(00:00): Hello and welcome to the Merlin English Afterthoughts. Throughout this series we'll be looking back at previous audio blogs and discussing them in a bit more detail.

(00:10): Today we'll be looking at episode number 8, the advanced audio blog titled The Ultimate Guide to Job Interviews.

(00:18): As usual then, I'm here at www.merlinenglish.co.uk/members, where we have this episode's full webpage along with the transcription and additional resources.

(00:30): We can see then that this audio blog is set up a little bit differently to the previous audio blogs.

(00:37): Here we give five tips for you to use when attending your next job interview, which will hopefully give you the best chances of getting the results that you please.

(00:49): Today we're going to be looking through these five different tips and trying to add on a bit more information where we can. Let's make a start then by looking at tip number one.

(00:58): So tip number one is all about researching the company and the job. Now, naturally job interviews are quite scary, they are quite daunting.

(01:08): And this is because it is not very normal for us to be in that situation where we are sat across from people being judged.

(01:15): We're having to try and sell ourselves, trying to prove ourselves worthy. So of course, job interviews are always going to feel somewhat uncomfortable.

(01:24): A way that we can try to reduce that uncomfortability would be through research, researching the company, researching the job and understanding what to expect once you're there in that environment.

(01:37): Now, a few places that we've mentioned to do that in the article is on their social media channels, on their website, maybe by, if it's a big company, any press releases or any news articles that have been written about them.

(01:50): By getting up to date with what is going on with that company, we can not only get better understanding of what to expect when we're there, but we can also consider if this is actually a company that we do want to be a part of, a company which does align with our values.

(02:07): So understanding the job description as well is something very important is not uncommon for people to start a job and then realise that the job they have signed up for has nothing to do with what they want to do or with what they have experience in doing.

(02:23): So by thoroughly checking, checking the company's website, the mission statements, the job descriptions, we can get a better understanding of the role that we're interviewing for and therefore feel somewhat at ease when in that environment.

(02:36): A big advantage of that is that when we are there in the interview this is going to come across like we are generally a big a big advantage of doing this research as well is that we're going to come across a bit more genuine in the interview. When we say across the table and the interviewer can obviously see that you've done your homework that you know about the company.

(02:50): It makes it seems that you do have an actual interest and not just applying for every job that you've came across.

(02:56): Tip number two then, we speak about preparing for common interview questions. Now, as we mentioned, of course, every interview is different and interviews can vary greatly depending on the industry or the job that you're applying for.

(03:10): However, generally, speaking, there are going to be common interview questions that do come up often. These are going to be questions about your personality, your work style, your job history, and by having answers prepared for these, we are going to feel a lot more at ease when they come up.

(03:27): Now, as far as practising and preparing for questions, you can practise with friends, with family members, even in the mirror.

(03:34): Just getting used to repeating these answers loosely is going to really put you at ease when they do come up.

(03:41): An example of a very common interview question that people do get asked is, what are your weaknesses? And this is an example of a question which really is a bit of a trick.

(03:51): In interviews, of course, we are trying to sell ourselves, we are trying to present the best version of ourselves. So to go in there and talk about the things which we do badly to talk about our negative traits or qualities is something that we perhaps want to try and avoid.

(04:06): So a way around that is to try and put a positive spin on your answer. An interviewer asks you what are your weaknesses. You could reply that you are perhaps a perfectionist. Now this means of course that you do pay attention to detail.

(04:22): However, you could talk about how tasks take longer than you would like. Now for an interviewer somebody saying they are a perfectionist is obviously going to be much more preferable to somebody saying that they are lazy or that they have trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

(04:38): And then once we've given our answer, we want to talk about how we are trying to change that, how we are trying to adjust. So you can say I'm a perfectionist, I do tend to take longer on tasks than I would like to, however by setting deadlines I am trying to overcome that and I'm trying to combat that type of perfectionism.

(04:58): And there your interviewer has seen you can identify weaknesses, weakness which is ready a good weakness, and that you are taking steps to overcome this. That's going to be an answer to the interviewer which he takes more of a positive, he or she takes away more of a positive view.

(05:16): Than if you were to just outright say the things which you are bad at or your actual weaknesses. Now, as we did, now, as we did mention in the audio blog, it is important to try and stay away from, you know, memorising and learning answers off by heart.

(05:31): It's gonna come across. A bit strange and a bit unusual if you are just sat there reciting an answer that you had previously written down.

(05:38): We want to have rough ideas, loose outlines for the answers that we're gonna give, but we do not want to be rehearsing and reciting answers word for word.

(05:48): This is gonna come across quite unusual. So prepare for answers, practise with friends, family or in the mirror, and yeah, try and turn negatives into a positive.

