To Do

Presentation

• Look your smartest and show your most professional side during the interview. A company is more likely to hire someone who is well presented and who will therefore best represent their company.

Punctuality

• Arrive 10-15 minutes before your interview time. Obtain clear directions for the location of the interview and plan your journey, allowing plenty of time to arrive. If you are unavoidably delayed, notify your recruitment consultant or the company immediately giving the reason and your estimated time of arrival.

During the interview

• Introduce yourself courteously, smile and give a firm handshake.
• Express yourself clearly.
• Show tact, manners, courtesy, and maturity at every opportunity.
• Be confident and maintain poise. The ability to handle your nerves during the interview will come across as confidence in your ability to handle the job.
• Be prepared to show how your experience would benefit the company.
• Ask questions concerning the company or products and the position for which you are being interviewed for.
• An interviewer will be impressed by an eager and inquisitive mind. You will also be able to demonstrate that you can contribute to the company or industry if you show an interest in its products and/or services.
• Take time to think and construct your answers to questions to avoid rushing into a vague and senseless reply.
• Demonstrate that you are sufficiently motivated to get the job done well and that you will fit in with the company's organisational structure and the team in which you will work.
• Show willingness to start at the bottom and work up.
• Anticipate questions you are likely to be asked and have answers prepared in advance. Uncertainty and disorganisation show the interviewer that you are unprepared and unclear about what your goals are.
• Be assertive without being aggressive.
• Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you.

Body Language

• Ensure a firm handshake and smile. A firm handshake shows confidence in yourself and your abilities.
• Maintain a high level of eye contact throughout.
• Remember not to be seen to be staring. Look away occasionally, looking confidently and calmly to the right or left; never look down.
• Listen.
• Be alert and enthusiastic - it's often a deciding factor in employing candidates. An indifferent attitude is instantly recognised as "I don't care if I get this job.”
• Smile, nod, and give non-verbal feedback to the interviewer.
• Do not hurry any movement. Relax with every breath.

Go to next the next section, To Not Do at Interview.