An Expert Weighs In: How to Nail a Job Interview

As the end of the school year and university semester approaches, we’re all looking for that summer job. Or maybe you’re after an internship, a job in your field, or just a job change.

Trying to find a job can be an overwhelming process and feeling a bit of stress is normal. To ease some of this anxiousness, our Digital Content Producer Bianca James spoke to our Talent Recruitment Expert, Lois Andrijich, about how we can nail job interviews and land a job as a student.

So strap in, here’s some advice she has for any students looking to shine in a job interview and nab that job.

Prepare for common interview questions.

Although every job interview will be different there are some general questions that you can prepare for in the lead-up. Lois told Bianca interviewers tend to ask situational-type questions.

“They’ll normally be looking for an example of a time when you’ve dealt with something. In particular it might be conflict management, or it might be a challenging customer for example,” Lois said.

“Sometimes if you haven’t had experience, it can be a little challenging to come up with those examples.

“But even if you’re relating them to your general life, that’s completely fine.”

According to Lois, it is definitely worth it to have a little Google of whatever company you are interviewing for. That way when the question of ‘what do you know about the company’ comes up, you can confidently show you’ve done some research.

How to answer the dreaded ‘what are your weaknesses’ question.

Everyone hates it but we’re always asked it. What are your weaknesses? *shudders*

We might subconsciously want to answer “nothing, I can do it all!” But according to Lois this is actually a great opportunity to talk about how you might have overcome a recent challenge.

“So for example you might say, ‘I used to find it really challenging [juggling] multiple deadlines,” Lois said.

“But what I’ve done is I’ve implemented this system…and I’ve found it so much more manageable now to manage deadlines.’

“Even if you’re not all the way there, it just shows that you’ve got an ability to reflect on things that maybe you’re not great at and then the things you’ve put in place to work towards overcoming that.”

Should we ask questions in an interview?

Short answer: yes. Interview panels love when interviewees come in with questions as it shows they want to know about the role and the business.

Lois said these could be logistical questions about the role, about the team, or what a day working in this role is like.

If the interview panel has answered your pre-prepared questions throughout, Lois said it is worthwhile letting them know that.

“When they say ‘have you got any questions?’ you in return saying ‘I actually wanted to ask you these particular things, but you’ve answered those in the course of the interview thank you so much’,” Lois said.

“And then it’s perfect, you’ve demonstrated you had questions, those questions have been answered, everybody wins.”

How to make your resume stand out.

The simplest way to make your resume stand out is to put some extra time in.

Lois recommended always using Canva or a Word template and choosing something which looks visibly interesting and readable.

“I would also recommend putting things that you want them to read on the first page,” she said.

“Or if there are words used in the job advertisement, bolding those things in your CV can help the person who is screening visually to make that comparison and to understand that you’re a good fit for this particular role.”

Eek. What if we have no work experience?

We all have to start somewhere and applying for your first job means you won’t have a backlog of work experience to list down on your CV.

BUT, you might have been involved in activities during school or life which can demonstrate similar skills as work experience. Examples include team sports, being part of a music group or a drama play, or you might have achieved specific things in school which would be worth highlighting on your CV.

Lois also suggested trying to get some work experience where you can.

You could speak to a business or a family friend who might run a business and ask them if you could volunteer with them.

“This all adds a lot of value, it shows that you’re willing to go out and try new things and try to get some experience even if it’s not necessarily paid,” Lois said.

“And you never know, I’ve seen plenty of people do a work experience placement and then get a job out of it, which is a wonderful way to get your first job.”

All in all, do not fear. While you might face some rejection, it’s all part of the journey of applying for your first job.

If you want to hear more of what Lois has to say, watch the full Understand The Assignment webinar for more tips and tricks to help you get that job.