Are first impressions really that important? The answer is... YES! When the decision comes to hire a new employee, the candidates that are chosen almost always will share similar educational backgrounds, skills and experience. Because of this, it can be the small things that make the difference between getting the job or not. A lousy handshake or dirty shoes can be all it takes to lose out on getting the job. Top tips to make sure that your first impression counts! Dressing appropriately A person who looks professional portrays the image of being professional. A person who looks sloppy portrays an image of being sloppy. If two people walk into an office and candidate one is perfectly dressed with clean shoes a shirt tucked in and brushed hair, and candidate 2 walks in looking like they just woke up, it goes without saying which candidate will more likely get the job. Before even discussing their skills, the hiring manager's first impression about professionalism has already been made. Hygiene As a hiring manager, I can tell you there is nothing more off putting than interviewing a candidate with bad hygiene. No matter what job you are applying for, bad breath or lack of hygiene is not going to help you to get ahead. There is a fine balance between wearing the right amount of perfume/aftershave or too much. If the interviewer can smell your perfume from across the table you are probably wearing too much! Addressing the interviewer properly Showing respect toward the interviewer is paramount. Remember the interviewer is not your best friend who you have known for many years. Using slang or shortening their name ("Wassup Dave") is not the correct way to make a good first impression. Listening A great mistake you can make in the interview is to speak too much and not answer questions. Interviewing is a 2-way process. Not only do you need to directly answer the interview questions, but you need to listen to what the interviewer is saying. Unless it is a direct yes or no answer, always provide examples and evidence to support what you are saying. Make sure you leave the interviewer with no doubts that you are the right person for the job. Handshake and Smile When you walk into the interview, a solid handshake and smile will go a long way to building rapport with the interviewer and will also leave a positive memory in their minds after the interview has finished. Typically the person who is interviewing you will often be your boss, and therefore they will want to know that not only do you have the skills required to do the job, but that they are going to want to work with you on a daily basis.

What should you NOT do in an interview? A poll into interview blunders found that when hiring managers were asked to name the most common and damaging interview mistakes a candidate can make, 51% listed dressing inappropriately. 49% percent cited badmouthing a former boss as the worst offense, while 48% said appearing disinterested. Arrogance (44%), insufficient answers (30%) and not asking good questions (29%) were also top answers. Below is a top 10 selection of mistakes to avoid. A big part of a successful interview is avoiding simple mistakes. Mistakes are deadly to the job seeker and easy to avoid if you are prepared: Arriving Late Get directions from the interviewer - or look up the location on a man. Wear a watch, and leave home early. In the extreme case that you cannot avoid being late, call the interviewer and arrange to reschedule. Lack of Preparation Not being prepared is just about the biggest mistake you can make when it comes to job interviews. You need to prepare for an interview in the same way you would prepare for an exam. When you are offered an interview, make sure you ask what form the interview is going to take so you can prepare. E.g. is it going to be a one on one interview? Will it be a group interview? Who will be attending the interview, and what are their positions? Not being able to answer basic interview questions such as "What do you know about this company?" creates the impression that you don't care, and it can end your chances immediately. Dressing Inappropriately You make your greatest impact on the interviewer in the first 10 seconds, and you want that first impression to be strongly positive. Dress for the occasion. You will certainly need to wear a suit if you are interviewing for professional position. When interviewing for another type of job, such as a casual summer job as a lifeguard or waitress, for example, dress accordingly in neat and casual attire. Badmouthing This includes badmouthing your current or former employers, employees or even the competition. Nobody likes a complainer and it portrays a negative image of your personality. In the world we live in, you never know who your interviewer might be friends with or who the company's clients are. You don't want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company in the future. Poor body language • Mumbling • Using constant slang • Crossing your arms • Rigid • Slouching • Nervous gestures e.g. playing with your hair • Using your hands too much when talking • Don't be rude or abusive You would expect this to be obvious, however an interviewer will want to test your patience and see how you react to their questions. Losing your temper, becoming defensive, and acting abusive are the best ways to not get hired. No matter how calm or apologetic you are, the damage has already been done. Poor Communication Skills This includes answering questions with "yes" or "no" answers. You need to display confidence. Engage the person you are speaking with, and let the interviewer know that you are an excellent candidate for this position. Talking Too Much The interviewer wants to know why you are the best person for the job. They do not need to hear your entire life story. There are few things worse than interviewing someone who goes on and on and on. Keep your answers concise, to-the-point, and focused. Don't ramble, and don't lie or make up stories. The best advice is to be honest and simply answer the questions. Not answering the question Nothing is more frustrating for an interviewer than to ask a simple question and not get an answer. Straight away it sets off alarm bells in the interviewer's head that the person is either unprepared or not listening. Make sure you listen to the question and take a moment to gather your thoughts before you respond. Forgetting to Follow Up No matter how well you think the interview went, always follow up. If you have not heard from the interviewer within a few days, don't be afraid to call and follow up and reiterate your interest in the position. A follow up thank you email or phone call can sometimes go a long way to securing you the job. It also leaves a good impression

