How to set up and conduct a mock job interview.Interview tips

One of the best ways to prepare for a job interview is to do a mock. If you know someone who is experienced in interviewing people, they might be able to help you. If not, don't give up on the idea: one way around this is to run your own mock video interview. 

If you have a video camera, a camera on your mobile, or a webcam on your computer, then you already have the necessary kit. You may feel slightly nervous or embarassed about seeing yourself on video (everyone does, you're in good company), but it's worth getting over this shyness as it can be a powerful way of improving your interview performance. You can be your own interviewer if necessary – read the questions out to yourself before answering them on camera. You could even pre-record your questions and play them back during your mock interview. 

Here's the process you should follow: 

1. Select your interview questions and their order 
2. Record yourself asking these questions 
3. Get the footage onto a computer to act as a virtual interviewer 
4. Record yourself answering the questions 
5. Play it back and review your performance 

Pick your questions 
Use a mixture of common interview questions with ones that are tailored to the role you are applying for, using the job description and personal specification to guide you. For example, if the person specification says the recruiter is looking for "excellent customer service skills," then the question may be: "Tell me about a time when you have delivered excellent customer service following a complaint". Questions that ask you to give examples of situations in previous work are common as they allow you to present evidence of a skill. 

Start the interview with "Tell me about yourself," and finish with "Are there any questions that you would like to ask before we finish?". Six questions is a good start – though the more preparation the better. 

Record your questions 
This doesn't have to be too sophisticated – it's just a prompt for you to answer, but playing back recorded questions is closer to an actual interview than simply reading them out as you go. Leave a few seconds between each one so when you are playing it back you can pause it.

Record your answers 

Play the questions, pausing after each one, and answer them to the camera, as if it was the interview. Try to be concise and speak for no longer than a few minutes on each one. For the "Tell me about a time when…" questions, you may want to use the STAR acronym to structure your answer Here's an example: 

S – situation – describe the problem you encountered 
T – task – what was required of you 
A – activity – what you did to solve the problem 
R – result – how brilliantly the situation turned out. 

Review your performance 

Don't do this immediately: take a break, return to the footage after around10 minutes and watch it twice. 

The first time, pause between answers and make notes, answering the following questions: 

• How fully did you answer the question? 
• How convincing was your answer? 
• Is there anything you would change if you were asked it again? 
• How long was your answer? Could it be more concise? 
• How was your body language? Did it match your words? Did you fidget? 
• Are there any words that you repeat excessively? Most people have an "um" or an "actually" that they over use when they are nervous. 
• Where did your eyes go? Were you maintaining eye contact with the camera? 
• How was the pace of your answer? 

The second time, go back and watch through from beginning to end again, without pausing. How would you rate yourself overall? If there were three things you would change, what would they be? 

Then give yourself a pat on the back – and invite yourself back for the second round and repeat tomorrow

Using the Star technique to shine at job interviews: a how-to guide.Interview tips

There are many types of interviews, from the free flowing to the formal, but one that you are likely to come up against at some point is the competency-based interview. 

They're designed to make the job application process as objective as possible, removing any conscious or subconscious bias by the interviewer by asking each candidate the same questions. Some people feel this type of interview is more stilted – there can be less opportunity to build rapport. However, they are very common, especially in large organisations and the public sector, so it's worth refining your technique. 

The questions will be driven by a competency framework that's required for the job. For example, a marketing executive may require problem-solving skills, or a job in customer services may require conflict management skills. 

The interview questions tend to start with a variation of, "Tell me about a time when…" This may sound simple but, in the heat of the interview, it's easy to give an unstructured answer, miss out key details, or let the story peter to a halt. 

One way of avoiding this is by using the Star acronym to structure your response. Here are two examples of how to implement the technique: 

A candidate for a marketing executive role might be asked: "Tell me about a time that you solved a problem to a tight timescale." Here's how you could structure your response: 

• Situation – set the context for your story. For example, "We were due to be delivering a presentation to a group of 30 interested industry players on our new product and Stuart, the guy due to deliver it, got stuck on a train from Birmingham." 

• Task – what was required of you. For example, "It was my responsibility to find an alternative so it didn't reflect badly on the company and we didn't waste the opportunity." 

• Activity – what you actually did. For example, "I spoke to the event organisers to find out if they could change the running order. They agreed so we bought ourselves some time. I contacted Susan, another member of the team, who at a push could step in. She agreed to drop what she was doing and head to the event." 

