I didn't realise how much they'd already decided before the interview even started.

I'd been preparing like it was going to be structured.
It isn't. It's more about how you are with people in the room.

Had to go back over the TAOR bit a couple times.
Didn’t click straight away.
Some examples felt a bit lighter than the others.

The group exercise part.
No one really explains that.
That's where I'd been going wrong.

I remember standing there thinking I was ready.
Then it started and I was more focused on saying something than actually paying attention.

I thought I understood what they meant by being natural.
I probably did… but not in how I actually came across.

It was the bit where you're waiting to be called in.
I didn't think that part mattered.

I was the one in the grey blazer who kept nodding too much. I didn’t even realise I did that until I read the section on over-signalling.

I kept trying to remember the ‘right’ thing to say and then halfway through I realised I’d basically stopped listening.

I always thought my issue was my answers. It wasn’t. It was how fast I was speaking. Slowing down made me sound calmer instantly.

Some parts felt uncomfortable to read at first — mostly because it pointed out things I didn’t realise I was doing.