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LEYF’s top 10 tips to shine at your interview

Published on: 5 Jul 2016

        Careers article 1

  1.        ​Practice - think about your strengths and passions before the interview. You will have great examples of what you have done and what you want to achieve, we want to hear all about them
  2.         Prepare - start your preparations the night before. Sort out your papers and certificates, iron your clothes and make sure you do something you enjoy. We want you to enjoy the experience and not worry.
  3.         Sleep - we know it can be difficult when you’re feeling nervous about the day ahead, but make sure you get a good night’s sleep. We want you to shine at our recruitment day.
  4.         Smile - the world would be a better place if everyone smiled more, even if you are nervous (and everyone is before an interview). Smiling can help you relax too, think about things you enjoy and appreciate in life and it really will help.
  5.         Don’t rush - give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. If you’re early then you can go for a walk and relax. We know that public transport can be a nightmare and there are always delays when you have an important appointment, so if you arrive hot and sticky from the tube go into the bathroom and run some cold water over your wrists. This will really help to cool down your blood.
  6.         Wait - this is probably when you’ll feel most nervous., Avoid using this time to read the job description again, perhaps remember a really great day  you’ve had at work. Think about what made it great, and how you made it great.
  7.         Breathe - it may sound silly but people can forget to breathe properly when thee’re nervous, and the faster people breathe the more nervous they can get. So breathe in the positive and breathe out the negative. Just focusing on your breathing can calm you down.
  8.         Think - when we ask children questions we always give them time to think before they answer, so give yourself the same chance! Your interviewer is not going to expect you to answer straight away so take a few moments, and if you don’t understand the question make sure you ask for clarification.
  9.         Be brave - we all make mistakes, no one is perfect. What is important is that you can talk about how you have learnt from your mistakes as well as your successes.
  10.         Be kind - we want you to be kind to yourself; you may get the job and you may not get the job. What is important is that you tried your best, so after your interview go and do something you love (fly a kite, walk along the river or phone a good friend). Don’t dwell on what you did or didn’t say, smile because you have been the best you can be.

Ready to put your new skills into practice? See LEYF’s latest vacancies and apply to join our family https://www.leyf.org.uk/current-vacancies/