1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
It’s always worth ‘going that extra mile’ – you can never have too much information. The fastest way to conduct research on a company is online. Start off with the company’s website and then try expanding your search using a search engine. Try to answer the following questions.
- What are the company’s core products and services?
- How is the company perceived in the market place?
- Find out what you can about the company’s financial situation
- Try to think like a customer of the company and identify potential improvements
- Research the company’s competitors and the industry as a whole
2. BE PREPARED
You should ensure you prepare thoroughly so that you are able to talk comfortably about yourself, your experience and how it relates to the role. Be familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer.
Prepare yourself in advance for common interview questions. Never answer a question you don’t understand with a knee-jerk response. Always seek clarification before answering and if you don’t know an answer, it is much better to admit this than guess.
Be prepared for the following questions:
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would your manager describe you?
- What is your career path for the future / where do you see yourself in 2 years’ time?
- What motivates you to be successful?
- How do you react when you are left to work without supervision?
- Give me an example of when you feel you have coped extremely well under pressure at work?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
3. THE INTERVIEW
Making a good first impression:
- Make sure your mobile phone is switched off.
- Relax and have confidence in your research and preparation.
- Greet your interviewer standing, with a firm handshake and a smile! Good body language is vital.
- Wait to sit until the interviewer does or until they offer you your chair.
- Sit up straight with both feet on the floor.
- Speak clearly and confidently.
- Try and maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout
- Don’t rush to fill in silence. Think before you speak.
- Use practical examples to illustrate your skills and show how they suit the role and the company.
- Avoid one word answers.
- Show enthusiasm for the role.
- Speak with clarity and confidence. Close the interview with a handshake and a genuine thank you; make a positive last impression.
At the end of the interview, the employer will usually ask if you have any questions about the job or company, so always prepare a few in advance. This is a good chance to clarify any points of doubt – after all, you need to make sure that the job is exactly what you expected and what you want. Suggested questions to ask:
- What are the opportunities for career progression?
- What are the training opportunities?
- What are my precise responsibilities?
- How much travel is involved?
- What are the targets for the first 6 months?
- How long will it take you to make a final recruitment decision?
4. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
Write down a short summary of the interview while it is still fresh in your mind. Note the areas in which you feel you went well, as well as any questions you found difficult to answer. This will help you to prepare for a possible second interview, or with future interviews for other roles. Call your consultant and provide feedback. Your consultant needs to know your views on the interview and the role before contacting the employer.
