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Dress code The safest bet is to overdress rather than underdress. You can also mirror the company’s dress code – check their social media to get a feel for how people show up. Bring the essentials Bring a few printed copies of your CV and any relevant certificates. Even if they’re not needed, it shows you’re prepared. If relevant (e.g. design roles), bring physical examples of your work. Bring a notepad and pen with you. It demonstrates to the interviewer that you’re a serious operator. During the interview you can take note of questions you’d like to ask or on anything that stands out to you.  Arrive early Arrive 10–15 minutes early. If you can, chat with the receptionist or security guard. Treat everyone well. You never know who’s connected to the hiring manager. First-impression basics A firm handshake and good eye contact go a long way. Conversation starters / breaking the ice At the start of the interview, initiate the conversation; don’t wait for them to start the discussion. This will help break any tension. “Hi [Name], great to meet you. Thanks for taking the time. I’m excited to learn more about the role. How’s your week going?” **Break the ice by starting the discussion with something non-interview-related. ** If you know anyone who worked at the company, use this information to start off the conversation:  “I see John Delaney previously worked here. I worked with John at XYZ Company. How well do you know John?” Prior to the interview, research recent news or current trends related to the industry and ask the interviewer for their opinion. “Did you see the latest report on X? What did you make of it?” When they ask “How are you doing?” don’t just say fine; tell them. _“I’m doing well, thanks. I had a lovely big breakfast and walked the dog this morning.” _ By divulging details about your day so far, chances are they have done something similar, which they may share with you. This is an easy way to connect with the interviewer right off the bat and gets the conversation flowing. By researching your interviewer to find common ground, you can casually bring it up at the start of the conversation to build rapport. You: “I’m based out in Ballina, so I got out on the M7 early to avoid the madness.” **Interviewer: **“No way I went to school in Ballina! How long are you living there?”

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Final reminders

Preparation Write out each of your interview answers and practice delivering them out loud. Do this until you can relay each answer in your sleep. Organise and save your interview research and answers into a Google Drive folder. After you land a job, you never know what other opportunities are waiting around the corner. Saving your prepared materials and answers will make interview prep in the future so much easier for you.  Think of the bigger picture Remember that you are coming in to either save the company money, generate the company money, or both. When preparing your answers, keep that in the back of your mind. When delivering your answers, tie everything back to the job/company you’re applying to. For example, if you learned something, explain how that lesson can be applied to the job. Demonstrate clear thinking Keep your answers clear and concise. Explaining things simply will help you stand out. The less you waffle, the more confident you appear.  Listen carefully to the interviewer’s words to ensure you address their question appropriately. Once you’ve addressed the question, STOP.  Give specific examples in each answer you deliver. If you’re asked a question, in most cases you should never give one-word answers like yes or no.  Storytelling Tell stories. Talk about the drama. What happened when the going got tough and you pulled the rabbit outta’ the hat in the final hour? Everyone loves a good story. Stories help put the interviewer at ease. Don’t just list off tasks you completed. Tell stories about problems you solved. Try linking your stories throughout the interview. It will make your answers more convincing and believable.  Use a different story for each question. Avoid repeating yourself in the same interview.  Results and impact Focus your answers on results. The more numbers, data, and achievements you mention in your answers, the more convincing you will be. Talk about how you continually made things better. Humble-brag Bragging doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us, but you need to set that aside for the interview. You need to sell yourself in there. Get comfortable talking about how your work makes things better. Get comfortable talking about your wins. Describe your wins with confidence. The interviewer won’t be able to guess what you’ve done. You need to spell it out for them. Quantifying your experience will ease your discomfort. By using data and numbers when explaining your accomplishments, you’re just relaying facts. Facts that cannot be argued. Facts that validate your skills and experience. Don’t sell yourself short Undermining yourself in a job interview means you’re casting doubt on your own abilities, and if you don’t believe in yourself, it’s going to be very difficult for the interviewer to believe in you too. Never downplay your experience. Let’s say you worked as part of a team on a project. You might use words like “Helped”, “Assisted” or “Supported” to describe what you did. You might say you only had a small role.  But you’re downplaying your experience here. You’re underselling yourself. Remember that you control the narrative here, so focus on the parts that you led.  Now, you may think you didn’t lead anything. But you did. Rather than taking a broader view – saying that you just supported the overall project – detail the parts, regardless of how big or small, that you owned. The things that you noticed were wrong and how you took the initiative to fix the problem. Talk about what you implemented in the project. The parts that you took charge of. Focus on what your work allowed to happen within the overall project. This is how you sell yourself. Professionalism and attitude Don’t bad-mouth or sound bitter about anything in the past. If something difficult arises from your past, discuss what the experience taught you and how you apply the lessons in your work. You’ve got a very limited time with the hiring team. Keep it positive. Criticising past employers can give the impression that you might have been the issue. Speak up If you feel like you haven’t said your piece, and this goes for every interview, then speak up at the end and sell yourself: “I really enjoyed our conversation, but I’m very conscious that I never got a chance to discuss ________.” 

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Next guide: what to do after your job interview

We’ve put together a list of best practices to follow that will help you get job offers. Access the list here.