Remember, the interview begins as soon as you leave the house, so be ready. Make sure you look professional and neat, and of course, you’re going to look stunningly gorgeous – that’s a given. The interview starts long before you shake hands and sit down around the table so treat everyone you meet as your interviewer. Be incredibly kind and respectful to everyone you interact with during the interview process including receptionists and anyone you might be in charge of if you crush this interview.
1. First Impressions
Make sure you look pristine and get your nails perfect for that first handshake! A Shellac manicure is the best assurance that your nails will be looking perfect. It looks pretty rubbish if your outfit is perfect but your manicure is chipped – Shellac will stay perfect for up to 4 weeks so we’ve got you covered. Book your pre-big-interview session with us! https://trieunails.com/book/
2. Talk Yourself Up
You are confident, you are a boss girl. You’ve got this. If you’re nervous come up with a little self-confidence mantra to repeat to yourself on your way to the interview. Having a little self-love mantra will stop you from getting too freaked out and messing up. Just remember, you are in control and you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
3. Dress Like a Queen
Wear something you’re comfortable in… This is so important! It is NOT a good look being sat there fidgeting with a skirt that is super smart but doesn’t quite fit you right. Don’t go overly sexy for the sake of it, it’s important that you are taken seriously from the get-go, however, if your normal style is pretty sexy then I’d say stick with it – if you go to the interview dressed extremely modestly then turn up to work looking like a snack it is going to attract the wrong kind of attention. Be true to yourself, but don’t sell yourself short. Here’s a Pinterest board of our favourite interview looks.be confident, you are a boss
4. Be Kind
A little thoughtfulness and politeness can go a long way for making a good impression. As I said earlier, it’s really essential to treat everyone you come across with kindness and respect. Do it, and likely you’ll be treated the same.
5. Arrive Early
10 minutes is the right amount of time to get settled, hopefully, they’ll offer you a coffee or tea, and you’ll have time to compose yourself. But give yourself more than 10 minutes, allow for a little travel lee-way, delayed trains and traffic are not your friends. However, if you turn up for your interview more than 10 minutes early you’re going to look like a bit of a mad person.
6. Let Your Personality Shine Through
Don’t try to hide who you are. Be yourself and if they don’t like it, well that’s a good indicator that you wouldn’t have been happy working for them anyway! The interviewing process is just as important for you as it is for the interviewer. You get to suss out whether you want to work in this new environment, and they decide whether you’re suitable for the role.
7. Prep Small Talk
So this may seem a little overkill, but I think it’s really useful to have some talking points ready for moments where small talk is relevant. When your interviewer meets you at reception and you have a 5 storey elevator journey before you get to the interview room, it’s handy to have something interesting and not too heavy to chat about. I would say it’s probably good to avoid politics and religion at a first meeting. Good small talk can be as simple as you asking interesting questions, “How long have you been with the company?”, “Have you always lived in London?” – generally people enjoy talking about themselves so give them a starting point.
8. Be Honest
No seriously, not even little white lies slightly stretching the truth. Don’t lie about being fluent in Spanish when you only know “no, hablo español”, nothing is more certain to land you in hot water in the future and make your work life super difficult. Not to mention that any truth-stretching is only going to make you more nervous, being calm and collected is the key to success.
9. Open Body Language
Okay, I know you’re nervous and so you want to curl up into a little protective ball, but you need to project confidence even if you aren’t really feeling it. Stand or sit up straight, pull your shoulders back, chin up, and centre yourself. Try to position yourself so that your shoulders are squared towards your interviewer and never hunch. Here’s a link to a guide just on this seemingly insignificant part of the interview. https://www.totaljobs.com/advice/interview-body-language
10. It’s Not the End of The World
If you’re too nervous that’s gonna throw you off your game. Relax. Even if it seems like the perfect job it is not the end of the world if you don’t get it, other opportunities will come around. Don’t build up your expectations too much, being calm and assured is going to make you look much more appealing to a potential employer anyway.
11. Smile!
Make sure you try to smile, it is the best way to connect with your interviewer. When you first meet them, smile when you shake their hand. Make eye-contact and smile when you thank them for holding a door open for you. And finally, when the interview is over, shake hands once again, smile and thank them by name (if you can remember it!).
Now get out there and slay that interview! You’re going to have your dream job in no time – good luck, and remember us! If you want some extra-special interview-crushing Shellac acrylics, then come on down and see us on Roman Road, we are open 1pm to 10pm on weekdays and midday to 7pm at the weekend. It’s important you look the best, so treat yourself!