Stressed about interviews? Look no further!

Since finishing my degree, I have been impatient to seek out the perfect graduate full-time job so that I can kickstart my career.

Hopping straight on to Indeed every day and spending hours carefully reading job descriptions, I would find several roles that seemed like they were suited to my skills, which only made me keener to commence my future career.

After attentively completing my applications to show off my best skills, checking my emails in hope for an interview became a part of my daily routine.

This is all super exciting…

Until one day you open your emails and find out you have been successful in your applications and received an interview.

Then reality hits: I have to actually attend an interview! If you are anything like me, the thought of an interview is super scary and causes an immediate wave of stress.

What do I need to prepare? How can I prepare? What if my mind goes blank and I forget something? What if I don’t get the job?

These are all the kinds of worries that used to infiltrate my head the second I thought about an interview — I was no longer excited about my future prospects, but instead, just stressed.

Well, after attending a few interviews in the past couple of months, I can confidently say I now have some tips and tricks that helped me to prepare and get through my interviews with a lot more ease.

And anyway, after your first interview, you realise it is not as scary as you may think and, if you don’t get the job, it is simply making way for the perfect job that is meant for you!

However, it is still always good to come prepared because, as the old saying goes, failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

So, here are a few things that worked for me when it came to remaining calm and composed during my interviews:

• Prepare answers to at least ten common interview questions that you can use each time you have an interview. If you will be using a notebook as a prompt during the interview, I would simply write a one- or two-word bullet point answer to the questions so that they can prompt you instead of just reading the whole answer from the notebook.
• It is a good idea to bring a pen in case they inform you of anything important that you think you may forget such as second interview dates etc.
• A good tip is to not bring up pay unless they bring it up or unless you have already been offered the job.
• Write three or four questions down in a notebook that you would like to ask — remember the interview is an opportunity for you to interview them too. Examples of questions would be: what is the culture like at your company; is it remote or in the office; what do you most enjoy about your job; what tasks does a typical day consist of? A quick Google search will give you plenty of good questions to ask.
• Do your research on the company and write down a few notes in a notebook. Most interviewers will not have an issue with you having a notebook in front of you as a prompt and will simply see it as being organised and prepared. It is a good way to ensure that you have back up if your mind goes blank too. Just remember not to be reading off of the notebook the entire time. Eye contact is super important.
• Something I have found always makes me feel more relaxed straight away is asking how they are. For example if they say, ‘Hello, how are you?’, I always reply with ‘Good thank you, how are you?’, to which they sometimes reply with a tidbit about their day or themselves. This way it seems less formal and scary, and you are reminded that they are just a normal person like you!
• When researching the company, I always make sure to scope out their company values and describe myself or give examples of when I have shown those traits when they ask, ‘Tell me about yourself’. For example, if their company values include diversity and being kind, I would provide examples of when I have worked alongside people from different and diverse backgrounds and when I have shown kindness.
• Make sure to smile and look interested and engaged. They will want to see that you are passionate about the role.
• Make sure you dress the part (even if it is a Zoom call). A quick Google search of appropriate interview attire helped me decide what was best to wear and what I definitely should not wear. For my interviews I simply wore a plain long-sleeved white top with a blazer over it and some black trousers with ballet pumps and I have had no complaints as yet.

And lastly, if you are unsuccessful, do not get disheartened as usually getting the first full-time job is the hardest!

Perseverance is key and remember that whatever is meant to be, will be.

However, if you are worried about your CV or interview skills, it is never a bad idea to visit a careers person for some advice and guidance. In fact, you could take a look at the University Careers Service, which you can access for life!