Improving Interview skills

Improving your interview skills requires planning and learning from past experiences. There are lots of things you can do to ensure you are well-prepared and ready for what the interviewer may ask you. Whether you have attended plenty of interviews or are waiting for your first one, the techniques below will help you in improving your skills.

Research the job description

Good interview techniques begin at thoroughly researching the job description. This means looking at the role responsibilities beforehand, learning about where the role is based and the salary. These are all aspects that your interviewer may mention, so making a note of them will be helpful in achieving interview success. Researching the job description is essential in making sure you are prepared for the interview, and taking the time to understand the role and responsibilities associated with it will also mean you will be able to review your past experience and match it to the vacancy. By knowing what is expected of you, you can focus on your strengths and position yourself as a great choice for the employer. Job descriptions are often custom-written based on the organisation, so where you see similar job titles, the responsibilities of the role may vary – it is vital to spend time going through them in detail.

Research the organisation 

This means answering questions such as:

• What are the company values?
• How many offices/places of work are there?
• Who are the key staff?

Knowing about the organisation pays off and it is often a question that comes up in interviews. By doing your research, you will show you have put in effort to learn about the organisation, giving the interviewer a good impression. A handy tip is to focus on one or two specific values or facts you have seen on the website and expand on why you like them and how they relate to you. By displaying this knowledge and going further into detail you can show the dedication you have given to preparing and demonstrates a willingness to learn.

Review your CV

When job searching, some people like to use different CVs for various jobs, to better highlight their skills based on the role they are applying to. Whether you use different CVs or the same one, it is still important to make sure you review it before an interview. Employers often choose specific points from your CV to talk about, so making sure you can expand on the things you have mentioned with ease will show how experienced you are for the role. Looking at things like previous employment history, your responsibilities in those roles and the type of company can be helpful in mapping those skills to the job you are interviewing for. With regards to education, you can talk through relevant modules you have studied that would be beneficial to your role.

Common interview questions

Practice is key for any interview. For most roles, there are a set of questions the employer will ask about your personality at work, your career, your goals, what you know about the company and your skills. These are standard for many interviews, however for most roles, the interviewer will also ask questions specific to the job.

Some common interview questions are:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Tell us about a time you made a mistake – what did you do afterwards?
• Why did you leave your previous role?
• What are your salary requirements?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• What motivates you?
• Can you talk us through your CV?

Some role-specific questions for teaching may include:

• What is your teaching style?
• How would you handle a difficult student?
• How do you like to communicate with parents?
• Why did you go into teaching?

Running through a list of questions and preparing your answers will help you plan for your interview and help you come across as confident. Looking up the role and questions others have been asked previously can help you, as it may give you an idea of which questions the interviewer will ask. Using the STAR method is a good way of answering questions – when asked about your experience, you can choose specific scenarios to emphasise your strengths. The STAR method focuses on explaining a Situation, Task, Action and Result.

Prepare questions to ask the employer

Most interviewers often leave space at the end of an interview for any questions. This is your chance to ask them more about the role, the company and anything else you would like to know. Preparing a list of five to six questions means you will have a good list to choose from when the time comes – and if the interviewer has covered some of them already, you will have a few left. Picking the right questions to ask will show your interest in the role and will help your interview come together.

Dress well

Recently, more interviews are being done remotely, but this does not mean you shouldn’t dress appropriately. Whether your interview is done in-person or virtually, formal interview clothes show the interviewer you have put in effort to present yourself as a professional. In addition to all the planning you have done, your clothes should reflect your attitude towards the interview. The same goes for body language – sitting up straight, making eye contact and smiling will work in your favour.

After the interview

Following up is something that may not be obvious but can finish off a successful interview on an even better note. Simply emailing the interviewer to thank them can make the difference between you and another candidate who has the same skill set as you and who also has had a successful interview. Emailing the interviewer shortly afterward you have spoken to them also makes them more likely to remember you. If you are unsuccessful after your interview, getting feedback will help you improve for next time.

At Leader Education, we care about jobseekers and the organisations we work with. Combining the tips, we have mentioned will help you deliver an excellent interview. If you’re on the hunt for a new role, take a look at our vacancies.