Interviews are an important stage in the application process, particularly if you\u2019re looking for professional work experience, or want to take part in a summer scheme. It\u2019s easy to slip into theatrical-mode during your interview. The key to interview success is to be confident and be yourself. Here are a few classic characters to look out for:<\/p>\n
The Shakin \u2018Stevens<\/strong> The Serious Intellectual<\/strong><\/span> The Apprentice Candidate<\/strong><\/span> The Interviewer<\/strong><\/span> The Gabber<\/strong><\/span> The Gap Yah<\/strong><\/span> The Try Hard<\/strong><\/span> The Dire Straits<\/strong><\/span> The Joker<\/strong><\/span> Interviews are an important stage in the application process, particularly if you\u2019re looking for professional work experience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview-tips","category-students-and-graduate-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6996"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6998,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6996\/revisions\/6998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe overly nervous interviewee is characterised by sweaty palms, shaking knees, and an inability to maintain eye contact. Their volume is likely to be erratic \u2013 they typically speak too loudly, or too loudly, or too quietly. Often sentences are garbled and rambling.<\/p>\n
\nThe thinker is usually the antithesis of the chatterer. Serious and unsmiling, their answers seem overly calculated, uptight, and seriously lacking in spontaneity.<\/p>\n
\nThere is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don\u2019t let your degree get to your head. Giving the impression that you think you\u2019re too good for a role certainly isn\u2019t going to convince an employer to hire you. Arrogance is characterised by self-important boasting.<\/p>\n
\nAsking questions is important, but be careful not to turn into the interviewer. You are there to talk about you \u2013 don\u2019t try to answers questions with questions. Turning the interview into a debate won\u2019t make you look clever \u2013 save the majority of your enquiries until the end.<\/p>\n
\nThe idea of an interview is to talk with an employer. Don\u2019t talk too much though. Employers are usually looking for someone with the ability to be selective. Talking too much indicates that you don\u2019t know what they are looking for. What\u2019s more, no employer is going to hire someone they think might talk all day.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019re going to talk about your gap year experiences in an interview, whatever you do, make sure that it\u2019s relevant. An employer wants to know how your experiences helped to develop new skills, not how great your tan was.<\/p>\n
\nNothing is too hard for the try hard. They typically don\u2019t know when to stop smiling, and their incessant positivity smacks of falseness and naivety. It\u2019s good to be keen, but don\u2019t over do it.<\/p>\n
\nEnthusiasm is one thing, desperation is another. Extreme cases of interview desperation include asking the interviewer if they believe that you\u2019re good enough for the job, and even begging them to hire you. You need to control your emotions. Discuss your reasons for wanting the job in terms of your skills, not your needs.<\/p>\n
\nFor some people, the best way to overcome pre-interview anxiety is to come prepared with a joke or two. It\u2019s fine to try and break the ice, but humour isn\u2019t always the best way to go about it. Most employers are looking to hire someone who is likeable, but forcing yourself upon them isn\u2019t a good way to reveal your fun-side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"