Confidence and preparation is the key to a successful interview.

Here are the Do’s & Don’ts!

DO

• Familiarise yourself with what you wrote on your application form prior to your interview
• Research into the organisation beforehand
• List all the possible questions they might ask you and prepare answers. Practise what you will say out loud
• Think about your skills and qualities and make sure you can provide examples to support these
• Prepare some questions that you can ask the interviewer
• Arrive on time
• Wear appropriate but smart clothes. First impressions are vital.
• Act and appear professional from the first minute – first impressions count
• Adapt your skills as closely to the company’s/course needs as possible
• Sell your achievements and the benefits you can bring
• Keep positive, friendly, polite and confident and project your enthusiasm for the job or Further Education course
• Listen to the question being asked

DON’T

• Arrive unprepared for the interview
• Act too laid back and personal, although a sense of humour always helps
• Waffle, wander or focus on your needs and not the company’s/college’s
• Appear too cocky, undersell yourself, talk too quickly or mumble
• Look unmotivated and bored
• Interrupt before the question has been completed
• Undersell yourself by not providing evidence to support your achievements
• Forget to ask some positive questions – an interview is a two way process
• Take rejection personally and end on a sour note
• Forget to seek feedback on your performance when the interviewers have made their decision