Having being the interviewer in the last few years of my life- here are some tips I would give:
- Be on time. Be super on time. Note that some places have heavy security, so there could be a sign in process. This is key for the next point.
- The interview starts at the handshake, and specifically the questions that surround the greetings. For example - One question I always like to ask is "Did you have any difficulties finding the place"... if they were late (see point 1) and reply "No it was easy.." - for me the interview is virtually over. You found it easy to get here, but you were still late? Alarm bells are ringing.
- When it comes to answer questions - there are multiple pillars or strategies for this (STAR etc). Ill leave you to research
- One thing I will add - when giving your answers - DO NOT BE A VOID FILLER. A void filler is someone who speaks for the sake of speaking. If you have answered the question, leave it. Speaking for the sake of speaking shows nervousness, and signs for being a "bee in every bonnet" type of persona. Silence in an interview is not a bad thing.
- I don't personally care if you take time to answer a question, as long as you answer it.
- Expect to be probed on your answers, if they do not fit the questions correctly, or it is believed there is critical information missing.
- Don't be generic with your answers. Give specific moments of your experience, where you utilized or completed a task that would fit with the question being asked. DO NOT USE HYPOTHETICALS. "I would do this, this is how I would approach that situation",
Just to share with you an interview that happened about 2 years ago. The person was late, by about 15 minutes. No apology. Had no issues finding the place. Security passed her through within a few minutes, so they were not the reason for the delay. She interviewed fantastically, but the fact she was late was eating at me. So, in a very unprecedented fashion, we took it to a second interview - with a twist. There actually was no second interview, although we told her there was.
All she had to do was show up on time, and we would give her the job, no second interview required..... She was 20 minutes late this time.
Met her at reception, said this was actually a test. You interviewed well, but we cannot have people late time and time again, given the nature of work.