Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Interview tips?

Now, I've been to many interviews in the past and I used to be honest in the first few times I went to an interview, but it got me no where. I went on forums and people told me that I had to lie to get a job, but in my mind, I feel like the employer would know if you're lying or not because they deal with a lot of candidates each day who probably are much better liars than me. I'm also a very bad liar and it is obvious when I lie because I pause for a couple seconds and it's also obvious by my facial expressions. I've never had my first job but I hate feeling unsuccessful and unwanted, and I want to know what it is like to get my first pay cheque and to be a bit more independent, especially if the job is something I really want to do as my career in life, so any tips or advice would be helpful because i'm struggling in life. I'm also an introvert so that doesn't help with talking to the interviewer sadly because they always notice I'm on the quiet side :frown:

Thank you guys for reading this and taking the time to reply :smile:

Reply 1

UWS

Original post by Nimsy

Thank you guys for reading this and taking the time to reply :smile:

First of all, don't lie about anything. #1 rule in applying for a job.

Think of it like talking to a friend or a family member, they want to know more about you and your skills. As far as tips go, try to back up everything with examples where you have done it in the past. The STAR technique is a pretty useful way to structuring your answers for competency based questions.
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/star-technique-competency-based-interview

I would also say know the role and the company inside out, make sure you fully understand what you're applying for as they may ask questions about it and so you should be prepared to tell them some of the research you have done on the company. Some things you could impress them with are projects they have done with other companies, fundraising or charity work, maybe future plans for innovation they have unveiled (technology, healthcare, etc..).

Preparation is key, I can't tell you how much you need to prepare because it's rather dependent on the person but I can tell you that overpreparing is also a thing. Do not rehearse your answers, instead you should write down key points you want to cover for each question and then practice talking about them for a particular question. Make sure you're prepared on the most common questions such as "Why do you want to work here?" and "What is your greatest strength/weakness/achievement?". Make sure you try to tailor your answers to skills outlined in the job specification.

And finally you should always ask questions to the interviewer at the end of the interview. This is important, it's your chance to find out more about the company or the role that hasn't been explained yet, do not just say "I don't have any!"