By Patricia Maloney, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers (Galway)

Going for interview, brush up on your technical knowledge.

The electrician who has five examples of his teamwork, but stumbles over the actual safety precautions he takes servicing a power unit, may not leave a lasting impression – stroke that, he may leave an all too lasting an impression.

Maybe the electrician knows full well what he’d do, but just fails to articulate it. Or maybe he takes shortcuts in his work. But if he doesn’t clarify it, they may form the wrong opinion (i.e. he’s a shortcut taker).

If you want them to know you are totally on top of your job, tell them: don’t rely on clairvoyance. Specialists often take their subject expertise for granted. They can adopt a ‘sure they know I know that’ approach in interviews. But how do they know if you don’t tell them?

‘Sure it is in my CV, can’t they see it there?’, you may counter. But that presumes the entire panel has read your CV in the first place. They might not have. Or they may just have read it for the first time seconds before you came in the door. Or they may be reading it for the first time as you are answering your questions.

The interview is a standalone affair. If it’s important, if it showcases your ability, if it allays their fears, if it meets their needs – tell them.

It is galling to see a good candidate fail to get the job because their terse answers failed to convince the interview panel. Yes, an interview is an un-natural environment, but it still remains the most popular method of selecting candidates, so you best be ready to give a good account of yourself.

Patricia Maloney is a Career Coach with Sli Nua Careers and works out of Galway. You can read more about her, and make a booking HERE for CV Preparation and Interview Training.

More articles from her blog can be accessed HERE