[originaltext]M: In the studio today we have Eve Startling, a career adviser at

M: In the studio today we have Eve Startling, a career adviser at a well known comprehensive school. Glad to have you with us, Eve.
W: Thank you.
M: A lot of young people are very nervous when they go to a job interview for the first time. What’s the best way of dealing with this?
W: The obvious answer isn’t much help, really, I’m afraid: "Just keep calm and do your best." If you’re nervous to start with, this advice probably has the opposite effect. And in fact, a certain amount of tension is probably a good thing. It’s the same with the way you sit when the inter viewer asks you to sit down.
M: How do you mean?
W: Well, if you balance on the edge of you chair, it shows you’re nervous, but if you relax and make yourself too comfortable, that won’t do, either. You should sit naturally, but straight, to show you’re paying attention.
M: And I suppose you should face the interviewer when you answer questions.
W: Yes, eye contact is important then, but that doesn’t mean you never take your eyes off the interviewer. And it’s all right to be naturally pleasant, but don’t try too hard.
M: One of the things that upset people most at interviews, I think, is that interviewers often ask trick questions. Even quite innocent questions like "How do you spend your spare time?" can contain traps in certain cases. Suppose the company would prefer an outdoor person but you spend every weekend looking at your stamp collection. What should you doe Should you always tell the truth or pretend to be what the company wants?
W: Tell the truth, yes, but not necessarily the whole truth. It’s no good pre tending to be what you’re not an experienced interviewer would soon find out but you needn’t go out of your way to tell them anything you don’t want them to know.
M: One last piece of advice before we sign off?
W: Yes, and it may surprise you. That is that very often young people get carried away just with the idea of winning. It’s hard to remember when there’s a lot of unemployment, as there is nowadays, but you should be sure that this is the kind of work you want to do and the firm is one that you would enjoy working for. Otherwise you may get the job and then find out that you hate it. So remember to ask sensibly questions as well as to answer sensibly.