Welcome to the third and final part to our blog series that aims to give you our best tips approaching an interview in Aged and Disability Care. Last article, we looked at a couple of key things that you can do on the day of your interview to give yourself the best chance of getting your dream job, so you might be wondering what’s next? Well there’s only one thing left really, and that is the interview itself. So in this blog we will look at what you can do during the interview to make sure you leave a lasting impression on the employer and give yourself the best chance of landing your dream job!
Whether it’s a group or individual interview make sure that you show the employer that you want to be there and that you want the job.
Posture and body language is vital for this. Sit upright and maintain a good posture throughout, this will tell employers that you are listening to them and are interested in what they are saying. Being slouched down in your seat and resting your head on your hand will cause the alarm bells to go off in the employers head, telling them that you’re bored and uninterested – so avoid this. Also remember to maintain good eye contact with whoever is speaking. You will find that if you do this, the employer will naturally tend to talk towards you, over anyone else, which is a good thing!
If the employer directs a question toward you, be keen to answer it and with a positive tone of voice. You don’t need to be loud or overly expressive, but at the same time try not to sound monotonous and bored. As long as you can inject some form of enthusiasm into your voice, you’ll find that your chances of impressing the employer will increase. Also, try to avoid one word answers – try to include a bit of detail into what you say.
Lastly, if there is a group portion to the interview process, make sure that you contribute to the discussion! There is a reason that employers include a group activity and that is so they can see how you interact with other people. If you can contribute in a meaningful way whilst remaining polite and courteous to the other group members, then you will be a much better position to gain employment.
Staying calm throughout the interview is possibly the simplest, yet most important tip of this whole series. It’s perfectly natural for nerves to kick in – even the most confident of us can feel anxious about a job interview, but staying composed and fighting through these nerves will see your chances of employment improve greatly.
During the course of the interview, listen carefully to what the interviewer is asking you. When the time comes that you need to answer a question or provide your input, take a deep breath and speak slow and clearly – don’t feel that you need to talk fast. It’s better that you take your time to think about any answers and communicate them clearly. Interviewers understand that everybody gets nervous, so you don’t need to worry about what they think, as long as you’re answering the question well.
And finally, the most important thing of all is to be yourself! You got this far for a reason, and if you’re staying true to yourself, then you will project a far more confident impression, which the employers will notice.
Here ends our 3 part blog series on how to navigate an interview in Aged and Disability Care, to improve your chances of getting your dream job – we hope you enjoyed reading it. If you have any tips of your own about how to approach an interview in Aged and Disability Care, then leave us a comment in the box below. We’d love your input!
