We live in a competitive world, and you could be up against any number of applicants for the same job. To secure your dream position, you will need to create a highly favourable impression during your interview.
With so many factors that come into play, you may think this is easier said than done. The good news is that you can control and improve most of them – with the proper preparation. We have developed this guide to help you showcase your best self to prospective employers.
What will you find in this article?
Getting yourself interview-ready
Take an in-depth look at yourself so you can articulate who you really are and what makes you tick. Think about your life in terms of challenges and achievements that will appeal to a prospective employer.
How to research and prepare for your job interview
Don’t let yourself be caught off guard by the interviewer’s questions and impress them with what you know about their company – to be prepared is half the victory.
The interview: tips and techniques
We've got you covered for a successful job interview with everything from what to wear to which questions to ask.
Following up after your interview
Stay on the interviewer’s radar with appropriate follow-up communication.
Getting yourself interview-ready
Self-assessment
Interviewers will want to know what sort of person you are – not only in terms of your skills and abilities, but also your values and attitudes. What drives you, what’s your work style like, and how will you fit in with the company culture and the specific demands of the position on offer?
You may have all the skills required, but will the tasks of the job actually suit your style, and would you be able to maintain motivation in an unsuitable position?
Your capacity to articulate yourself well comes from knowing something about yourself. This will also enable you to formulate the right questions to ask about the position and your new workplace. Your career counsellor or other career guidance professionals can help you identify your values, attitudes, skills and abilities through simple exercises or personality assessments.
As a start, you can go through the following list of words and phrases. Write down what they mean to you and think of situations to describe them that could help an interviewer get to know you better.
Key words to define yourself
- Security
- Adventure
- Stability
- Artistic creativity
- Challenges and problems
- Helping others
- Working under pressure
- Independence
- Supervision management style
- Time freedom autonomy
- Intellectual status
- Recognition
- Helping society
- Public contact
- Influencing people
- Location
- Exercise competence
- Fast pace
- Profit/gain
- High earnings
- Power and authority
- Change and variety
Prepare a list of your achievements
Perhaps the most important exercise you can do is to prepare an extensive list of achievements. Achievements are problems you have overcome, issues you have addressed, or demands you have faced, where your action has led to the resolution of a problem or to value being added to overcome the demand or issue.
Interviewers are increasingly following a “behavioural” or “targeted selection” approach, which means that they will ask you for past examples of when you overcame problems, addressed issues, or met demands. It can be difficult to recall such achievements unless you have them at the forefront of your memory.
Important questions to bring out your accomplishments
Thinking about and writing down your achievements will enable speedier memory access during questioning, simultaneously providing evidence of your problem-solving capacity.
While workplace achievements carry more weight, your work history may not be extensive if you are a recent graduate.
Don’t forget to consider other life areas such as sports groups, community or volunteer activities, and ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I taken the initiative in confronting problems, opportunities or challenges?
- Have I developed something?
- Have I identified the need for, or created or designed a new program, procedure, service, or product?
- Have I participated in any technical contributions?
- Have I been involved in any administrative or procedural recommendations?
- Have I resolved a panic situation?
- Have I dealt with difficult people?
- Have I organised something?
Develop more achievements using the values, attitudes, skills and abilities listed above. Think about what happened as a result of your action or intervention. Revisit your achievements over time to implant them in your memory for ready recall.
How to research and prepare for your job interview
Preparation does not start the night before your job interview! You have to prepare yourself in general for your job search, and also specifically for each application. An excellent way to go about this is to remember that while you’re looking for a job, looking for a job is your job. So take your time and do it right.
Ready answers for common questions
You cannot possibly prepare for or know every question you will be asked. However, most questions will centre around common themes. You can prepare for almost any question by running through listings of interview questions, found in numerous books with titles such as The 50 Most Frequently Asked Questions. Go through these questions and think about how you would respond – perhaps with an achievement.
You should also arm yourself with questions of your own. Some suggestions can be found in our blog on How to Prepare for an Interview (with Sample Questions). Other questions can be formulated from your research. Write down these questions and take them to the interview.
Get to know your employer
You will almost certainly be asked, “Why do you want to work here? and What do you know about us?” If you cannot answer these questions, you’re in trouble. Find out as much as possible about your future employer’s market, their products, how they operate, their size, etc. Detail this information in a fact sheet on the company.
Suggested sources include websites and annual reports for public companies. The stock exchange can also provide information. Ring the company and ask for their corporate brochure. Better still, visit and ask at reception for anything you can get your hands on. Take note of their vision statement, profile, or strategic essence, sometimes on display.
