Do:

• Be on time
• Greet your interviewer standing, with a firm handshake and a smile.
• Have an easy topic of non-work conversation ready as an ice-breaker
• Sit up straight with both feet on the floor
• Speak clearly and confidently
• Try to maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout
• Ask questions throughout the interview if possible
• Be familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it.
• Ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and thought of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer
• LISTEN to what is being asked of you. Think about your answers to more difficult questions and do not give irrelevant detail
• Give positive examples from your experience to date but be concise. Avoid one word answers however
• Prepare yourself in advance for likely questions (see next section for common interview questions).
• Be ready to ask questions that you have prepared beforehand. This can demonstrate you have thought about the role and done some research on the organisation. Ensure they are open (rather than requiring a simple yes of no answer), thus encouraging the interviewer to provide you with additional information
• Show your enthusiasm for the role, even if you have some reservations. These can be discussed at a later stage
• Do keep the information positive - don’t give bad news unprompted
• Come prepared with a list of questions to ask.

Don't:

• Interrupt the interviewer
• Answer a question with a question
• Talk about personality clashes
• Give clipped answers or answer questions with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’- always back up answers with examples
• Waffle
• Breach confidentiality
• Be the first person to bring up the subject of salary
• Condemn your current / previous employer