Breaking the Ice

It is common practise for an informal chat to take place before the formal interview starts. Do not make the classic error of assuming this is not part of the interview - it is. It is part of a professional interviewer's assessment. However it is also an opportunity for both parties to overcome any initial awkwardness. Some very informal questions are likely to be asked - i.e. how was your journey? Did you find us OK? etc etc. Do not become over familiar or over friendly and do not go into a long story about how terrible the traffic was. Answer with short friendly reply's - i.e. "the traffic was quite bad but I allowed for that in preparing my journey". Always initially address your interviewer using their salutation i.e. Mr/Mrs/Ms. They may well address you by your first name - do not take this as an insult, it is general practise. If the position you are applying for is of a senior nature then it is not unreasonable to address the interviewer by their first name also if they address you in this manner. It can be a good idea during some interviews to ask the question "how would you like me to address you during the interview" if you are unsure how to address your interviewer.

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