The first few moments of your interview can have a major impact on how well the rest of it goes. Here are my 5 tips to start strong.

 

 

The interview starts long before you are in front of the interviewer.  Make sure you set out with a good attitude and in a professional manner the minute you leave the house.

 

Make sure you arrive early enough to allow yourself time to settle in. Put your phone on silent mode, make conversation with the receptionist and take in your surroundings – you might notice something that will make a useful 'small-talk' topic later. Don’t try and cram in any last-minute facts – you want to come across as calm and organised, not flustered and under-prepared.  

 

 

Make sure that you’re polite and friendly to everyone you come across in the interview process. From greeting the receptionist, to the people you share a lift with, to walking through an open-plan office to reach your meeting-room. These are all touchpoints with your potential future employer and colleagues, who will often share their impressions of visitors afterwards. Make sure that everyone you come into contact with sees you in a positive light.

 

4. Be prepared for small talk

As part of your interview preparation, it’s a good idea to think ahead to some likely topics that might come up, so as to help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. The key is to come up with topics where you may have a shared interest, so that you’re able to both ask and answer credible questions.   

Think about topical themes. For example, has your potential employer been in the news recently? Or could you ask about the potential impact on the company of a recent event? In each case, make sure you have an interesting thought of your own to contribute.  

5. Be ready with key questions

It’s a good idea to have two or three key points that you want to make about what you have to offer and what you’re looking for – for example, ‘I’m ready for the challenge of managing a team’, ‘I combine creative experience with technical expertise’, ‘in my career, I’ve developed a fully integrated campaign’. 

These are the three key points that you want your interviewer to remember about you. So try and work them in naturally whenever you can, even in the first few minutes. It’s also important to have a ready answer for some of the most common questions that come up early on – such as ‘tell me why you want this job’ and ‘what’s your understanding of what this job involves?’ 

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