You’ve applied for a job and now you’ve been invited to an interview. How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Both? There’s no need to worry because below are some tips to make the process a little bit easier.

Before the interview

As soon as you find out you’ve got an interview, make sure that you have appropriate clothes to wear.  Most job interviews will require you to dress smart – it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed, even if it makes you feel a little bit silly! Also make sure that the clothes are comfortable – fiddling with your clothes will not make a good impression on the person who is interviewing you.

Another tip for choosing what to wear to your interview: Try it out beforehand. At least then you can decide if you like it as it is or if you want to change anything. The day before the interview, make sure that everything is washed and ironed and have it out, ready to put on, to avoid any rushing around.

That’s the clothes sorted. Now what? The next thing to do is to research the company. What do they do? Who are some people you might interact with if you get the job? What achievements does this company have? Not all of the information you collect will come up, but it’s better to be prepared.

Research done! Next you need to find out how to get to your interview. Get some directions and if possible, do a test run so that you have a rough idea of how long it will take you to get there. You don’t want to get lost on the day of your interview!

On the day of the interview

Make sure that you get up early enough to check that you have everything you need for the interview and time to get ready without getting stressed.

Give yourself enough time to get to the interview with at least ten minutes to spare – too early and you could find yourself be sitting around, too late and you risk leaving a bad first impression. ! If you’re really early, find somewhere to have a  tea or coffee– I wouldn’t advise getting anything to take into the interview though!

When you arrive, make sure you’re polite to everyone!There is always a very strong chance that the person interviewing you will ask the receptionist what you’re like–so make sure you’re on your best behavior at all times!!

During the interview When the moment finally arrives and the interviewer arrives, smile and give them a firm handshake. A smile, even a small, nervous one, will make the interviewer think you’re approachable and a good handshake – not too firm and not too limp – is always a great way to make a good first impression.

Now to the hard part – what do you say and do to increase your chances of getting a second interview or even the job?

For  a lot of employers, a candidate saying  too much can be worse than  them saying nothing at all. Take a deep breath, compose yourself and think about what you want to say, so your answers don’t  get lost in translation.

When it’s all over, thank the interviewer – as I mentioned before, politeness goes a long way.

Do all that and you will be okay!

Good luck!