully the company is one that deals with business and since I'm quite interested in business on a personal level I have questions that I want to know the answer to.

Gah, I always end up posting in the wrong forum here. Sorry mods.
 
mrbell1984 said:
Go in and nail it. Answer any of the questions and make sure you are keen to learn anything you don't know. People can get jobs these days even if they don't know how to do the job they are going for but have a willingness to learn. Ask 5 questions at the end... you can prepare these before you go in.
Click to expand...


I disagree with having a set number. I'll go in with some set questions but i'll always ask questions throughout as i prefer a more informal interview. If all my questions have already been answered i'll say so.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Make a connection with the interviewer. If they can see themselves enjoying your company then they'll be much more likely to hire you.

Turn that nervous energy into excitement and smash the interview!
Click to expand...

I do all the technical role interviews here and have done for the past 5 - 6 years and I agree this is definitely recommended :)

Bailey
 
Cromulent said:
Thank you all for the answers they have been beneficial.

I know enough about the company to ask some interesting questions (from my perspective). Thankfully the company is one that deals with business and since I'm quite interested in business on a personal level I have questions that I want to know the answer to.

Gah, I always end up posting in the wrong forum here. Sorry mods.
Click to expand...

Don't take the mindset of having to be asking specific questions and try not to have a predefined list of such; rather you want to engage a series of conversations.

It's important to get to the stage where if they ask whether you have any questions at the end you can legitimately say no because you will have already engaged on the topics as you go.

If it's a very prescribed format and you don't have the opportunity to engage throughout accordingly then you may need to ask some but that's down to poor interview form usually or a disengaged candidate.
 
Hand shake beginning and end. Be keen but not desperate. Be yourself and relax but dont put your feet up on the table. Do some research about the company you are interviewing for so that you can impress when they ask you what you know about them already. Try to be in the mind set that they want you and not the other way around if you can.
Smile and think about your answer before you blurt it out. Dont be afraid to ask them to repeat the question but dont repeat that question too often ;). I cant stress enough that you need to be yourself as much as possible. This will encourage you to be more relaxed and you will come across better.

One golden rule to remember. Never and i mean NEVER interrupt them no matter how keen you are. ;). a lot of interviewers will make most of their mind up in the first 10 seconds of the interview.

Most importantly, if you dont get the job, dont let it get you down. Dont be afraid to contact them for feedback and use it to your advantage as experience for the next one.
Good luck!!
 
What works for me is to write out answers to common questions but I won't try and learn them word for word it's more so that I know I shouldn't have a mind blank or stumble over a common question like tell me about yourself which helps with my confidence.

But the best thing is experience interviews are a skill and like any skill you need practise to improve. When I start looking for a new job I'll take a 1st round interview for a job I'm only mildly interested in just to get some experience
 
I always make sure I leave a few back up questions for the end, I do a lot of interviews and personally I don't like it when a candidate says "I think you've answered all my questions". It generally means the interview ending earlier than the time allotted and seems like a wasted opportunity, you can't have the answer to every possible question about the role in an hour.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the best method for dealing with interview nerves - tell the interviewer that you are imagining they are naked.

If you really want to build a rapport, say you are imagining that you are naked too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom