Interview Technique

If you want to increase your salary, then you may need a new job. And to get that better salary, you may need better interview technique.

The best way to develop a good interview technique is through practice.

Ask a friend to pretend to be an interviewer, and ask you a list of questions. Treat the situation like a real life interview. Analyse your responses - what you could have done better, and what went well.

Also consider videoing your mock interview - it might be uncomfortable, but far better to work out what could go wrong before the real thing. Look for defensive body language, hesitation, gobbling your words and inability to express your ideas. Do you need to slow down or speed up?

You are your best judge in some ways - if you were the interviewer, would your answers have been what you were after. If not, why not.

The golden rule of interviews is to use good examples. Remember, be specific, and talk about what you have done - talk about 'I' and not 'my team' - you are being recruited, not your previous teams!

Remember, practice makes perfect, and over time you will develop a style that works well for you.

Interview Preparation: Help

It is well worth considering paid help when it comes to interview techniques and training. Whilst most people think this surely can't be the case, the logic is sound.

Let's say it costs you £1,500 for help with a job search campaign, and expert advice on your interview technique, how you position yourself, your CVs and answers and so forth. Now, let's say this all gives you a 50% better chance of getting the job you want.

Now, that job is very likely to pay you at least £1,500 more per year than your current job (in many cases thousands and thousands more) so it can be seen that coaching can, over a 25 year career, help you earn tens and tens of thousands pounds more money, against which the initial outlay would appear a very sound investment.