Candidates - How to Impress at the 1st Interview

It's a fact of life that it's not always the best candidate that gets the job...it's the candidate that comes across the best! If you are not comfortable selling yourself, you may not land the job you deserve.

The good news is that Gregory Martin Search are here to help. We will pass on our experience gained from conducting hundreds of interviews, and help you to understand the core key interview principles as you prepare.

* You'll rarely be appointed on just one interview. However, most interviewers will often have a front runner after the 1st meeting.

* The interview officially starts when you walk into the building, first impressions are lasting, so treat the most junior person you meet with the same respect as the interviewer.

* Interviewers don't like making selection mistakes, so will often take the candidate who is less risky. Your job is to help the interviewer remove that risk.

* Interview questions are rarely that different from interview to interview. With some preparation, you can anticipate the likely questions and so know how best to respond.

* Interviewers will only ever ask 3 questions (called super questions), if you know what these are, you can anticipate most questions in advance.

* Excellent interview preparation is the No1 reason for interview success (you gov report 2008).

* Knowing your CV is vital and be prepared to explain all the gaps and moves (or lack of moves) in your CV.

* Fully understand the full scope of the Job Description for the role you're being interviewed for.

* Don't wait for the interview to find out things about the role and organisation. You're supposed to know...no excuses for not doing proper research!

* If you haven't had a recent interview, get some practice in. Some of the best candidates are the poorest at being interviewed.

* Talk to a Gregory Martin Coach and ask for professional advice.

Try to avoid paying fees to one of the many Interview Consultants. Some are very good, but most only know the theory and are not qualified professionals, or trained to coach. All registered Gregory Martin Search candidates receive free interview support from qualified Coaches as part of our free career coaching service.

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