This final instalment of the series is a really important one. I won’t go into too much detail as I’ve already blogged about it with regards to more generic interviews (please read my article Likeability - the ‘other’ key to interview success”). But exactly the same message applies for university interviews: if you don’t present yourself as being ‘likeable’ then it is going to be much harder for you to get a positive outcome from your interview.
In the same way that employers want to be able to get along with the people they are working with, university tutors are going to want to like the people they teach. It may not be that they are even consciously aware of this when they make their decisions but to a greater or lesser extent it will have an impact.
In my experience, when it comes to university interviews one of the main problems that can present itself in certain students is failure to get the balance right between confidence and arrogance. If you feel you may risk falling into this category then be very aware that one of them is a good quality to present and the other isn’t. No one wants to teach arrogant students, especially as your tutors will be experts in their field and, thus, it is a misjudgement to assume any kind of intellectual superiority over them. Instead you need to learn to embrace humility. At the other end of the scale are those students who are so lacking in confidence that it presents itself at interview as disinterest. Whichever category you may fall into, speak to those around you who know you well and are prepared to give an honest view on the characteristics that you portray. Read the tips I have given in the aforementioned blog article and remember the role that enthusiasm also plays in this.
Don’t forget that Momentum Careers Advice offer a mock interview service for just £70.