I'm job hunting right now. Oh joy. Hello real life, how have you been? OH EXACTLY THE SAME AS I LEFT YOU. How dull. *Update - since starting this blog I have actually GOT A JOB*
 |
| I work at the mall now! |
I have a few assorted job interview tips and advice for you that I've picked up along the way, maybe they'll be of some help to you.
1. On the day of your interview, brush your teeth BEFORE putting on your interview outfit. That way you will avoid doing what I did on the morning of my last interview and NOT drop toothpaste down your carefully selected outfit minutes before you have to leave the house!
2. Street view BOTH parts of the address. The other day I Googled the post code of the address I was given by my recruitment consultant and was satisfied by what I saw enough to head over there on interview day. Feeling SUPER smug, I arrived thirty minutes early only to find that the building on street view had been DEMOLISHED. Uh oh. It wasn't exactly my fault, but arriving at the new address an hour late all flustered wasn't the impression I was going for. Turns out they had given me the correct first part of the address and the wrong postcode. Oops.
3. Dress for the job role you're applying for. If the job role involves anything that asks for a little creativity, remember to jazz up your outfit to make you stand out enough (BUT NOT TOO MUCH). Maybe wear neon tights with an otherwise plain outfit, a bold necklace or, if you're like me, a miniature top hat!
4. Go with relevant questions. When I used to interview people, I LOVED it when people came prepared with questions! They could be anything from 'what is the best/worst thing about working here?' to 'what is a typical day like here?' or 'how is the company performing?' I would say this is a relevant question to ask as it's important to know you're not taking a job in a company on the brink of shutting down.
5. SMILE. The impression you want to give at an interview is that you could start tomorrow and take hold of things, no problem. That starts with smiling. You'll appear confident, you'll look relaxed and as if you were born for this role. Plus, you'll build a nice rapport and hopefully make whoever is interviewing you less inclined to ask you a horrible curve ball question about what you dislike most about yourself... (I hate that question)
6. Always turn a negative in to a positive. Never leave an answer on a negative note! So if you are asked what you dislike most about your current/previous job and your response is something like 'We're extremely short staffed so there isn't always time to do everything I'd like' you can turn it around into a positive response by adding 'but it's great that I get to experience so many different aspects of Marketing/Sales/Support/IT!'
7. Memorize your CV. One of the first things you'll be asked is usually 'Talk us through your CV' and if you don't know it... good luck.
Overall though, enjoy the experience, it's not often you have to sell yourself in life and for some it doesn't come naturally. But if you don't, the person who comes in after you will and they'll get the job! If nothing else comes from it, you'll have had the chance to be interviewed and you can always ask for feedback if the unlikely happens and you don't get the job...
I want a cut of your first paycheck if any of these help get you your dream job!
