While preparing the answers to difficult interview questions your interviewer is likely to pose is important, there are a number of other practical tips you can employ to ensure you're giving yourself the best chance of success when it comes to being interviewed.
In most cases, the interviewer will listen carefully to the content and validity of your answers, but before they have even got to their first question, they will have already formed an overall impression of you - if this is negative, you will have to work hard to turn it around.
Arriving late and flustered will not only create a bad impression from the off, it will put you on the back foot and leave you feeling anxious - none of which will help you in delivering controlled, well-thought-out responses. Give yourself at least 10 minutes to sit calmly before you are called in.
Candidates tend to worry more about dress code for an interview more than they need to. It is important that your clothing makes a good impression and also that it makes the appropriate impression, but it is difficult to go wrong with a well fitting suit, whether you are male or female. Women should avoid going overboard on the make-up but a little can make you appear confident and assertive. Never reveal too much flesh - this is absolutely not an impression you want to create. Avoid dressing too eccentrically - your character and individuality will come out on its own during the interview - and always veer towards the smart as opposed to the casual.
You have several avenues open to you for researching the company and the industry it sits in thoroughly before the interview. Almost every employer now has a website you can look at prior to the interview and if you are pushed for time, pay particular attention to the “About Us” section which, in most cases, will give you a good feel for the ethos, culture and values of an organisation. Try to find recent company press releases or articles on the site so that you can impress the interviewer with something current and relevant about the organisation. Your recruitment agency should also be able to provide you with a decent level of background information about the person interviewing you and where they work. If you haven't made any effort to research the company it will be evident in minutes and show a complete lack of interest.
It very much depends on the style of the interviewer as to whether they will confront you with a string of awkward questions or not. At the very least, they should put you at ease first so that you feel in a position to answer the more challenging ones. Either way, you should be prepared to answer slightly more tricky questions with ease and confidence. See our “Answers to Difficult Interview Questions” article for more help with this.
Even when you are talking about your reasons for moving on from your current / previous role, it is important that you talk about this in as positive a way as possible. Potential employers are very wary about hearing how lazy or incompetent you thought your old colleagues were or how wrong you thought the company strategy was - this will almost definitely mark you out as difficult or worse, as a troublemaker.
While it's good to show that you are not an android, your aim during the interview isn't to make your potential employer laugh as much as possible. If humour comes about naturally it will serve to relax you, but don't force it - just focus on answering your questions as fully and thoughtfully as possible.
Because of the situation you are in, any lies you tell will be much more apparent than they would normally. Lies about experience can easily (and will) be detected through further questioning from the interviewer and fibs about salary can be checked out quickly. Above all, lying is likely to make you feel flustered and out of control which could ruin all your hard work and preparation.
This one speaks for itself!
What do Employers Look for in Candidates | Answers to Difficult Interview Questions | How to Resign Gracefully
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