Interview Etiquette.

The way you act in an interview is equally important as what you say so make sure that you're on your best behavior!

As You Enter The Interview Room

It may not seem so, but try to think of your interview as a fun opportunity. Be chatty and positive. Don’t treat it as a laugh, but smile when appropriate. The interviewer may well be onto their fifth applicant of the day by the time you enter the room. If you convey the right attitude, you will be remembered as the candidate that smiles in the face of pressure.

Interviewers often make up their mind about a candidate within the first two minutes of meeting them so, with this in mind, make sure you do these three things:

• Make eye contact

• Smile – give the impression of being happy to be there

• Give a good, firm handshake.

During The Interview

When You Sit

Sit upright with your shoulders back and relax. The main thing is to be yourself and at ease. If you are comfortable, you can really listen to what the interviewers are saying, which is difficult to do when you feel overly tense.

Have A Chat

Often the questions in the first part of the interview are to find out a little more about you beyond your Resume and cover letter. Subtly extend this if you can to establish a bond.

Dish Out The Eye Contact

If there is more than one interviewer, share out your eye contact. If one interviewer seems nicer than the others, it is a natural reaction to focus on him or her. Don’t make this mistake – it is important to continue to address all of them. If one asks you a specific question, focus your attention on that person. Make sure, however, that you glance at the others to keep them involved.

If you can keep everyone involved, the interviewers will know that you have the potential to be able to chair a meeting, make a presentation or be able to perform any task where it is important to communicate with a number of people at the same time. Next time you are with three or more people, take the opportunity to tell a story. Make an effort to look at all the people listening.

Then watch as someone else is telling a story. Do they look at everyone? The chances are, if there are many people there and they only talk to one person, the others will stop listening.

Use Your Common Sense About How Long Your Answers Should Be

Interviewers tune out quite easily so keep it simple, relevant and interesting. Use hand gestures and keep your tone upbeat. If their eyes begin to glaze over then try to wind up your answer as soon as you can. It’s acceptable to ask for clarification. Some interviewers actually score people higher if they ask for a question to be clarified because it shows good listening skills. To say something like, “In other words ...” or “So you mean …”, is fine if you feel that restating it would clarify things.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Silences

You are allowed to ponder on how you would like to answer the question. Just say, “Do you mind if I think about that?”. Just don’t leave it too long.

Be Animated

Show that you are engaged when the interviewer is talking. An ability to listen well will definitely be picked up on. The interviewer is likely to share more information with you because you seem interested.

Good luck!