You may be an interview whizz, or you may not have had one for years – either way you need to do your preparation. The important thing is not to panic, we’re here to help! Below you will find some of our key tips on preparing for an interview.
The Job Specification is your best interview resource as it literally tells you what your potential employer is looking for!
Start by writing down relevant examples from your work history that align with the job spec.
In the interview, when you are asked to talk about what you do in your current and previous roles, you should talk specifically about duties that are relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. Don’t waste time talking about irrelevant duties!
It’s important in an interview to give real-world examples to back up what you’re saying. The chances are you will be asked questions related to what’s on the Job Spec so a great way to prep would be to come up with an example / scenario from your work history that relates to each of the points.
Explain what happened in the scenario, what your response was, and what the outcome was.
Having prepared examples for each of the skillsets on the spec will put you in a better position to answer whatever question you get asked.
All businesses want to feel that you’re interested in them and have taken the time to do some research. It’s important to be able to explain what the company do and then to pick out a few key pieces of information that you can use to show your interest and enthusiasm.
Look further than just what’s on the company website – check out their news feed and social media pages such as LinkedIn.
This will show that you are genuinely interested in the role and the company.
It’s perfectly ok to note down your questions and take them in with you for reference. Having a notepad will also allow you to take notes during the interview if you need to.
If they happen to answer your questions throughout the course of the interview, you can show them that you did have some questions prepared.
Think about questions that show you’re really thinking about being in the position. The only questions to avoid are anything related to the salary or benefits, as you don’t want it to come across that this is all you’re interested in!
•What is a typical day like?
•What are the team like?
•What is the biggest challenge in the role?
•Are there any development opportunities?
•Who are your main customers?
•Is there anything I haven’t covered in the interview that you would like to know more about?
“They were really helpful and made sure I felt confident and prepared for my interview.”
