Interview Techniques: Part 1, 2 & 3

Whether you are applying for university, changing careers, going for a better paid job, or clambering up that career ladder, interview techniques are essential.

Interview Techniques Part 1 – The Production of Your Image

1. How You Present Yourself

Don’t underestimate the silent messaging of clothing. Colours do have an affect on people and as Coco Channel once said, ‘The best colour in the world, is the one that looks good on you”.

Wearing a colour that makes you feel confident will not only have an effect  on you but your interviewer – use this to your advantage.

For example: pink has been found to decrease people’s anger. In the States, based on this research, prisoners cells were painted bubble gum pink and apparently it worked. Notice how you feel when you look at pink. Interesting isn’t it?

Different colours instill different emotions. Notice how the Chinese, Russia, the Royal Family & Peers, Parliament, Catholic Priests etc use bright red.  A bright red denotes energy and power.   If you are feeling uncertain or nervous, wear bright red and see how you feel.

2. Make An Effort with Your Grooming

People respond positively to someone who has visibly made an effort: polished shoes, ironed shirt/blouse, clean nails, tidy hair etc. You don’t necessarily have to wear a suit, as it maybe completely inappropriate, but smell good and look clean and tidy.

3. Body Language

An over casual stance or sitting position to hide fear,  in such a high stakes environment like an interview,  looks careless and not very intelligent.

Your interviewer expects you to be nervous, so you don’t have to hide it too much,  but show that you are dealing with it, that you can handle stressful situations and that under pressure have learned to stay calm physically – which will really help your voice.

4. Eye Contact

Eye Contact is so important: practice sitting in front of a large mirror, preferably with a table between you and the mirror and say some of your prepared answers looking in to your own eyes. A pair of eyes staring at you are scary –  even your own!

Interview Techniques – Part 2 – The Content

Your Answers & Preparation Documents

There will be some standard questions, that you know will come up; other connected questions may arise as they seek to understand your answers better; but also, there will the questions they won’t necessarily  ask and you wish they would.

5. Standard Questions 

The first list is made up of standard questions you may have googled or researched and are sure they will ask eg: Why this job? Why this course? Why this uni? Why this position? Why this company? What makes you think you are right for this role? etc

6. Script Your ‘Standard Questions’ Answers 

The second document is your answers, writing or typing these out will help you explore your ideas. Then practice saying them looking into your own eyes in the mirror.

As you talk to yourself, edit your answers until they are written for the spoken word i.e. the answers are conversational but fully comprehensive.

7. Your Unique & Impressive Stories –  handwrite first 

Then on another piece of paper draw a circle and write in the middle of it, Things I’d like To Say.

These are the anecdotes, the stories, that show how innovative or imaginative or knowledgeable you are – and if the questions don’t come up – you need to segway these answers or stories in to the conversation anyway.

Obviously you need to answer the questions but have your anecdotes up your sleeve ready, so to speak so that you can slip them in where you can.

I find the best way to brainstorm these memories or ideas, is to jot ideas around the title encircled in the middle of the page as I mentioned above.

These are things you’re proud of, things that were unusual solutions or unusual paths to good results etc Things that really interest you and that you have an opinion on.

Add any ideas you may have, around the the circle and then around these ideas, write the notes that tell the stories or develop the ideas.

This will end up being a spider diagram which will help you to release your  imagination and your memory as you can make notes  anywhere on the page and join up the relevant notes together with lines.

These are your impressive stories: these are the answers you want to give, to illustrate or add to the answers to their questions.

This will help you not go blank when you are under pressure and help you to show yourself off in the best light.

Haven’t we all gone away and thought – ‘Oh if only they’d asked me about that or if only I had said that!

Well, find a way of saying these things anyway!

8. Give Someone Your List of ‘Standard Questions’ & ask them to interview you. 

You need to practise formulating your answers under the pressure of someone staring expectantly at you.

Obviously if you come to someone like me, I can give you tips and tricks but even a good friend or even your mother / brother /wife / sister / neighbour / colleague will do – somebody who stares at you and makes you think.

You want to make your mistakes with them.

Interview Techniques – Part 3 – Your Personality

9. Your Unique Story

Everybody has a unique story to tell as to why they are right for the role they are applying for and sometimes it is the very thing you want to hide.

I think there is huge value in being really honest about yourself, what you want and why you want the job or the training or the promotion.

If you and I work together I will help you to mine the very story or anecdote that swings the interview your way.

10. Learn How to Voice Any Concern

If you think the interview isn’t going very well – learn how to say so – politely –  and ask what they need to see or hear from you, for you to turn the interview around.

I achieved a job and a place at university by doing just that.

Saying this in the job interview enabled me to give the potential employer more information about my work experience, that I hadn’t hitherto thought relevant – but it swung it – it was because of that information they offered me the job!

Secondly, at my university interview, when I said I don’t think this interview is going very well,  is there anything I can do to change that? The interviewing professors were able to say what was lacking and said what they needed. I gave them what was lacking and was able to give them what they needed and I gained my place!

There’s no shame in asking and actually it shows you know how to read a room.

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I hope you have enjoyed learning a few of my interview techniques.

If you would like to work together on obtaining your dream job or university placement I look forward to meeting you.

Thank you for reading and if you think you can help others by sharing this post – please do!

© Rachel Preece, 2021. This material may not be copied or shared without the written consent of the author