Top Tips to Ace an Interview

Article written by Jennifer O’Donovan, National Manager Career Development Centre, Engineers Australia.

Tips on how to be prepared for interviews are definitely in the top five questions we receive at the career development centre. So much so that we have made this topic part of the student and graduate road map webinar series. The next one on 27 April 2016 is entitled 'Interview do’s and don’ts'.

Here are my top three tips to ace interviews:

(1) Be prepared

• Know where and when your interview is being held.
• What type of interview will you be having? A one on one, panel or a group, this may change your preparation slightly.
• Do your research on the company – Why do you want to work for them? What types of products and services do they sell / offer? Do your values align with theirs?
• Have some examples ready on how you deal with situations – these can come from work, uni, sporting groups etc.

(2) Know your skills set

• Be able to list and give examples of your hard skills – Examples are technical skills and analytical thinking.
• Be able to list and give examples of your soft skills – Examples include communications skills and how you work in a team environment.
• Know where your strengths are, a great one for graduates is the willingness to learn.
• Know where your weaknesses or areas for improvement are, common responses from graduates is a lack of practical experience, but when you can combine your technical knowledge from your degree and your enthusiasm you can show how this would work in your favour.

(3) Nonverbal cues

• First impressions do count – over 50% of those on an interview panel know within the first few minutes if a candidate is a good fit for the job.
• Dress the part for the job you want. Wear a collared shirt and dress pants for the gents and collared shirt or blouse with pants or a mid length skirt for the ladies.
• Make sure you have a nice firm handshake.
• Be aware of your own and others body language, maintain eye contact, smile and try not to fidget.

For more advice and tips join us at the April webinar.

If you can’t make the webinar you will be able to watch a replay soon after at myCPD.

Other questions or queries? Contact the career development centre at [email protected].