Dressing For Success: How To Nail A Job Interview

By Julie Melville

Job interviews are always going to be a daunting experience. You are competing against numerous candidates and want to make a good first impression on your potential future employer. To ensure that you will be able to secure the job, you will need to fully prepare for the upcoming interview to stand out from the bunch. Here are 6 tips to get dressed for success and nail your job interview.

1. Check your equipment

A common stage that you may come across during an employment application process is to complete an online video interview. Typically, this is the stage before being interviewed by your potential employer where the recruitment team can assess your fit to the role and your reason for wanting to work with the organisation. To make a solid impression, use Cluey Test Diagnostics to ensure that your equipment is working. This will help you check whether your microphone and webcam are connected before starting the online interview. 

As for the physical interview, it will help to print out your CV to give to your interviewer as well as to use for you to review. You should also bring examples of your work in a portfolio if relevant to the job role. Ensure to turn off your phone and smartwatch during the interview to prevent any distracting alerts or notification pop-ups.

2. Do your research

One of the biggest interview blunders is attending without being well informed of the company that you are applying for. Research the company values of the organisation, the leading managerial team and important people in high senior roles. Hop onto LinkedIn and check out the profile of your interviewer to be prepared on who will be conducting your interview. You can also look upon Glassdoor to get an insight into what the company culture is like. Past and current employees upload reviews of the company onto the site to allow newcomers to assess the employee experience and organisational culture. You should also research on the industry and be informed of the latest news and trends to show your interest in the field that the company is thriving in. 

3. Prepare questions and answers

Another way to excel at a job interview is to prepare common questions that will be potentially asked during your interview. Create interview questions that are specifically related to the company or the role that you are applying for. You may also be asked behavioural questions that assess your alignment to the values and ethics of the organisation. At the end of the interview, you will be given the opportunity to ask questions yourself. This is your chance to clarify anything to do with the actual job description, what your first month of work will look like as well as your pay and conditions. This is also a good chance to ask your interviewer questions regarding the organisation and your fit.

4. Practice, practice, practice!

Practice is a key component to achievement – this is also relevant to interviews too! Be sure to consider your body language, confidence, diction and speech patterns. Ensure to maintain eye contact and avoid excessive gestures.  You should also ensure that your facial expressions and actions show your engagement to the interviewer’s discussion. With every interview question, practice how you will be answering the question in a concise manner that exhibits your skills, personality and experiences. Your tone of voice and speed will be analysed in phone call interviews to assess your communication skills. You should also train yourself to respond to questions that you do not expect. This could be rather daunting and confrontational but being better prepared will allow you to overcome this. Ensure that you take a breath and develop an answer in your mind before verbalising your answer. If you don’t take time to consolidate your thoughts per question, you may not respond in the clearest way that you intend.

5. Dress to impress

The way you present yourself to your interviewer is the first impression that will be left on your interviewers. The interviewer will make assumptions and correlations of your outfit to your work ethic, so be sure to dress in professional attire. This can be expensive, especially when you might only wear it for the interview. Consider using sites like The Volte to borrow your outfit and save cash.

Opting for black and white is the safest option. Ensure to iron your blouse and pants and that your shoes are shined. You should also ensure that your hair is well kept and groomed back neatly. Choose lightly scented perfume or cologne that isn’t too harsh and doesn’t have an off-putting smell. 

6. Optimise your environment

If you are taking an online interview, you will need to ensure that the background environment is optimised to make sure that the interviewer is focused on you. Your backdrop should be preferably behind a white wall and indoors to avoid noise traffic. Avoid distractions by ensuring that your computer or laptop is charged fully before starting your video interview. If you are attending a physical interview, ensure to check the weather to see if you would need to bring an umbrella. Be informed and familiar with how to travel to the interview location and check whether there will be any trackwork or roadwork. Planning beforehand will prevent potential delays so you can arrive on time to your interview.

Whether you’re attending your first ever interview or if you’ve already been to many, it’s never too late to brush up on your interviewing skills to ensure that you secure your dream job! What tips will you use to nail your next job interview?

 

About the Author:

Julie Melville is a content manager for Cluey Learning. She’s passionate about education and helping children and high school students excel in their studies. While she’s not providing high-quality advice to students parents and teachers, Julie loves learning about the universe and playing with her puppies.

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