1. Write a 30 second spiel about yourself. Pretend you’re in a lift with Donald Trump, going to the 70th floor. You have this time to sell yourself to him. Practice this out loud in front of a mirror. Write it in terms of what you‘ve done for a customer.

2. Write 2 or 3 sentences about each job you have shown on your resume. Include things that are measurable e.g. deadlines you met, numbers of words you had to write, people you had to coordinate to complete a particular project etc.

3. Write a generic sentence or 2 about why you’ve applied for a particular job.

4. Have a short story prepared about each of the following 5 incidents that have happened to you at work using the following STAR model:

Situation which arose requiring you to do something

Tasks that needed doing

Action you took

Result

* Where you had to deal with a difficult co-worker

* A situation where you had to deal with a difficult customer

* Where you had to prioritise a number of different projects

* Where you devised a new process to improve the way certain things were done at your work

* A mistake you made and how you fixed it

5. I hate this question but it’s often asked: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” You need to have something prepared. The best way to answer this question is to be extremely honest. Demonstrate to the panel that you have good self-awareness.

6. Prepare a short (no more than 2-3 minutes) closing statement. You will use this when you sense the interview is about to close and they ask: “Do you have any questions for the panel”? You ignore that question and go into your prepared spiel on why they should choose you. This leaves them with the lasting impression of your voice in their head rather than one of the panel members droning on trying to answer one of your “cleverly” crafted questions.

7. Remember that they want to have you on board. Your sole concern at the interview should be to make them feel good about choosing you. Take control of the interview without being arrogant. Make it clear that you’re considering working with them just as much as they are deciding about you.

8. Above all, be honest in your answers – it will make you look and sound so much more appealing than if you try to hide behind a wall of lies.