Not dressing the part can make the interviewer feel uncomfortable, and candidates should always try hard to look professional.
2. Always ask questions
When the interviewer asks: "Do you have any questions?", the ideal answer to this is "yes" as it shows that you've prepared for the interview, and thought about the company and the role.
Even if everything has been covered during the interview, simply saying "I wanted to ask about the strategy / team / environment... but you've covered this already" at least shows you had questions in mind.
3. Read the interviewer
That being said, if you've been working through a list of questions for 20 minutes, following a one-hour interview, read the room and know when it's time to wrap things up.
4. Check before you name-drop
If you mention in an interview that a current employee is a former colleague, it's worth ensuring that they'll speak well of your time working together.
"Once, the reaction was along the lines of 'oh him, he was dreadful...'", one Telegraph HR adviser said.
5. Remember names
Remembering the name of your interviewer always leaves a good impression.
A simple "it was great to meet you, Sarah" ends an interview on a nice note, and should be applied to whoever comes to meet and greet you at each stage of the process.
6. Treat everyone respectfully
On a similar note, first impressions count so never assume that the receptionist / person taking you to a meeting room is less important than the person who is interviewing you.
7. Do your research on your interviewers
An easy way to find out more about your potential employer is to look them up on LinkedIn (especially so you know who to look out for when sitting in reception), however, there's no need to drop in references to the company your interviewer worked at eight years ago to prove that you've done your research.
8. Take the water
Even if you feel like you've got your pre-interview jitters under control, the dreaded dry mouth can strike at any time - take the water offered to you so that you don't end up struggling to get your words out after half an hour, or interrupting the interview to get yourself a cup. Having a glass of water to sip also gives you a way to pause and gather your thoughts before tackling the next question.
9. CV gaps
If you've submitted a CV that shows gaps in your employment ("and we'd always recommend this over 'flexing' the dates... as if all goes well, we'll be checking your references after extending an offer", Telegraph HR says), you should have a concise explanation ready to go.
Employers know that "life happens", but an interview isn't the best forum to explain that you were unable to work for three months due to difficult family circumstances (especially if you end up in tears).
10. Reasons for leaving
It's quite clear that your last job wasn't perfect - otherwise you wouldn't be at a job interview - but be mindful of how you present this to your interviewer.
Negativity and personal comments about your current team or manager will cause alarm bells to ring.
Toughest interview questions
• "What on your CV is the closest thing to a lie?"
• "What's the most selfish thing you've ever done?"
• "How would you describe cloud computing to a 7-year-old?"
• "There are three people, each with different salaries, and they want to find the average without telling any of the other two their salary. How do they do it?"
• "What would you ask the CEO if you met him one day?"
• "What is your coping mechanism when you have a bad day?"
• "Are you creative? What's something creative that you can think of?"
• "What would you want to do five years from now?"
• "Explain a situation when you gave the wrong advice. What were the consequences? What did you learn from this?"
• "If you have two eggs, and you want to figure out what's the highest floor from which you can drop the egg without breaking it, how would you do it? What's the optimal solution?"
