1. remember the point of the interview
why are people nervous in interviews?
usually it's because they are keen to impress, keen to give the right answer. whilst it is important to remain positive in an interview it's more important that you portray yourself in an accurate manner. the object of the interview is to give an accurate representation of your normal everyday self, after all, this is the person that will ultimately be doing the job if you are successful. many people create a false "interview" persona but this can have one of two disastrous effects:
a). they don't like your "interview" persona, even though they may well have liked your normal, "day to day " persona.
b). they employ you and you hate the job and leave because you are not the person they thought you were and you don't suit the role or company.
if you are being yourself, you can't really answer a question incorrectly, any answer true to yourself will help the interviewer to build an accurate idea of you as an employee. if you can't make a mistake then there's no need to be nervous. always be yourself.
2. make sure you are prepared
if you think that you will walk into an interview and everything will just flow, you will probably be mistaken. it's very important to prepare yourself by researching the client using their website or if they don't have one ask your recruitment consultant for additional information.
do not attend an interview without first looking at the companies website. they will ask you about it in the interview. fully prepare a list of questions that you may need to ask to get further information during the interview.
3. make a list of the questions you want to ask
interview questions are important as they provide you with an opportunity to find out about a companies culture and working structure. most interviewers will ask you if you have any questions during the interview and it's always a good idea to have prepared a list beforehand, you don't need to ask them all but bring a selection to remind you if you do feel nervous or incase you have answered some of them during the interview.
4. positive approach
in an interview make sure that you try to steer away from negative issues. if you left your last job because you hated the work, try not to discuss the work negatively but merely reflect that you are seeking a new challenge and more complex or considered work to expand your skills.
no matter how tempting it's never really a good idea to comment unfavourably on previous colleagues, managers, companies or roles.