• Result – how well the situation played out. For example, "Stuart didn't make the meeting on time but we explained the problem to the delegates and Susan's presentation went well – a bit rough around the edges but it was warmly received. Stuart managed to get there for the last 15 minutes to answer questions. As a result we gained some good contacts, at least two of which we converted into paying clients."

There are a few things to note with this response: it's important to speak in specific rather than general terms and quantify your success. In this example, we mentioned 30 delegates, the names of the people involved and quantified two contacts converted to clients. From a listener's perspective, this makes the story more interesting and they are more able to gauge your success. Nameless figures and undefined successes can make the answer less feel less convincing. Secondly, as there are likely to be many questions and interviewers have short attention spans, it's important to keep your answers concise: convey the maximum achievement in the minimum time. Finally, it's important to finish on a positive note so the overall impression is strong. 

In a second example, a candidate for a customer services role is asked: "Describe a situation when you had to deliver excellent customer service following a complaint" 

• Situation: "A customer rang up complaining that they'd waited more than two weeks for a reply from our sales team regarding a product query." 

• Task: "I needed to address the client's immediate query and find out what went wrong in the normal process." 

• Activity: "I apologised, got the details and passed them to our head salesperson, who contacted the client within the hour. I investigated why the query hadn't been answered. I discovered that it was a combination of a wrong mobile number and a generic email address that wasn't being checked. I let the client know and we offered a goodwill discount on her next order." 

• Result: "The client not only continued to order from us but posted a positive customer service tweet." 

Used at its best, the Star structure is invisible to the listener and it simply comes across as a well-articulated example. Create a bank of answers in this format in advance, so don't struggle to do it on the day and can make it appear as seamless as possible

How to take the stress out of job interviews.Interview tips

Thorough preparation and research are the most important things you can do to ensure a successful interview. You'll need to show you understand the business, where your role fits in, and prepare thoughtful questions and answers that demonstrate this. 

But taking care of the smaller details before your interview means you have less to worry about on the big day, making you feel more confident and in control. 

Use your online network to your advantage 
Your basic research should go beyond the company website to give you a wider insight into general industry trends, opportunities and challenges. 

You can glean information about the company and employees from LinkedIn. If they have a company page, check out the insights link to see where employees came from, former employees you may know and employees with new titles. All this information helps you see how people progress within the organisation, which you can then use as a basis for questions about career opportunities during your interview. 

Check to see if anyone in your network has ties to the organisation – you can also ask them about what it's like to work there, or maybe even about your interviewer. 

CV and online checks 
Employers are increasingly using social media to check out candidates. Make sure that what people can see out about you online matches the details on your CV. For example, dates and job titles should correspond with information on your LinkedIn profile. Check your social media profiles and try to push down any negative activity with more positive tweets, comments or blogs – or impose tighter privacy settings. 

Learn your CV inside-out. If you can't speak in more detail on any point on your CV, you'll lose credibility. You can use some of the information to form an achievement story. Predict any 'red flag' areas, such as gaps or reasons for leaving a previous company. Preparing and practising polished replies to these (as well as to the predictable "tell me about yourself" type questions) will help you feel more confident. 

Outfit check 
Try on your interview clothes to make sure they fit, are clean and in a good state of repair. Don't leave this to the night before, and get someone else to check your outfit over. Are you inadvertently showing more of yourself than is professional? Is your jewellery distracting? How do you look when you sit down? Interviewers can make all sorts of judgments about you based on what you wear and how you act, so it's important to get this part right. 

If you aren't sure what to wear, go along to the company offices at opening or leaving times to get a feel for what people generally wear. Aim for the same level of formality, or one notch up. Otherwise, a business suit is appropriate for most sectors. 

Reference gathering 
Take along written references for your interviewer and provide a list of people who can speak for you. It sounds obvious, but make sure your referees are primed, happy and available to be contacted – and that their contact details are accurate. 

Make notes Take along paper and a pen to make notes during your interview. You won't need to scribble everything down, but make a subtle note if you want to come back to something at a later stage. Don't use your phone for this, as it could look like you're texting someone. Also write down a couple of pre-prepared questions to ask the interviewer, and a note to yourself to remind you to ask for two things at the end of your interview: the business card of your interviewer, and a timeframe for a hiring decision. Both of these will help later on if you need to find out about the status of your application.