10 interview tips for new graduates

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No more campus days. No more lecture halls. No more exam preparations. Lots more job applications, and hopefully, only one more job interview before you land your first real job. To ensure that it is just one more interview left, you have to impress the hiring manager. Here are a few interview tips that’ll put you a cut above all the other job candidates.

1. Google the company. Find out as much as you possibly can about them.
2. Follow one or all of their social networks. It’s the easiest way to stay up to date with what they’re doing, promoting, and what they care about.
3. If you search deep enough, you might find out who’ll be interviewing you. You'll have a face to a name and that'll be one less surprise for you on the day.

Bonus Tip: Find out if you know anyone that works there to find out more about the culture, the interview process, appropriate dress code, etc. Inside info will give you an extra advantage.

4. Have a fully charged phone. Not only is it safe to have the phone number and address at hand just in case, but the company may try to get hold of you to reschedule or change the address - rather safe than sorry.
5. Leave long before the time. You do not want to show up sweaty, rushed, or exhausted.
6. But don’t arrive too early either. Sitting in the waiting room for more than 20min will make your interviewer feel rushed.

Read: 5 ways to overcame nervous behaviour in your next interview

7. Prepare a cheat sheet. We've designed a ready-to-print interview cheat sheet that you can take along to the interview. All you have to do is add a few personalised keywords. However, there are very strict rules to using the cheat sheet optimally, which if ignored, will do a lot more harm than good!
8. Don’t be fooled by the interviewer’s casual demeanour. It’s a trap! Remain professional, and don’t ever brag about being the life of the party.
9. Ask as many questions as possible. Here are tips to prepare yourself for those inevitable behaviourial questions. Keep it real by being honest about your flaws. Most graduates go wrong when asked about their weaknesses because their answers are all the same.
10. It’s 100% true: During the interview, your body language must be on point. Give a firm handshake, hold a good posture and don't forget to look your interviewers in the eyes as you answer them.

Bonus Tip: Remember: You love the company. You have never loved anything more ever in your life before. Make sure they see that.

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