Over time we have provided many interview tips.
The aim of this blog is to give you a quick read about general interview tips and confidence building tips to provide a better idea of the support we can provide when you book your Mock Interview or purchase our Interview Book with Practice Questions.
Three top tips for interviewing at a top independent school:
Practice breathing deeply, if your child has a tendency to be anxious this should help calm their breathing helping them to collect their thoughts and relax.
Practice situations where your child will have to think on their feet, these situations can cause nerves so regular practice should help prepare them.
Practice body language, ways to appear engaged even while thinking of an answer to a question, maintaining eye contact, holding themselves well, and keep that dazzling smile in play.
Three top tips for interviewing at a top public school:
Being punctual is important, arrive early and prepared to cancel out any stress and pre-interview nerves. Give your child time to compose themselves but be aware to not give too much time that their nerves start to come back.
Practice greetings, a firm handshake and polite yet confident greeting mixed with a friendly smile will ensure a brilliant first impression. Use a warm greeting such as “Good Morning Mr. Smith.”
Practice the art of conversation, talking about topics such as the school they are interviewing for, current affairs, specific interests that are relevant to the school and why they would like to attend. This should keep their nerves away when having a general discussion with their interviewer. However, be careful not to rehearse these discussions, make them a natural occurrence so they practice thinking on their feet.
Our five top confidence building tips:
1. Three – step answer formula: There is a perfect formula to keep you calm during answering any question from your interviewer.
Repeat the question in your head while thinking.
Give your answer.
Support your answer with a reason, example, evidence or experience to show engagement.
2. Be sure to note any questions you may have for the interviewer. The main time people tend to draw a blank during an interview is when the interviewer asks if the student has any questions for them, they will appreciate noted questions to help you stay on track with any queries you may have.
3. Do your research, about the school, current affairs, interesting subjects, etc. There are numerous things you can research prior to your interview and it’s important not to overload yourself. So be sure your research is on matters that interest you so that you can ensure you can talk confidently about them when they come up in conversation.
4. Practice listening skills, sounds silly I know. But it’s important, when nerves get the better of you – your mind can wander, so practicing listening to what is being asked of you is important because you will also be practicing thinking on your feet while still being engaged in the interview. This will prevent any stalling or awkward pauses because you will be prepared for anything.
5. Finally, try not to overthink your first impression. First impressions are of course, important. However, you’ll be surprised how far a smile and a warm greeting with a strong handshake will take you. Your interviewer will understand you are nervous, this strong first impression will show your passion for the school and the interview that is about to unfold.
Hopefully, the top tips listed above will help, for further enquiries, please get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you soon and good luck with your interview!