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This is the time of year when many people take on extra jobs or start thinking about finding a better paid job in order to pay for the excesses of Christmas. Unfortunately job interviews and stress also tend to go hand-in-hand. It certainly is for me.
Here are a few tips based on my mistakes at interviews:-
1. Leave the House in Plenty of Time – There was a really cold snap once when I went for an interview. I had been sitting around for ages waiting for a train when someone came up to me and told me the trains had been cancelled. Oh great! I had no idea what bus to get so went home in hope that my Mum could drive me into town. Unfortunately the car still had to be de-iced which then took some time. We finally go the car started when en-route it (temporarily) broke down.
Luckily I had left so well in advance I was perfectly on time. Phew!
2. Take Note of Interviewer’s Name – Once I totally forgot to take note of the name of the person I was to be interviewed by. It’s a bit embarrassing to be asked by the receptionist who I’m there to talk to when I have no idea!
3. Be Prepared to Repeat Yourself – My boyfriend told be that a good interviewer has a conversational tone in their questions – ie they don’t totally rely on reading questions off a paper. Unfortunately most interviewers don’t have this skill. Whenever they asked me a question I’d try and answer as fully as possible, unwittingly answering the next couple of questions on the sheet. This meant I had to repeat myself which made me feel a bit of a prat.
4. It Could be Worse – My cousin has just been accepted into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He told me a bit about the gruelling interviews he had to go through and I have to admit to felling a bit ashamed for getting stressed about the uneventful interviews I’ve been too. It’s somewhat ironic though that he wants to join the Army because our Granddad successfully got out of the Army be pretending to be insane! I assume my cousin didn’t mention that fact at any of his interviews. 😉
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