7 tips for a successful interview

1. Invest in your preparation

Do the necessary research before the interview. You’ll often be asked: “What do you already know about us?” Candidates who have taken the time to prepare can really set themselves apart from those who haven’t.

The company’s website is the most valuable source of information here. Go through key details such as the annual accounts, current vacancies and the latest news items.

Also take a look at the LinkedIn profile of the person you’re going to meet. You might find some common ground that you can mention during the interview. It’ll also help you gauge the person you’ll be meeting and know what to expect.

2. Go through the job description

To ensure a successful project intake, the bulk of the work lies in the preparation. Going through the job description is also a key part of this. Look at the task description in the vacancy and try to come up with a specific example for each task.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person interviewing you. They’re looking for specific experience, so play to that to win them over. It’s often not necessary to go through your entire CV.

3. First impressions count

Did you know that the first 90 seconds account for 90 per cent of the success of your job interview?

So it’s certainly not unimportant, but fortunately there are some very simple ways to tackle this. The basis of any conversation is smiling and making eye contact . After all, someone who is greeted with a smile is more likely to smile back. Ultimately, this ensures that you not only make a good impression, but also feel a bit more at ease straight away.

Job interviews are increasingly taking place remotely. Making a good impression via Zoom or Teams requires a different approach to a face-to-face interview. Make sure your webcam is positioned correctly and that you’re standing directly in front of it. Also, ensure you always have a neutral background; otherwise, it may be a distraction during the interview.

4. Use the STAR method

Using the STAR method is the ideal way to explain your experience concisely. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result.

• Describe the Situation
• Explain the Task you had to carry out
• Describe the specific Actions you took to carry out the task
• Conclude by sharing the Result of your efforts

This method will help you to provide concrete and concise examples during the interview.

5. Be open about your feelings

As well as having the right experience and qualifications, the person interviewing you is often looking for a connection with the person sitting opposite them.

So make sure you come across as enthusiastic . You can do this simply by expressing your enthusiasm in a few sentences throughout the interview, such as ‘This really excites me’ or ‘I really enjoyed doing this’.

6. Ask the right questions

And don’t wait until the end of the interview to do this. Try to ask a few questions here and there.

Refer back to information you found whilst preparing. “What has contributed to 10 per cent annual growth over the past three years?” and “What impact has recent legislation had on your operations?” Or get the conversation going again by asking questions such as: “Do you have any questions about that?” or “Is that something you’ve noticed you need?”

It’s best to save evaluative questions until the end of the conversation:

“Everything is clear to me, but are there any points that still cause you uncertainty?” or “What did you think of the interview we’ve had?”

To round off, it’s best to ask briefly about the next steps in the recruitment process. This will also give you an idea of when you might receive feedback.

7. Make sure you stay in touch

After the interview, thank them once again for their time by sending a polite and concluding email. And reiterate your interest.

A strong interview therefore starts with good preparation, but ends with the right match.
At Hyphen, we look beyond your CV and seek out roles that truly match your expertise, ambitions and way of working in both finance and legal.