Research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has shown that many job applicants need to spend more time preparing for interviews, with many recruitment consultancies saying that they have had complaints from clients about the behaviour and appearance of candidates. Nearly half of the firms surveyed said they had received complaints about “off-putting personal hygiene habits” in interviews. Other criticisms included strange outfits and peculiar answers to interview questions. With this in mind, here are our top ten tips for dazzling your interviewer:
1. Leave plenty of time to get there – a delayed train or a traffic jam can easily make you late
2. Dress to impress but keep it simple
3. Do your research and make sure you know who you’re meeting and that you have some knowledge of the company – what do they do and what are their key values?
4. Think about your CV and how it shows what you can bring to the role
5. Turn off your mobile phone!
6. Be confident (although not over confident) and just be yourself
7. Be honest and think clearly about how you are going to answer the questions
8. Listen and show interest
9. Don’t fidget and don’t smoke beforehand – small things can make a big difference to a first impression
10. Leave questions about salary, bonuses, holiday etc until a later date
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