Whatever other advice is given about interviewing, above all you must be honest. An interview is not an opportunity for you to spend an hour bluffing. Many interviewers are trained in body language and you will doubtless give yourself away if you spend the vast majority of the time inventing fairy tales. However, this does not mean that you should parade all your negative characteristics in front of the interviewer.
To begin with:
A knowledge of the kind of questions that will be asked should help you to prepare. You will need to think out in advance the answers to each question, and decide which characteristic or attributes you should bring out for each job. Look at the application form again to refresh your memory about what you have already told the organization. Don't give monosyllabic answers.
Get your facts right. Check with your CV so that you can remember the order and dates of your jobs. Muddling these will make you sound confused and vague.
Although you need to think through the answers to questions and should practice them aloud, don't learn them parrot fashion. A recital is liable to be boring and unconvincing rather than natural and spontaneous. Role-play and practice will help, particularly if you tend to be nervous beforehand.
Listen well
Listening is important. Make sure that you understand what has been asked. If you are not sure, ask for clarification. Be positive and enthusiastic about the job. Your tone of voice will give you away if you sound very enthusiastic about your hobbies but answer questions of your potential employment in a monotone. Don't lecture and show a sense of humour if possible. If you are able to lighten the discussion, it will create a good impression and help you to relax. Show that you can laugh - but not too much. Don't sound too timid - timidity and shyness are often seen as signs of weakness.
Keep your answers brief and concise whilst still imparting all the relevant information. You should communicate technical information simply, without using jargon and without assuming that your interviewer is an expert on the subject.
Don't give yourself away
Never volunteer information about your weaknesses, though you must be prepared to discuss these if asked. If you have nothing special to say, say nothing. Give an overview of the jobs that you have performed rather than a blow-by-blow account. Remember to keep your responses relevant to the posts you have applied for, too.
Don't apologize for your background - you will need to sound positive about all aspects of yourself. It is no good inspiring pity, if you intend to look sought-after by others.
Don't criticize your previous employers
Never be over critical of your current or last employer. Don't complain that the boss didn't recognize your skills, superior qualities etc., that you didn't get a promotion you richly deserved or that you were deprived of variety in your job. Apart from the fact that this irritates interviewers and they will seldom believe you, they will assume that you will say the same kind of things when you leave their company, and they don't want that.
Don't talk about politics or religion unless you are sure that the interviewer will agree with your viewpoint. Don't ask about the salary straight away, for this will sound as if you are more interested in the money than the job.
Cliches to avoid
There are certain things which are said in interviews time and time again, which make interviewers cringe. Avoid saying that you are good with people. Most people who really are wouldn't dream of saying it. Don't talk about the challenge of a job without showing that you are really enthusiastic about a particular aspect and that you mean it. If you are saying only that you are interested in this post because it is a challenge without any explanation of what that challenge is, forget it.
Namedropping is another common irritant to interviewers. Do avoid this. Namedropping usually has the opposite effect as the interviewer sees it as arrogance, particularly if you intimate that this person will 'put in a word for you' - this deprives the interviewer of the right to make their own decisions and sounds as if you will ask someone else to persuade them. Have confidence in yourself. Worse still is the practice of pretending contacts you don't have; this is very easily found out, so don't do it.
Other statements that must be avoided are:
'I am looking for a new challenge.'
"I left company X because I was seeking a new challenge.'
'I like working with people.'
'I have always wanted to work in ...'
'I am eager to enter the filed of ... in a company such as yours.'
'I have extensive experience in ...'
'I am willing to fill any/either of your posts.'
'I have no direct experience in this field.'
'You don't need to search any more. You have found me. I am the person you have been looking for.'
Turning the question around
There may be occasions when the honest and most basic answer to a question is 'No, I haven't done that,' but you realize that saying that won't help your case, and there is another side to it. Turn the question round to your advantage if you can. There may be occasions when you can say, still honestly, 'No, I haven't done X, but I have done Y.' Then go on to prove why these are similar and show the same basic skill.
If you think that you have been misunderstood, don't accuse the interviewer of getting it wrong, but say gently and firmly, 'No, that wasn't quite what I meant,' and then go on to repeat clearly what you had intended to say.
How to talk about your successes and failures
With both of these, you must strike a balance. Avoid boasting. Don't be over-modest about your successes either. When talking about past failures, be honest about your mistakes but show that you have learned from them. When asked about past weaknesses, don't just say that you have 'none that will affect this job. Thinking about a weakness, that you can talk about will be necessary; don't skip this thinking that the question won't come up.
Do not lie about your qualifications as many organizations check on these. If you think that you may be overqualified, you do not have to mention everything (though you may need to account for the time spent during that period. If you are under qualified, show a willingness to return to study to obtain the qualifications you have not gained so far.
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The author is the editor of http://www.perfectyourenglish.com Visit her website for more articles on business English.
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