(05:59): Provide examples for your answers, provide experience of experiences of situations for your answers and do your best to try and present yourself in the best light possible.

(06:11): For tip number three then, we speak about dressing appropriately. And arriving on time. Of course, you want to look the part. First impressions do matter. First impressions do count. So by dressing appropriately, this is already going to put you up on the right foot before you even say anything to anyone.

(06:31): Now there have been psychological studies done on something called the Similarity Attraction Principle and this is a study which basically explains that we are more likely to be attracted to, we're more likely to get along with people that look like us. Now this could be in a variety of factors, but one way we could apply this is the way people dress.

(06:55): Now if somebody is wearing similar clothes to you, then on a subconscious level you're perhaps going to feel more comfortable around that person because there is something to relate to, you feel like you are more similar to that person.

(07:08): So by researching a company's dress code, by perhaps going and seeing what employees are wearing as they come in and out of the office, you can get a better type of idea of the clothes that you should wear.

(07:20): If you walk into an interview, looking like someone who works at the job, instantly that interviewer is going to be able to envision you working at that company. They’re going to be able to relate to you and see you in that position. And that’s going to put you off on the right foot. Especially if you compare that to someone who comes in dressed and looking like someone who completely does not fit in.

(07:44): We also talk about punctuality here, of course this should go without saying. Arrive on time for your interview. If you cannot even make it on the one day you have an interview then people will obviously assume that you will be late every day or this is something that you struggle with.

(08:00): Punctuality is very important and if for some reason you cannot make it, phone ahead, let them know as soon as possible, perhaps offer to reschedule if you think that it’s going to be too much of an inconvenience for them to push that back. But yea, do your best to arrive on time. This is never a good look to be late for the interview itself.

(08:20): As we move on to tip number four then, we speak about confidence and enthusiasm. If you are confident, this is gonna come across like you are capable. It's gonna come across like this is an environment that you're used to.

(08:34): This is an environment that you can thrive in. So, although being confident is something that can be difficult to radiate even in the best of circumstances.

(08:44): In an interview, obviously, this is something which can be difficult at times. However, the tips which we have spoken about before this, tips one, two and three, are really going to help you come across more confident in your interview.

(08:59): Preparation is key. By researching the company, by preparing interview questions, by dressing and feeling well, you're gonna be able to show up to that interview and feel more confident.

(09:10): And if you feel more confident, you will look more confident. Another tip which we could employ would be mirroring. By mirroring our interview as they sit back, you sit back as they lean forward, you lean forward by mirroring their body language this again is going to reflect on the similarity attraction principle which we spoke about earlier. The interviewer subconsciously seeing you responding to their actions is going to again make them feel at ease, make them feel more comfortable.

(09:38): This is a very popular technique that you'll see in things like police interrogations. You'll often see the interrogator mirroring the body language of the person they're interrogating and this is a well-known subconscious trick which is used in many different situations. So another way to make your interviewer feel more comfortable or feel like they can trust you more is through mirroring.

(10:01): Now of course there is a big difference between confidence and arrogance. We want to make sure that when we are radiating enthusiasm and confidence, this is not coming across as being big-headed.

(10:13): And a key way to do this is by providing examples that, situations and things that we say, make sure we back up with clear evidence. Make sure we don't notice saying I'm the best at this because I say so. We say I do this well because of this. I do this well because of this example.

(10:30): So the final tip then we have is tip number five and this is a step which many people overlook and many people miss.

(10:37): So tip number five then is to follow up after the interview. So send an email within, you know, 24 hours 48 hours thanking them for the opportunity and their time for allowing you to go and speak with them.

(10:49): This is going to be something which sort of leaves a good last impression when they're thinking you know if it's a tight decision that final follow-up email can make a big difference.

(11:00): If after say a week you've not had anything back then perhaps follow up again, ah, asking them what's going on.

(11:06): Now we of course don't want to come across as pushy, we don't want to be messaging them every day asking them when they've got an answer but a short email after we've just had the interview and then if you've not had a response perhaps again in a week or so, this is going to show that you're interested

(11:21): Show that you were grateful for the time that they gave you and yeah, leave a good last impression. Even if they do get back to you, even if you didn't get the interview, always leave it on a good note.

(11:31): Always again, show your gratitude and you never know, things change in the future, maybe they might reach out and contact you again.

(11:38): So then we have five tips for when you're on your next interview trail, when you're applying for your next job, hopefully these have helped you, you have some takeaways from these, hopefully you can use these in your next next round of interviews and yeah, unfortunately that's all we've got time for today so thank you very much for watching and I will see you in the next one.