Being Self-Critical Will Improve Your Interview Technique

We’ve all done it. You get to the interview, think you’ve done well and then get a call or letter politely telling you that you were unsuccessful.

Most of us tend to brush it off and get on with life. There are plenty more jobs in Brighton to apply for.

Taking a step back and looking at that last interview a lot more closely, however, can help you improve your performance and increase the likelihood that you’ll nail the next job.

• If you’re being self-critical, you’re always looking to improve.
• Because you think things through in more detail, you are likely to pick up personal issues that you can then resolve.
• Those who are self-critical are also more aware.
• You can develop plans or put in new measures that mean you are more likely to be successful when you go for your next job interview.

Here’s a few suggestions to start you off:

1. Problem: Poor Research

You get your rejection call and sit back to reflect. One of the areas you could have improved, you decide, is your knowledge of the company. You did a bit of cursory research but not nearly enough. When it came to questions that involved the business, you had difficult answering because you didn’t have enough background knowledge.

Goal: Next time you have an interview you will spend longer researching the company and try to anticipate the questions that are going to be asked.

2. Problem: Nerves and Bad Time Keeping

You found yourself arriving just on time for the interview but only after a run from the train station. You were out of breath and a little hot and sweaty. That meant you weren’t relaxed when you got in front of the panel.

Or you might have fallen foul of those dreaded nerves when you got into the interview which meant you found it difficult to get your points of view across. Both these scenarios leave you less than prepared for the face to face interview.

Goal: Turning up in the nick of time for an interview is a big no-no. Your goal should always be to give yourself enough time to relax and gather your thoughts.

If you have a problem with nerves, this could be a major factor in why you are failing at interview, no matter how great your qualifications are. Working on relaxation techniques can help but being well-prepared is another solution that will certainly make a difference.

3. Problem: Not Reading the Job Specification

While you were good with most questions, there were a couple that you had trouble answering. This can often be down to not reading the job specs or brief properly. Going through the spec line by line gives you an idea of what sort of questions are going to be asked.

Goal: Working through potential questions and your response to the them is always a good idea. Some people prefer to do this mentally, others get more out of it if they role play with a colleague or friend. The end result is the same – give it the time it deserves.

All these problems can be highlighted if you take the time to sit down and review how the interview went, both during and leading up to the event. The good news is that most issues are also easily remedied as long as you learn and commit to doing things different next time.

Our advice is be self-critical and you’ll start to find ways to improve.