i apologise if this is a old thread... i am looking for a new job and recently had a interview- great...i did my homework on the company etc had some good questions which i wrote down, and prepared myself well (i thought),i also have 5 years experience in a similar job. So i get to the interview and went blank!!! could not remember anything kept saying "erm" "err" and repeating myself, i was dismal and was that close to getting up and walking straight out the door half way through! SUPRISINGLY i didnt get the job!!!!!

now...i have another interview for a similar position....do you think you can over prepare yourself??? and has anyone got any usefull tips i could use

by the way i am not a shy/nervous person usually and for my current position was told i did a great interview!!

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:confused:

hiya
one tip that has always worked for me - take in a folder or something. Make a note of what they are looking for in terms of experience/skills knowledge etc down one side of a sheet of paper and on the other note how you fit that criteria and examples. Doesnt have to be long just bullet points to jog your memory. If you take the papers in relating to the job too and anycertificates that they may need it wont look too obvious.

That's good advice given by redhotjo. It's also a good idea to keep a copy of your application form to jog your memory of what you put. Obviously by gaining an interview you know you've answered the criteria they've asked for, so it's just a case of backing it up. Please don't let your last experience knock your confidence. Treat it as a learning experience and not as a failure. Good luck with your next interview. Just remember to be positive and believe in yourself! All the best.

thanks for the replys will take your good advice on board

cheers:)

i know exactly how you feel, i always prepare too, but when i get in there, i develop stage fright... i have had countless interviews in the last 10 years, and iv only ever managed to get 1 job via an interview, and that wasnt particularly hard.... i always have to go with agencies as im useless at interviews. They should teach us more about things like this at school.. life skills! cause if you cant do an interview you aint gonna get a job! I have an interview with the NHS this afternoon, any particuarly hard questions they might throw at me!??

of course you can imagine the interviewer to be naked

Not sure if this will help but it has always worked for me.

When I have to go and do something where I need to project an air of confidence and not get too nervous about something I fall back on a bit of conditioning I've done in the past.

When you have a few spare minutes (it helps if you're relaxed), imagine a time when you were almost perfectly confident in your own abilities, a time where nothing could stop you.

Think about it for a few minutes and try and direct your mental state into feeling the same as you did then, one of a cool, calm collected and most importantly confident persona.

Then at the peak of this, nip the back of your leg, back of the thigh is ideal. It doesn't have to be really really hard but enough so you feel it for a bit (half a minute).

A day later, do the same thing, and keep doing this for a week. After that, when you have something you know you need to be confident for, do all your preparation and work yourself into that state during prep, along with the obligatory nip.

This is all creating a conditioned response of confidence. When you nip yourself your body almost reverts into the times you best coped with being nipped (the times youve been very confident).

Do that just before the interview and you end up a lot more confident, well it's worked for me when I've done it.

It works for public speaking, presentations, everything.

Wilf

The toughest parts of an interview are where you are asked to run through your CV or to explain why you think you are suitable for the role.

Either question is so vague that it difficult to know what the appropriate answer should be.

The best advise I was given with respect to interviews was to learn by heart a short (60-90 second) statement which quickly runs through your experiences achievements and skills.

This statement will not change until you leave your next job and it will be something to fall back on if you lose your way during an interview.

When in difficulty, do what the politicians do and answer the question that you wanted the interviewer to ask, instead of the one they did.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

...just deleted this...

Having worked as a recruiter for 5 years I can say there is no such thing as being too prepared for an interview - I've never heard any interviewer say "he's not getting the job, he was far too prepared"! Surprisingly (considering my field of work) I used to be terrible at interviews but getting into this field has really helped me. You might find the following useful (BTW - the advice above and the example questions are excellent and are often favourites of interviewers, so are well worth preparing answers for):

- Look at the job description and person specification for the job you are being interviewed for and try to think of a set of questions you would ask if you were interviewing for that job and then practice your answers. It sounds obvious but think about what experience you already have that is similar to the job you are going for. Perhaps more importantly (especially when it is a new field of work or a promotion where your current experience doesn't so closely match the prospective job) look at the skills they want from the postholder and think of at least 2 examples of your past behaviour when you have displayed these skills. Remember that the examples don't all have to be from a work setting.

- Get a friend to help you practice. There's nothing wrong with doing a mock interview with a friend or relative, even if they are the questions you have come up with, it still provides valuable extra practice, specifically without any written notes in front of you, and you can get their feedback.

- Make yourself a set of notes outlining your key skills and experience that are important for the job you are going for, then read the notes again and again and again! The more you read them the more ingrained they will be in your mind and the less likely you'll be stumped in the interview.

If during the interview you do find you are stumped then try the following:

- Always ask for a glass of water prior to the interview. You can spend a few moments taking a sip after they have asked a question so that you can have a think.
- Don't be afraid to ask them to re-phrase the question, sometimes it's just not a well-written question and it's not immediately obvious what they want to find out.
- If you are still stumped then don't be afraid to ask to go back to that question later, a good interviewer will not hold this against you and it will give you more time to think.

Finally remember that interviews are not there to catch you out. Everyone gets nervous at interviews and interviewers expect this. They will not mark you down just because you asked for time to think on a question, or because they needed to probe you for more detailed answers. They are interested in what you can do, not how accomplished an interviewee you are.