Ok. So you've created a good CV and it's opened the door. Good work. Now you need to beat the competition and make sure you come out on top during the interview process. Again, we haven't found that magic formula yet but the following tips might help you out for now:

1. Research the organisation. How you prepare for an interview will give an employer an idea about how you'd prepare for a meeting. If you are well prepared, then it will suggest that this is the approach you would always take. Failure to research would suggest an attitude of "winging it" in meetings and this is unlikely to impress.
2. Research avenues. Useful methods include: employer's own website, search engines, trade magazines, researching the channel you'd be working in, researching the customers you'd be dealing with i.e. can you do a "mystery-shop" around a store. You really can't do too much research as it shows the employer your level of enthusiasm to win the job.
3. Personal presentation. Look professional! If you're not sure, always play safe i.e. dark suit, white/blue shirt or blouse, polished shoes. Men – unless you have a beard, ALWAYS clean-shaven. Ladies – not too flirty (you know who you are). ALWAYS take a smart folder, presenter, briefcase, notebook etc so you can take notes if needs be or carry paperwork with you. Only ignore these accompaniments if you can walk in carrying your "National Photographic Memory of the Year" trophy.
4. Ask questions. The interview process is meant to be two-way. The interviewer is assessing your suitability for the job just as you should be assessing that business's suitability for you. To let you in on a little secret, the majority of interviewers find it hard to keep coming up with question after question and welcome the ability to answer some of yours. Another little secret for you, you don't need to always wait until the end of the interview to ask a question, asking a well-placed question during an interview can create the impression of an enjoyable, two-way commercial discussion and this is highly likely to result in a successful outcome. Here are some sample questions for some key areas of discussion:
   • Industry – "What kind of challenges do you feel the industry faces currently?" "Who do you class as your strongest rivals right now? Why?"
   • Company – "What is your strategy for this year?" "What do you feel the opportunities are for the business this year?" "How would you describe the company culture?"
   • Job Role – "What are the main responsibilities within the job?" "How would I be targeted?" "What's your expectation of someone doing this job for you?"
   • People – "What traits do your best people have in common?" "What do you look for in people when you're looking to promote?" "What kind of progression would I have if I was succeeding in this role?"
   By the way, it's absolutely fine to take a list of prepared questions to an interview as it shows you've planned ahead and thought carefully about it (please note that if you take pages of questions, you're likely to make the interviewer cry and from experience, this won't result in a positive outcome for you).
5. Speaking and listening. If you find yourself doing all the talking, you're probably waffling whereas if you seem to be listening to dozens of questions, then chances are your answers are far too brief and not detailed enough. Listen carefully to the questions coming your way. If a one word answer will suffice then that's fine. If the interviewer wants more detail, they'll ask you for it.
6. Silence is golden. Interviewers now use an increasing array of tactics to test your mettle. One is to allow deliberate silences to crop up. Hold your nerve! You don't need to fill these silences with words. It's their interview, let them be the one to break the impasse with a question. Showing that you're comfortable with silence can be a vital skill to demonstrate.
7. Beware bad cops. Another increasingly common tactic used in interviews to disrupt your mojo is for an interviewer to be: rude, disinterested, argumentative, cold, distant and so the list goes on. Don't be distracted by this. This person wants to see if you can retain your composure in the face of hostility or provocation because they want to see if you could remain calm in a heated meeting. Stay cool.
8. Let's get physical. Most employers want to recruit someone "memorable". To achieve this, you don't need to wear a costume or perform magic acts, you simply need to be aware of the physical impression you create. Puff your chest out, walk with purpose and dominate the interview room. Maintain good eye contact throughout (without looking like a hypnotist) and deliver the dream handshake i.e. firm and assured rather than limp or bone-crushing. Interviewers will study your body language so keep it interested and enthused.
9. Passion sells. If you want the job you're interviewing for, demonstrate it. If an employer is torn between two candidates, they'll often plump for the person who showed the most passion and enthusiasm. Every business wants to recruit people who have a genuine desire to work for them.
10. Facts and figures. Employers want to know what value you can add to their business. You can demonstrate this during an interview by being able to talk with conviction about specific performances against target and by citing examples of key successes during your career. To back this up, you can even take irrefutable evidence in the form of copies of account performances, sales league tables, award-certificates or customer commendation letters. Who would you recruit, the target-driven person who can recount specific performances versus targets or the person who says "I can't really remember what my targets were but I know I did well"?
11. Previous employers. Nothing much to say here – NEVER run down a previous employer. Explain the positives you took from each business you worked for.
12. CLOSE!  You don't need to be clumsy and ask if you're a "yes" or a "no" but you do need to try to gain commitment about how you've done and what the next stage of the interview process will be. Useful sample questions for this stage include: -
    • "How suitable do you feel I am for this position?"
    • "What concerns do you have about my ability to do this job?"
    • "How do I compare to others that you've interviewed?"
    • "What's the next stage of the process from here?"
    By not attempting to reach a conclusion at the end of an interview you run the risk of being labelled as someone who can't ask the difficult questions and you can undo all the good things you've done throughout the interview.

Hope the above info helps. Now it's up to you.

Good, bad, ugly, nonsense, useful, insightful, job-securing, interview-wrecking – whatever you think about the tips we've provided, we'd love to hear your thoughts at info@careerspy.co.uk. We'll happily change or add anything that we feel makes this section more beneficial.