"Don't Dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want to have" Does what you wear to an interview really make a difference in the hiring process? The answer is yes - the way you dress always matters Don't allow your appearance to damage your chances of being hired for a job. As the old phrase goes, "dress for success!" When you walk into an interview room the very first thing an interviewer does is look at you. No matter how many skills you have and how relevant your experience is, do not allow this first impression to ruin your chances. Make no mistake - dressing properly will not guarantee you the job, but dressing inappropriately can definitely lose you the job. Gaining employment is subject to numerous variables beyond your control and factors significantly unknown to you. You have no control over employer perceptions, personal preferences or the competitors for the job. You do, however, have control of your image and how you present yourself. How you look can send a powerful message to the interviewer and can portray a signal that you are a winner or a loser. You have made it this far in the interview process - don't let your appearance sabotage your opportunity to get the job. So make sure you exude confidence and look successful.

Rule number 1: Research: Congratulations! You have been invited for the interview. Now what do you do? The first step is beginning to research the company. Once you have done this you will be ready to prep for the interview questions, learn how to improve your interviewing skills and begin to think about what you're going to wear to the interview. In order to succeed in the interview you need to do your homework on the company. There is no set of rules to how to do your research but preparing yourself as much as possible will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired. Make sure you use every available resource to help you with your preparation. By doing a basic Google on the company you can easily learn important facts about the company. Publically listed companies are easier to prepare your background research than privately listed companies as public companies are legally required to make certain information available. In the 21st century the Internet has made a lot of the pre interview research more available and easier to find. Don't forget that you can also use other sources of information like public libraries or bookstores. Many magazines and journals can provide important and up to date information on your company and also provide you with information that your competitors who are also applying for the same job won't know. A true story… A candidate of mine was applying for a job at one of the large investment banks. Out of 150 candidates the hiring manager had selected the top 10 best resumes to perform first round interviews. Every interview was 15-20 minutes long. The final question the hiring manager asked to each of the candidates was "Tell me something about the company." Nine out of ten of the candidates rattled off information they had read from the company's "about us page", but one candidate stood out. After reading about the company's strategic purchase of a new acquisition, the candidate was able to impress the hiring manager with his (somewhat different) knowledge. The hiring manager later offered this candidate the role not because he was the smartest candidate, but because he showed his dedication by going the extra step in his interview preparation. Your research for the job interview preparation should give you a better insight on: • The history of the business • How old the business is • The types of services the business offers • The hierarchy structure • How many offices/locations the business has • Number of employees • Career progression • The business culture • Competitors • Benefits Check out the Competitors websites as well - they are also a good source of information for your job preparation.

How to answer one of the toughest interview questions.... What's your greatest weakness? Without doubt one of the hardest questions to answer. Being too honest can severely affect your interview. Everyone has something they can work on, so saying you have no weaknesses makes you sound arrogant. The best way to approach this is to think of a weakness that won't impact your getting the job. Remember that this question is a work-related question, so don't say that your biggest weakness is not helping enough around the house or, the worst answer I ever heard, "chocolate cake." Tips: 1) Do not mention a weakness that will prevent you from being hired. If you're going for a job as a telemarketer, don't say your greatest weakness is speaking on the telephone! 2) No clichéd responses. "My greatest weakness is that I am a perfectionist." 3) Do not avoid the question. The interviewer has asked you this question and you need to answer it. My advice is to provide a real work-related weakness and follow it up with examples of how you are fixing the problem. Example: If you're asked this question, give a small, work-related flaw that you're working hard to improve. Example: "I've been told that I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I've been spending time laying out the complete project every day to see my overall progress." Admitting a real weakness and then following up with what you're doing to improve yourself is preferable. "My presentation skills are not as strong as I'd like, so I signed up for weekend presentation skills classes and also joined a Toastmasters club." Remember that the specific job you are interviewing for will help to determine how you answer the question.