Practice

The third aspect of convincing an interviewer that you’re the best
person for the job is practice. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts
to developing great interview skills. Once you’ve prepared your
answers, you need to sit down and practise them as much as you
can. The more you practise, the better you’ll be. As the old saying
goes, ‘success is one part talent and nine parts perseverance’. How
you practise is up to you. Do it in front of the mirror, sitting on
your couch, pacing your room or while driving your car—but avoid
practising in front of your boss!

Practising your answers aloud

It is important to practise your answers aloud, rather than just
mentally rehearsing them. That’s because the human brain
distinguishes between talking and thinking and you need to stimulate
the talking part of your brain. Thinking your answers at an interview
will get you nowhere, unless the interviewer is a mind reader.

Get some feedback

Ideally, you should do your practising at real interviews. The more
interviews you attend, the better—even if you have to attend interviews
for jobs that you’re not really interested in. After the
interview—assuming you’re not the winning candidate—ring back
the interviewer and ask for feedback on your performance. Some
interviewers are happy to provide this feedback; however, many
prefer not to because they find it threatening and a waste of their
time. These people will either avoid you altogether or provide you
with such watered-down feedback that it will be virtually useless.
convincing them you’re right for the job 17
In some instances you may not be able to resolve this problem;
however, you can increase your chances of getting honest feedback
by making interviewers feel as comfortable as possible. You can do
this by a) assuring them that you only want five minutes of their
time; and b) telling them that the only reason you’re seeking feedback
is to improve future interview performance.

Mock interviews

If you cannot get yourself to as many interviews as you would like,
it’s a good idea to set up mock interviews with someone you can
work with. The more closely you can simulate a real-life situation,
more benefit you will derive. An effective way to conduct mock
interviews is to get into role and stay in it for the entire interview.
No distractions, no small talk and especially no starting again. If
possible, avoid providing the questions to your helpers—let them
come up with their own. If your helpers are not in a position to do
this, give them lots of questions and ask them to choose the ones
they want. The important thing for you is to get yourself used to
answering unexpected questions. Furthermore, if you feel your helper
can provide you with honest feedback on your performance, do not
shy away from asking. You never know what you may learn. Often
it’s the small things that make a big difference. But be on your guard
for overly positive feedback. Chances are that your helper will be a
friend, and friends are well known for avoiding negatives.