The interview: tips and techniques
Being judged and assessed tends to provoke a stress response, and interviews can be stressful for many people. Unfortunately, when we become anxious, one of the first things to fail is our memory, with our thought processes not as sharp as they would otherwise be.
Trained interviewers know you may be a little nervous and will attempt to settle you with humour and some light-hearted questions to build rapport. Other interviewers may launch into the process without preamble. Once again, the better you’re prepared for the interview, the more confident you will be, reducing the chances of you fumbling on a question.
Emphasise your achievements
The workplace is full of demands, issues to address, and problems to solve. All interview questions are directly or indirectly connected to these workplace aspects. Positions become available because of current or perceived future deficits in company operations. These deficits are basically problems that need to be solved.
In a way, the interviewer is looking for someone who is a problem solver, which is why your preparation in self-assessment and identifying your past achievements is so vitally important and cannot be overemphasised.
Many interviewers will use targeted selection techniques, otherwise known as behavioural interviewing. You will be asked for evidence where you have shown certain actions in the past. This is your opportunity to recount achievements relevant to the question. Be sure to mention what the problem was, what you did, and what the outcome was. Try and avoid verbosity, keeping your answer concise and to the point.
Listen attentively and actively
Active listening refers to communication techniques that help us follow and understand each other. It is important for you to listen attentively and confirm that you are listening by using clarification.
Seeking clarification on questions you don’t understand conveys a powerful message in that you are trying to understand the role and expectations. The better your understanding of the position, the better your capacity to selectively recall and respond with relevant material, including achievements, in relation to the position’s requirements.
Another thing to note is whether you are the “interrupting type” or not. Frequent interrupting conveys that what you have to say is more important than what the interviewer is currently saying, likely causing them to become irritated and develop a less favourable perception of you.
Ask questions
Many people think they can just be a passive responder, which gives all the control to the interviewer. Even some interviewers believe that this is how they should proceed and say things like, “I’ll give you a broad overview of the position, then ask you some questions, and then I’ll give you the opportunity to ask me some questions. How’s that with you?”
Whilst you would answer in the affirmative, you should come in with your own questions as soon as possible. It is essential that you find out what needs to be done or solved. What are the main responsibilities and major tasks in the position you’re applying for? What is critical to the role, and what would you be primarily involved in? It is up to you to find out and show your interest by asking questions.
In reality, everyone at an interview is both interviewer and interviewee at the same time. You can help turn it more into a conversation and communicate your interest by asking questions. This leaves the interviewer with the impression that you’re enthusiastic and want to learn everything you can about this job. When you leave, the interviewer will think that you have a pretty good handle on the position’s requirements.
Contrast this to the passive responder, who finds out very little about the position and the company. The interviewer will be unsure whether you know what you’re getting yourself into and will be less impressed with you.
In closing the interview, asking if you have any (more) questions is common. It is quite acceptable to overtly refer to a list of questions you prepared at this time – or even during the main interview. This will show preparedness, systematic thinking and orderliness, all of which imply enthusiasm and career motivation.
Present yourself appropriately
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The reality is that first impressions are crucial in determining how well you come across throughout the interview. First impressions tend to last and are quite resilient to reality checks, so once you have been “boxed”, any subsequent information is put together according to how you were first perceived.
Presentation means dress, grooming, and how you carry yourself. Walk with confidence, shake hands firmly with eye contact and a smile. Ladies, offer your hand first. Show courtesy by sitting simultaneously, not before the interviewer. Vitality, enthusiasm, manners and style will foster the development of a positive impression.
What to wear to your interview
You should be well groomed and wear the kind of clothes most commonly worn in the job environment you wish to enter. If you are uncertain, err on the side of caution. It is better to be slightly overdressed than vice versa.
For office positions, dark suits for both men and women are appropriate, with plain clothes preferable to patterns. Men should wear a white shirt. For women, favour dark blue, black, and grey colours over brown and green, with strong colours (e.g., red) or patterns reserved for embellishment items. Shoes should always be polished.
Following up after your interview
After the interview is over, there are a few things you can do to remind the interviewer of your candidacy. Make sure you know the next step so that you can act at the appropriate time or follow up if they have not responded as agreed. Or why not continue to market yourself by sending a brief thank-you letter to show your appreciation for the interviewer’s time and confirm the outcomes of your conversation? Doing so will also show some style and may differentiate yourself with your courtesy.
Get the ball rolling with Rainy Day Recruitment
Think of Rainy Day Recruitment as your agent with services that are free to job seekers. With our strong industry connections and insights, we can open doors and increase your chances of finding the right position, including roles that may not be publicly advertised.
Contact Rainy Day Recruitment for more support and find out how we can help you land your dream job.