7 Ways to Impress in an Interview

By Career Savvy

Your application was brilliant: your CV and cover letter were so tailored you appear to be practically perfect. But now you have been invited for an interview – it’s time to seal the deal. How do you give yourself the edge when you’re actually in front of your potential employer? Here are our seven suggestions for making the best impression in an interview.

Be Serious
Treat every interview as if it is the only one. One mistake that many jobseekers make is treating the initial screening interview as a practice for the final one; it is in one respect but if you don’t try your best and take it seriously right away, you’ll probably never make it passed the first stage.

Attitude
Go in there with a positive, enthusiastic and confident attitude. An interview is all about selling yourself; if you seem negative and downplay your skills you will not be doing a good job of persuading them to hire you. Smile and be friendly to ensure your first impression is a great one that they’re bound to remember.

Ask Questions
Impress the potential employer by showing your interest in finding out more about how you can individually help their company if you were to get the job. Ask about what challenges you might face as this shows how you like to be prepared and also addresses any concerns that the interviewers might have about your suitability for the role. For suggestions on the best questions to ask, see the interview section of our blog.

Tell a Story
Make yourself interesting and try to work your answers into anecdotes or stories instead of the normal routine and clichéd answers. Try and tailor them to the role and show how you can be a useful asset to the company. The potential employer wants to know what makes you unique and why this makes you the best candidate for their vacancy – this is what will make you memorable.

Research
There’s nothing worse for the employer than interviewing someone who doesn’t even have a basic knowledge of the company or role they’ve applied for. Do your homework on the company as well as the role and you will be able to amaze them with your expertise and passion. Perhaps even relate a question to an aspect of the role as this shows your initiative and that you have a genuine interest to work at their company.

Ask for the Job
Many people leave their interview never actually stating that they would really like the job. There is no harm in asking how you did and when you will hear if you are successful. If anything it reiterates your great desire to work for their organisation, plus it shows confidence and dedication.

Say Thank You
Make sure you thank your interviewer at the end and if possible send a thank you email too as you can use this as a way to refresh your interview in their mind and reiterate how much you’d appreciate the opportunity to work for them.

So if you’re struggling to pass the first stage interview, make sure you’re considering the above. Have you got any of your own tips that have helped you beat the competition and get the job? Let us know!