If you are in the middle of the job-hunting process you will know all about the white-knuckle experience of sitting through recruitment interviews. At their worst, job interviews can be the stuff of nightmares, much like an endurance sport or a torture-filled Japanese game show- if you don’t do things in the right way.

That said, if you prepare correctly and follow a few simple rules, you can improve your prospects of success enormously. Read on for the six most important things you can do to impress at a recruitment interview…

Get the basics right 

Turning up on time in the right place and knowing exactly which role you are interviewing for is obviously a non-negotiable pre-requisite. Don’t be one of those candidates who has the terrifying, dawning realisation that they have no idea what the position is, or what the company do. One of the best ways of avoiding such cock-ups is to be super organised, develop an OCD approach to tracking multiple applications and find a great recruitment agency who can supply you with relevant leads, helpful feedback and lots of jobs to go at. Find job-seeking support in the London area from a Brentwood recruitment agency that’s making a mark in the jobs sector. Active Recruit are a boutique agency small enough for you to be treated like a human being not a job reference number, but big enough to mix it up on the main stage with the major players. Covering the London area and beyond, for a Brentwood recruitment agency that works hard for you, Active Recruit are worth checking out.

Research is king 

Nothing impresses interviewers more than a candidate who can talk confidently about their company. If you have done your research and can talk intelligently about recent company initiatives, acquisitions, developments etc, you will be viewed as someone who’s seriously interested and committed to the idea of securing a position with them. Research online, ask your recruitment consultant about any insider titbits that might be helpful, read the business pages of newspapers. When you give the impression you are engaged, rather than bewildered, prepare to suck up all the positive energy that comes back at you. 

Fit the job description

Well before interview day, study the job description long and hard. Make sure you can produce a personal example that meets all criteria stipulated, and if there are any holes in your suitability, prepare back-up answers to charm them with.

Look the part (whatever that is)

In recruitment situations first impressions can be critical. Get the basics right, obviously, be clean, don’t smell bad, brush your teeth and make sure your fingernails are clean. There’s a well known saying in recruitment circles about dressing for the job you want, not the one you have. So, if you want to be the next CEO, wear your sharpest suit, crispest shirt and go in there looking like you mean it. If you have an eye on a creative post where quirky spectacles, hipster beards and drainpipe trousers will make you fit right in – then present yourself accordingly. 

Train hard

Start getting fit for those awkward interviewers with some boot-camp training questions. Practice over and over the most difficult and brain-frying questions you can imagine. The internet is a great source for such painful material. You will find tutorials on how to answer difficult questions, translating positives into negatives, anticipating directions of enquiry and how to steer questioning, too. Recruitment interviews are not meant to be easy, there will be questions in there designed to make you squirm. Employers want to know if you can think on your feet, develop arguments and defend your position – and if you can avoid getting tied up in knots with a little prep beforehand – why wouldn’t you do it?

Relax, dammit!

Maybe a little too counter intuitive, but if you can try and relax in interviews, you will perform better. A racing pulse, dry mouth and leaden stomach is all too familiar to the job interviewee under fire. But if you try a few relaxation techniques beforehand your outcomes may improve. If practical, try walking to your interview appointment – a little light exercise always helps to calm you down. Deep breathing techniques can be helpful as can stretching exercises to release tension. Before you go in, remind yourself of all the reasons you are the best candidate for the position.

Job interviews are never going to be a walk in the park, but if you follow these six rules for making a good impression, hopefully you won’t have to endure too many…