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 My 1^st tip is: A little preparation goes a long way

Think about what the Interviewer will want to know about your skills and experience. Then think about some of your key achievements and the pieces of work that show how you have developed and used these skills. It is easy for your mind to go blank in an interview and so if you have carefully thought through your examples ahead of time you are more likely to remember them when you need to. You might not end up using these examples on the day but thinking about your examples will keep it all fresh in your mind.

My 2^nd tip is: Try to relax and breathe.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? But when you really want the job and you’re nervous it can be the hardest thing in the world. Lots of people will give you tips on how to relax at interview but I think that the most important thing to remember is this:

The interviewer is not there to try and catch you out, they would not have given up their time to see you if they didn’t think that you had some great potential.

My 3^rd tip is: Take your time.

Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat the question if you didn’t quite catch it the first time. Make sure that you have really listened to the question and understood it before you try to answer it. Often people start to think about the answer they want to give before the interviewer has finished asking the question. When this happens you can miss the full question and only end up answering half the question. So before you answer the question take your time and think about how you want to answer

My 4^th tip is: make sure your answers are structured

Sometimes when people are nervous they just want to try and tell the interviewer everything they can all at once. Try to give your answers some structure if you are describing something that you have done in the past make sure you follow this order:

Situation ~ when was it, where was it, why did you need to do what you did

Action ~ what you did, how you did it

Result ~ what the outcome was

This will help the interviewer to follow your example and help them understand how you approach a problem.

My 5^th tip: Expect the difficult questions

There is always at least one question we are worried about being asked and it is one of the things that can really make you nervous. Before your interview, sit down and think about the question that you are really worried about and then think about how you are going to answer it. When you are thinking about your answer be honest, but don’t forget to show yourself in the best possible light. It is better to be prepared for the question even if it’s difficult rather than spending the interview worrying about the inevitable.

I hope these tips help you - Good Luck!

 - Louise