Top Ten Tips for Interviewees, from Mike Cooper (BA Exeter, 1975)

1 - Do your homework on the company/organisation/industry, and even on the job itself, in advance 鈥� but do 鈥榳ear your learning lightly鈥�, in the interview!

Some reasonable background research would normally be expected from a job candidate 鈥� especially one who鈥檚 a graduate or near-graduate. This would apply even in situations where you feel you already know quite a lot (and do try to update any prior familiarity, if so). But all of this needn鈥檛 be exhaustive, either. You could consider checking their website and social media presence, contacting a past or current employee if possible 鈥� or even being up-front by talking with their recruitment team.

At the same time, however, don鈥檛 鈥榰nload鈥� everything you know and think about the job鈥檚 context in the interview. Choose what you contribute with care, doing so sparingly but effectively. If more is asked, you can use other information; but again, be careful and concise. It鈥檚 OK as a candidate to say 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure鈥�.

2 - Dress appropriately for the occasion, the interview method, and the organisation.

A face-to-face interview with a bank might mean a certain kind of clothing 鈥� and that could be slightly different to an online interview. Similarly, either kind of occasion with a small tech start-up needs thinking about, too: the same clothes, or different?

3 - Get your overall body language right, from the start 鈥� and maintain that. Consider your vocal patterns, facial expressions and eye-contact (and their 鈥榤essages鈥�) carefully.

The very first image you present (whether in person, on the phone or on-screen) is obviously vital. Visually, that鈥檚 not just about dress, but posture, position and gesture 鈥� even your distance from and/or angle to a camera, if it鈥檚 an on-screen situation.

Be as conscious as possible of your normal voice and speech habits (pace, pauses, pitch), and use or modify those as appropriate, throughout (although this doesn鈥檛 really include regional accents and so on: stay authentic to yourself!).

Eye-contact is vital: establish and maintain that direct person-to-person link (especially if you鈥檙e with more than one person in a room or a Zoom). But don鈥檛 be afraid to let your eyes 鈥榰nlock鈥�, for a particular purpose. Looking thoughtful by occasionally looking elsewhere than into someone else鈥檚 eyes is fine. At the other end of the scale, of course, a steady and unvaried 鈥榙eath-stare鈥� is pretty unwise!

4 - Ensure that you understand each question or discussion-prompt clearly and fully. Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask honestly for a repeat, a re-statement, or a clarification.

It鈥檚 not a sign of weakness to do this (unless you鈥檙e giving the impression of being unfocussed or distracted). In some cases, it can be taken as an indication of genuine, and valuable, thoughtfulness and critical thinking.

You can (carefully!) use strategies like 鈥淚f I understand you correctly...鈥�, 鈥淲ell, it depends on what鈥檚 meant by...鈥� or 鈥淒o you mean/Are you asking about..?鈥�

5 - Once you鈥檙e clear, stick to answering the exact question put to you 鈥� at first, anyway.

Don鈥檛 answer the question that you wish they鈥檇 put to you, or even any of the 鈥榮upplementary questions鈥� that might seem to be logical. There will sometimes be room for that 鈥� either coming from them after you鈥檝e addressed the key issue, or as something that you can briefly hint about at the very end of your reply, as a possible 鈥榯easer鈥� for them. That almost always needs to be their choice, though.

As with essays and assignments, answering the question or task you鈥檙e given demonstrates your abilities to listen and interpret effectively. Opportunities to show your lateral thinking and wider knowledge will arise; but they鈥檙e secondary.

6 - Always remember that 鈥榣ess is more鈥�, when replying (at least, initially!); but be specific.

Whether you鈥檙e dealing with that direct and concise initial answer, or going on to providing extra detail and/or moving onto a related matter, always try to 鈥榣eave them wanting a bit more鈥� 鈥� and thus leaving them to be in control of that. You can always just simply ask 鈥淚s that enough, or do you want me to expand?鈥�

Importantly, though, this doesn鈥檛 mean just quickly generalising with clich茅s and theory (or 鈥榳affle鈥�!). Particular and relevant examples and illustrations of all kinds will be important, to establish and reinforce your thinking, understanding and other skills. Just try to ensure that they, too, are always as concise and clear as possible. If more or different examples are wanted, the interviewer/s will then ask you for some. 

7 - Try to display a mixture of: (a) having initially thought things through; and, (b) 鈥榬iffing鈥� with some spontaneous thinking-aloud. Be ready for surprising or challenging questions.

An interviewee who appears over-prepared, and perhaps also rigidly so, may not be displaying a full personality or skill-set, or doing so most effectively. Similarly, just winging it, with little or no forethought evident may not show you to best advantage.

There are some pretty standard questions (clich茅s, even!) like 鈥淲hy do you want this job?鈥� or 鈥淲here do you see yourself in 10 years鈥� time?鈥� You can think carefully about those, of course, in order to be ready if they do feature. That鈥檚 a more 鈥榠nternal鈥� kind of research, compared to what鈥檚 in Point 1 above. Just be ready for other queries.

It's rare these days to find aggressive questions from interviewers designed to wrong-foot or undermine you 鈥� but sometimes, it might still appear to be rather like that. Accept that anything of that sort may simply be a kind of lateral thinking on the part of an interviewer, or just designed to test your lateral thinking. You can also hark back to Tip No. 5 above, to be certain that they and you are very clear about things!

8 - Make sensible, relevant and convincing connections when responding to prompts and questions 鈥� especially your life-history, experiences, achievements, interests and ideas.

A real person 鈥� not an all-purpose cardboard cut-out 鈥� is being interviewed: you. So making strong, relevant and genuine personal links with the role, and any questions, is clearly important. Part of your preparation will usefully be to establish what those might be, and which are the most important and convincing ones to apply. This is a refinement of Point 7, above.

You need to avoid making it all about you, your lived experience and world-view, of course. However, fitting yourself to the role, and the role to you (and thus, responding in that way to the development of an interview conversation) matters a good deal.

9 - Ensure you 鈥榯ake charge鈥� 鈥� gently and politely, but positively 鈥� at least for a moment or two, and especially near the end. Make a sensible query or two (whether that鈥檚 pre-planned, or arises organically from the interview) which means that they need to respond to you.

Passive participation throughout, as the one-way subject of the process, is unlikely to demonstrate you to best advantage. You can be quietly but pro-actively assertive over practical matters like pay and conditions, training and support, or the organisation鈥檚 vision, policies, methods and track-record. Just be sure to be brief, clear, open and positive when you do so.

10 - Practice your interviewing skills 鈥� as often as you can, with as wide a variety of people taking on roles and methods 鈥榓t the other end鈥� as you can manage, and in as many different contexts as possible.

Use your friendship, peer, family and past employment networks 鈥� and shamelessly!

The wider the spectrum of personalities and personality-types that you can talk with, whether face-to-face or electronically (audio or visual), the better. You can give them a context and a role, or leave them to suggest that. They can devise the questions, or you can supply those to them; co-creating them can be a good exercise, too.

You can even task someone you trust to give you a bit of a tough time, deliberately 鈥� just for 鈥榮afe鈥� practice in the business of dealing with tricky situations, awkward moments and people who you might normally find a bit unsettling.

 

Good luck!