10 Essential Interview Tips for job seekers

It’s week 4 of the Job Mail #jobmailtipoftheday campaign and the topic for this week was Interview Tips. Over the last few days we have been posting tips on our social networks to give you the right tools to ace your next interview.

In case you missed some or all of these updates, here are 10 Essential Interview Tips.

1.  Be honest and truthful during your interview. Lying in an interview will have the same result as lying on your CV – it will always come back to haunt you, just like karma.

2. Giggling, swearing and all-round unprofessionalism during an interview should  be avoided. Remind yourself that you’re not speaking to one of your friends in your local pub, you’re selling yourself to a potential employer.

3. Make eye contact and remember your body language. Never show your desperation, interviewers can smell it a mile away. Remind yourself that you’re worthy, motivate yourself and maintain confidence.

Young man have job interview.

4. Calm your nerves after the interview – not before. Refrain from smoking or drinking alcohol before your interview to calm your nerves. Smelling like a shebeen while you’re being interviewed will not impress your potential employer.

5.  Use power statements / phrases or words to keep you top of mind and to spark interest from your potential employer. Try not to be generic. Instead of saying something like “I’m a loyal hard worker” say “I’ve put in long hours and dedication and I’ve achieved amazing results”. Don’t bore the interviewer to death, keep it professional and keep them interested in you.

6. Your handshake is your calling card, so be firm, shake your potential employer’s hand and make eye contact before the interview. Keep the shaking, rattling and rolling for when you’re listening to Elvis or attempting to do cross-fit.

7. When doing a Skype interview with a potential employer, remember that it’s not about being as sexy as you can be. Don’t lie on your bed while you’re doing the interview. Dress neatly and sit up straight. Be aware of the backdrop. So guys, keep bikini poster against the wall out of the potential employer’s sight.

8. When you get called for a telephonic interview, move to a quiet area, so you can hear what they’re saying and you don’t need to ask them to repeat themselves. Remember that the interviewer does not want to compete with your radio.

9. Telephonic interviews are usually short and to the point and serve as the employer’s initial contact with you. Take advantage of this to make a great first impression. Refrain from asking about salary and leave during a telephonic interview. Leave those questions for the second interview instead.

10. Avoid being late for the interview. It’s a good idea to call the company / recruiter to confirm the the time, person you should be meeting with and the venue of the interview on the morning of the interview.

Well, there you have it, 10 Essential Tips that you should help you to ace your next interview. If you have any other tips that you feel should be added to this article, feel free to leave a comment. If you’ve found this information useful, feel free to share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is caring. You could be the reason that your friend aces their next interview.

Not registered as a job seeker on Job Mail yet? Upload your CVbrowse for jobs and apply for them NOW! You may just find the position you’ve been looking for. If you have any queries about the registration process or experiencing technical issues with our website, feel free to e-mail our Webmaster via jobmaster@jobmail.co.za.

Watch this space for more more updates for job seekers on the Job Mail Blog.

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29 Responses

  1. nkosinathi zincume says:

    Can u move or use your hands when responding to questions during an interview?Can u ask questions back?

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Yes, body language is very important in an interview. You can use your hands but try not to overdo things. It is also important to ask questions to show interest in the position and company. Read our blog as we have have some great tips on this subject.

  2. Mayisela says:

    Avoid chewing gum during an interview. Do not forget to make a research abowt the company as well as the poisition which you will be interviewed for.

  3. Selby says:

    When being interviewed which questions make the interviewer see that you are interested but not desperate?

  4. Sifiso says:

    Hi I just want to ask that can one apply for a job which requires S4 whilst having N6? If not why because both S and N gives a diploma at the end and both people will write a GCC. I really need this help, thank you.

  5. Nkosinathi says:

    I just want to know where to start or how to answer when the question comes as “who are you or tell us more about yourself”

  6. khanyisa says:

    hi ther, i dont have higher education but i have more than 10 yrs experience work, any chance to get another job?

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Thank you for your feedback. If you have not registered your CV on Job Mail yet, then follow this link: http://goo.gl/ecfJ1h (on your mobile phone). Then look for Jobs that you need at http://goo.gl/9T1jI1 (on your mobile phone) or http://goo.gl/DJY8u3 (on your PC) and apply for them. Search for “Gardener”, “Cashier” “Driver”, “Internship”, “Learnership” (or any other keyword) to find relevant jobs on Job Mail. Hope you find the job that you need soon. E-mail us via signmeup@jobmail.co.za

      • Oscar says:

        1)To leave the previous company because you get better offer is it giving more chance to get job on the interview or not because they pick from the CV that you been changing companies maybe more than 10 times. 2) If they ask something about job which I doesn’t know / understand is it’s it ryt to tell them the truth that you don’t have an Experience on that?

        • Henno Kruger says:

          Hi Oscar – Be truthful, always. Try to do in depth research about the company before you go for the interview. Find out what they do and what will be expected of you. Do research about the tasks that you don’t know how to do, that way you could say that you have not done it before, but you have researched the required task and you are willing to learn. Hope this helps.

  7. Ntombi says:

    Hi im ntombi,is it a real job that advertise by writting sms your name,surname and age to book your interview?are really interview booked?

  8. lebo says:

    Hi I find your tips very useful thank you for helping us to catch cotential employers

  9. Euclif says:

    Hi i just want to ask about learnership, how can I get a learnership so please u can help to find it

  10. Jaquqline says:

    Hi,I’m a undergratuate student doing specialist in human resourse management,I’m on my second level but I also need a job to cover my studies.can I be able to do so on job mail?

  11. azola says:

    Hi, I just want to ask, what kind of questions I can ask the interviewer.

  12. Klaas says:

    I told the interviewer my contract ended and when they do reference check they told them that i resigned will that affect my chances?

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Hi Klaas – It might, you should always be honest but be clever about it. Instead of saying “I resigned” say something like “I found a better opportunity and I accepted the offer I received” or something in that line.

  13. Mbongeni says:

    Hi webmaster I would like to ask if its a disadvantage to study and graduate for MARKETING /SALES job if you have disability since those jobs require mostly appearance

    Another thing is do you have jobs for people living with disability?

    • Henno Kruger says:

      Hi Mbongeni – You most likely need to graduate, but there are jobs that you can do without obtaining a degree in Sales. Yes, there are positions listed persons with disabilities, they get posted regularly by recruiters.

  14. Arnika Joshi says:

    I think this information is awesome! I would like to know more on this.

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