Making ‘small talk’

When you are collected from reception and taken to the interview room, no matter who it is who greets you, it is always nice to be able to make ‘small talk’ e.g. you may be asked “how was your journey?”, “did you find the building easily?”, but if not asked, then initiate the conversation e.g. “I cannot believe how close to the station you are, such an easy commute”, “what a fabulous setting for your offices, it must be beautiful in the summer”, “your website did not say exact numbers, how many people are there in this building?”.

However, silence should not feel awkward and it is not necessary to be talking at all times.  It is better to say nothing than to ask unnecessary or meaningless questions.

Abenefit2u recommend that if you are offered a drink, you accept it.  Talking for a long duration of time can cause your mouth to become dry and this may affect your speech or cause coughing.  Stopping to take a sip of your drink also provides you with a few seconds to pause before giving an answer you need time to think about.

Take a note pad and pen to the interview.  List the questions you would like to ask at the end of the interview here, and demonstrate to the employer that you have prepared for the interview and are keen to learn more about the organisation.  Use the note pad to take note of any interesting facts the employer gives you.  Show that you are writing down what they have said and are going to investigate further.

Depending on the role that you are applying to, you may also like to take along examples of your work for the employer to see.  For example, if you were responsible for writing and/or designing the scheme literature or photographs of the road show you organised.
Just like a model takes along a portfolio of their photographs to a prospective employer, you might like to put together a folder which contains a portfolio of the work you have achieved.

If you have achieved awards for your work, make sure that you mention this and include examples of your award-winning work in your portfolio.