1. Research
"Very few people walk into an interview 100% confident, and even less people enjoy them. As long as you believe in yourself and your skills, know the job description inside out, and you've done your research about the company – you have a very good starting point before you enter the interview."
Katie Stewart, South Africa Project Officer
2. Remember Your Application Form
"When preparing for your interview, go over your application form and think about what questions could come up from there – what skills and experience have you already told them about? Which parts could they pick up on?"
Oliver Worsdall, Executive Assistant
3. Know The Company
"Make sure that you research the company that you're applying for. If they have any values that they adhere to, then use them in your answer to show the interviewer that you would fit into their organisation."
James Tilston, Volunteer Recruitment Manager
4. Prepare
"Think about scenario questions you could be asked that are relevant to the job description and prepare your answers so you're not completely caught on the spot!"
Anna Graham, South Africa Project Manager
5. Body Language - Build Your Confidence
"I get really nervous before interviews and public speaking. The best advice I could give is to 'make yourself big' – use your body language to make yourself look more confident and take up more space – stand tall, sit up straight, open your chest etc. Positive body language makes you appear more confident even if you don't feel it."
Maddie Thomas, East Africa Communications Officer
6. Be Honest
"Think about why you want to go on project before the interview, and be honest about your concerns, excitement, experiences and weaknesses."
Chuan Ling, University Coordinator
7. Group Assessments
"Remember body language. Sit up, look professional, be open and willing to listen to others rather than slouched with your arms folded. It makes such a difference. Also make sure you listen to other people's opinions as much as putting your own forward. Encourage people to speak up and ask their opinion in a group interview, it looks good and you never know, they could say something that spurs on a brilliant idea from you!"
Rachel Frodsham, UK Communications Officer
8. Be Direct & Concise
"When answering interview questions, think about answering them using the CAR technique:
C – Context: describe the issue, programme or event.
A – Action: what did you do.
R – Result, what was the outcome of what you did.
Too many people lack focus on the context part and don't directly answer the question or say what they actually did and the result of their action."
Shona Ellis, Head of Volunteer Management
9. Focus On Your Wording
"Always sound active rather than passive. Don't say 'my manager asked me to', instead word it as 'I volunteered/offered to lead X'. Don't say 'I realised this wasn't working', but 'I researched the issue and identified X wasn't giving strong results so…'"
Steph Moor, Head of PR and Communications
10. Put Yourself In The Spotlight
"Make it clear in any example you give in an interview what your role was and explain what you actively did – i.e. 'I identified that X wasn't happening so I suggested we do Y and I did this by Z'. Otherwise it can come across as vague, and what you're telling may appear to be an anecdote rather than a tangible example."
Charlie Whale, South Africa Project Coordinator 2011
11. Pause
"Don't be afraid to pause before answering a question if you need a few seconds to think about it – there is nothing wrong with looking like you're thinking about your answer, and it's much better than just diving in and giving a confused or badly structured response. Don't worry if you need to ask the interviewer to repeat the question. They aren't there to trick you, they want you to answer well just as much as you do!"
Stefan Witek-McManus, Head of Finance
12. Smile
"It sounds silly but smile! It will relax yourself and when you speak you'll sound warmer as well as appearing confident and approachable."
Anna Graham, South Africa Project Manager
13. It's Not All About You!
"Don't forget it's an exchange. You are being interviewed but just as the interviewer is trying you on for size, you also need to feel confident in the people interviewing you. So, ask questions and engage. Don't just list things about yourself."
Charlie Whale, South Africa Project Coordinator 2011
14. Ask Questions - Show Your Passion
"Always ask questions about the role or organisation at the end of the interview to show you are interested and passionate."
Kate Varley, Executive Director
15. Don't Dwell On It
"Don't keep going over your answers after the interview thinking about your mistakes. It's done, you can't change it, and you will probably only focus on the negatives rather than the positives. Put it to the back of your mind until they get back to you."
Micaela Linnane, East Africa Communications Officer
GOOD LUCK!
Good luck if you have an interview with us this weekend! If you haven't applied already, we have opened up applications for our 2nd round of recruitment - take a look at our application form and how to apply here http://tenteleni.org/blog/2015-applications-now-open-0
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