We’ve all been there. You left your interview knowing you nailed it. Schmoozing the socks off your interviewer, you told her just how you’re a team player and a reliable worker. It’s just a matter of time before you get the offer. But just like Friday’s Tinder date, she didn’t call you back! Unfortunately, being good just isn’t enough. In the current climate, job competition is fierce. Hiring managers can see hundreds of applications for every open position. Even candidates who leave a good impression can get lost in the crowd. Thankfully, we’ve seen our fair share of interviews and can offer some insight. So tell us, what’s your story?

Make it Personal

It’s a shame to see a worthy candidate walk into an interview and start saying what they think we want to hear. Honestly, we don’t actually care when you tell us how reliable, resilient or hard-working you are. You’re giving us nothing to go on, we can’t just take your word for it. The key is to make things personal. Give us a meaningful example.

More often than not, candidates will be sitting on an excellent example of why they’re perfect for the job. It shouldn’t be up to the interviewer to pull it from you. If you can answer questions with a reliable and interesting anecdote it’ll add context to your response. We’ll even get to know you a little better and actually believe you. Who knows, you could even get the job.

Tell Us a Story

Sharing a personal story in interviews is a great way of getting your point across. You’ll be able to talk with ease because it’s natural. You’ll communicate your passions and we’ll get a little idea of what makes you tick.

Before we go any further, we want to get this straight. Keep it clean, be relevant and be selective about what you tell us. Going to work when you have a headache doesn’t demonstrate your resilience. We want real, genuine experiences that’ll impress us.

Paint a picture that that tells us what kind of person you are and what you can offer. Tell us about setting goals and achieving them. Explain how you’ve overcome a challenge. Speak about a time when you’ve used your personality and skillset to open doors. Being specific and personal is key.

A Few Examples

Okay, we get it. It’s easy for us to say this but you want to see it in practice. The truth is, we’ve had some pretty interesting examples pop up in our interviews:

• A lad we interviewed worked 30 hours a week whilst at university to save up for a house. He considered his personal goals as more important than his social life.
• Another person had trained for and ran the Marathon des Sables whilst studying for and achieving a 1st class degree from Durham University.
• We also had a candidate whose passion for sport and fitness led them to come up with the concept for a new natural energy drink. They managed to patent this, produce it and contract it to several major retailers.

Not everyone’s got stories as impressive as this. Though we’re sure you’ve got an example of setting a goal and achieving it. You’ve probably got much more to work with than you think. Never fall into the trap of using adjectives to describe yourself. Find the stories which make you interesting and talk about them with passion.

Are you looking to excel in your career and climb up the corporate ladder? Consider recruitment, one of the best paying and most sociable jobs to have. Search and apply to our latest jobs here.