The unwritten rules of an interview

You don’t have to like or agree with these “rules” but an understanding of them will help you.

• The interviewer will control the interview.
• You should cooperate with the interview process, providing open and meaningful answers
• The interview is a sales process - you don’t badmouth the product (you) or need to reveal unnecessary weaknesses.
• It is a two-way process - the interviewer is expected to sell the job and the organisation – you are selecting them as much as they are selecting you.
• You can’t lie but you can present a favourable impression of yourself – there is a difference
• The interviewer will lead and guide you, to a point. For example, they may ask you follow up questions, or ask you to clarify if you haven’t been clear.
• You are meant to have done your homework to find out about the organisation, the job, the culture, the values etc.
• You are expected to ask some questions at the end - but not too many – make them relevant & concise – and don’t ask questions that you can find the answer to on their website
• Your social media profile can be looked at - make sure it is presenting the image you want of yourself
• You don’t badmouth your previous employers
• Failure is allowed if you can show you have learnt from it – you can turn negatives into positive learning experiences. Remember, FAIL = First Attempt In Learning
• However, not everyone plays by these rules