The PVR Interview Toolkit: Part 2 – Five Top Tips

We’re looking at first interviews again. In the last post we talked about the Three W’s to help you prepare what you’re going to say and how to answer key questions. Here we have five additional top tips to add the icing on your Three W’s cake …as it were…


1. The Bigger Picture
Hopefully you’ll have a grasp of the overall campaign picture (strategy) involved in your work – not just the tactical execution. Saying that, it’s one of the areas people frequently fall down on, and thus a way of standing out as a top candidate. If you don’t have a grasp of the strategy – this can be one of your prime reasons for moving – to gain more involvement in strategy. For account directors and above, this is most important. Check out our earlier post on How To Get To Account Director. For more junior candidates, a grasp of this will really impress, as its shows you understand the real value of the tactical work that you focus on


2. Embody Your CV
Hopefully your CV is looking great – it’s the reason they wanted to meet you – so do it justice. Know your way round your CV blindfolded, so when questioned on any section you can reel of a coherent answer straight away and what you say matches what you’ve written down, including results and achievements


3. Dress For Success
In our creative PR industry, it’s generally only corporate and financial agencies that require you to wear a full on suit these days, and the people you meet in any technology or consumer agency are likely to be dressed casually. In fact, a full suit can sometimes make you look a bit too corporate, as the interviewers will be trying to imagine you fitting in. But there’s a right way to do casual and that means smart-casual. Smart jeans (or trousers) with a smart shirt with a trendy/ smart jacket often works well as a combo for both boys and girls, while these links on College Fashion and Pretty Savvy have some good tips aimed more at ladies and also talk about PR interviews. If in doubt, it’s always best to err on the side of conservative/ smart and the fallback is a traditional suit – no one should really hold being smart against you. If you dress very casually at work – take a change of clothes or simply start dressing a bit smarter generally


4. Strike A Rapport
That’s right. You’ll be working cheek-by-jowel with these people so they’ll want to feel they can work with you. Maybe find a small talking point before of after the interview, use open body language, sound keen to learn more about them (the end of interview questions can help with this) and a healthy sense of humour is always good (leave the clown outfit and stand up routine at home though)


5. Any Questions?
Yes you have. Asking questions shows you have a keen interest in finding out everything you can so that you make this move work. Whether is about some of the campaigns or the team culture, its good to have at least a couple of questions. Chances are, if you’ve done your research, you’ll have a couple of questions


Finally, Plan Your Journey
Look at maps, look at Google Street View, check train times. Make sure you know where to go. Try to get there a bit early in case of train delays, then sit in a coffee shop until a maximum of ten minutes or a minimum of five minutes beforehand. Its really is all about where you’re going and how to get there!