How To Ace Your Next Interview

Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but we want to show you some of our tips for making the smooth ride into your next position! Whether your interview is face-to-face or over a zoom meeting we look at our top tips from our team for acing your next interview for that dream job!

 

Prepare and Research

Research, research, research! Knowing all about the client, who they are, what they do and what they’ve done, is vital to any interview and shows real interest and passion for the company. The simplest way to start your preparations is using LinkedIn, checking in on their socials and analysing the job description. Because preparation is KEY to nailing that interview!

Bonus points if you know the interviewer beforehand and do some research on them as well.

First Impressions

First Impressions are key with any interviewer. When you get out of the lift or are met at the reception, stand tall, look warm, confident and smile! If you walk to a meeting room, engage in conversation on the way – ‘How’s your day been so far?’ or ‘Great offices!’. This will alleviate any nerves and gets the conversation going before the interview takes place. If your interviewer has decided even before you’ve sat down that he or she likes you, then you’ve already won half the battle!

Be familiar with your background

Our work history can be a long-winding road, so much so that it’s easy to forget what we’ve done. Go back over your CV multiple times! Talk yourself through everything you did, the processes you undertook to complete tasks and all projects you were part of.

Knowing your CV inside and out will able you to talk through your CV confidently, and don’t forget to have details on why you’ve moved from one job to another, explaining your journey.

Practice and prepare interview questions

Prepare for competency-based questions. Everyone dreads these questions but they’re a necessary evil. How to ace them? Go back over the job spec, alongside your CV, and pick out your most relevant examples to give. For the awful “biggest weakness?” question, choose a previous skill you have since developed and why you’re now better for it and turn it around into a strength!

Always have questions to ask at the end. These questions should always be about the company and careers path you could take there. Try to avoid asking about socials or time off, this will raise concerns to your interviewer. You can prepare questions, but you can also ask during the interview as it shows you are engaged. If you would feel more confident with your questions written down then be sure to bring your notebook, however, memorising them is even better!

Use the STARR technique

A well-known technique which helps you to structure your answer better and it enables you to cover all the key points needed in an answer. Using this strategy is particularly helpful in response to competency-focused questions.

Situation – What you were facing

Task – What you had to do

Action – How you approached it

Result – The outcome

Reflection – What you learned

 

Be Passionate

If you think it’s gone well, don’t be afraid to tell the interviewer that you want the job! It’s also important to talk about your interests outside of work. It’s not all about your employment history, companies want to get to know the real you so talk about your hobbies and show your personality!

Always be positive! Don’t say anything negative about any aspect of your previous roles. If any of your previous roles didn’t end well, you better have a good and truthful story which you need to prepare for so you aren’t caught short.

 

Now you are prepared for acing an interview, it’s time to send one of our team your CV and we will begin matching you with your next big career move! If you are looking for some more tips on preparing for a new role, follow our simple CV updating tips!

CV Tips From A Recruitment Assistant

Recruitment Assistant by weekday, actor by the weekend. My double life is akin to Batman, except instead of a cool suit I sport vintage dresses, and the Piccadilly line replaces the Batmobile (just as sexy). As an actor I have spent oodles of money over the years on headshots to capture my best angles, in the hope I will catch the attention of a casting director swiping across Spotlight like your mate on Hinge.

Working in the vibrant Impact office with brilliant recruiters, I see many CVs in all shapes and sizes. Your CV is your headshot – it needs to capture your uniqueness and subsequently, our interest quickly.

What I have discovered is that there is no perfect resume formula, but there are particular aspects that can make yours as exciting as cracking open a box of Celebrations (gimme!). We encourage everyone to put their best foot forward so you can achieve your dream role, and it all starts with that killer PDF.

Here are my top tips to spruce up your resume:

1) The profile is the first thing we see and we ALWAYS read it! This allows us to get to know you and where you can really sell yourself.

2) It’s important your employment history is clear, concise and to the point. Do your best not to write several paragraphs summarising your previous jobs, instead make a few bullet points outlining your key responsibilities, skills learned, and achievements.

3) On that note, make a separate list outlining your skills e.g. Premier Pro, Excel, C-Suite, administration, interpersonal, communication. Don’t be modest! We want to know how we can find the perfect job that aligns with your skillset.

4) Don’t leave your interests just on your dating profile, we want to know all about you too! If you spend weekends getting lost in the Tate Museum, love jogging, or have your own podcast, share it with us.

5) Aesthetic, baby! You’ve written some snazzy copy to grab our interest, now you can decide how you want it to pop visually. Canva is a great tool that is much easier to navigate than Photoshop with some great resume templates. Select the template you are drawn to
and voila! It looks as though you spent hours selecting the perfect colours and shapes when really, you’ve shopped for that template like a Wednesday night on Amazon.

6) Take the photo down, we are in recruitment not casting. We look forward to meeting you face to face, but until then your employment history is just fine.

7) Always include your contact details! You’d be surprised how many people send in their resumes without any way for us to chase them up.

Thanks for stopping by the Impact blog, I hope this has been helpful. We look forward to receiving your resume, and don’t forget to read our tips on creating the perfect LinkedIn profile!