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You've just landed yourself a job interview - congratulations! Now your focus is on preparing to meet your potential new employers for the first time; researching the company and people, brainstorming questions to ask when prompted, and deciding on a sensible outfit that also shows off your personality.

But what if everyone else they interview has the same skill-set as you? What if they all ask the same questions at the end of the interview too?

Don’t panic though, we’re here to tell you how you can genuinely stand out during a job interview. We asked our Carrot consultants for their top tips they’d give to candidates to help them make a lasting impression in front of a potential new employer. Here’s what they had to say:

Ben Frankish:

Don’t just learn about the company you’re interviewing for. Learn about their competition and talk about what makes them the best.

Katie Goulbourn:

Don’t try to be too cocky or crack too many jokes during an interview. The employer wants to see the real you, not an act you’re putting on. I once had a candidate who came up with lots of one liners during the interview. Luckily the client saw the funny side…but they still didn’t get the job.

Ben Chadwick:

Go back to basics… make sure candidates research the role, company, and products. It’s a highly competitive environment therefore clients want the best with little room for compromise. A candidate that can demonstrate thorough research will always stand out from those that just see an interview as another potential job.

Know your CV back to front, inside out, in the dark etc. Be able to explain any moves, secondments or changes… a CV is you, therefore bring it to life and articulate your achievements, successes and interests like they mean something to you… if you can’t sell yourself, who can?

Louise Lavelle:

My advice would be to really think about and prepare questions to ask at the end of the interview. Candidate questions will often be invited and if they don't have any, or ask predictable boring questions it can ruin a good interview and leave a poor impression. Questions should be interesting, insightful and different to show genuine interest and that thought has gone in to their interview preparation. Solid questions will impress the interviewers. 

Hannah Skillen:

Be clear that you want THIS job, not just any job! So often I get feedback that candidates were good but the interviewer was not sure how much they wanted that particular job, it seemed more like they just wanted to get out of their current job and secure any new position.

So while your knowledge of the company and your ability to sell yourself and your skills are important, it’s also essential to make sure you leave the interview having made a memorable impression.

If you’re looking for a new job within the pharma, healthcare or biotech industry speak to one of our consultants today, or take a look at all our current vacancies here https://goo.gl/gnhQBk

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