You’ve bagged yourself an interview for a job you’d like, but how do you go about creating a good impression?
With 33 per cent of bosses knowing within the first 90 seconds of an interview whether they will hire someone, you’ve got to be quick and prepared to make yourself memorable.
Three quarters of interviewers check your social media before they interview you, so ensure your digital footprint, is clean with no anti-social or offensive content. If they’ve searched you up and found nothing to be of a concern, then you’re more likely to be thought of in a positive light.
Doing company research is essential and failure to do any is the most common mistake made in an interview. However, as you cram facts and figures into your head to impressively spur as a question is proposed to you, it’s important to note that impressions go far beyond showing your ability to look a few things up.
Did you know, 67 per cent of bosses say failure to make eye contact is a common non-verbal mistake? Yes, you may feel awkward and yes, you may want to look away but eye contact is crucial in reflecting confidence and assurance – two impressions you want to make. A lack of smile, bad posture and fidgeting too much are also seen to be common false-moves people make in interviews.
Another non-verbal and instantly impressionable feature of yourself is what you choose to wear. Your attire has to be coped to the type of job you are going for, for example if you are going for a finance job, you may wear something completely different to what you would wear to art and design role. Bare this in mind as around two thirds of bosses say clothes could be the deciding factor between two similar candidates.
You don’t know how many people have applied for the role, how many people have reached interview stages, nor what the other candidates are like, so be different, be unique and stand out. Steer away from generic answers to interview questions and twist your answers to make them memorable and set you aside from your competition.
There’s normally a question thrown in that may catch you off guard, if there are any experiences that have changed your life for example, but don’t seem fazed. Think about a sensible but honest, expandable answer and be passionate about your response!
