Interview Preparation

Monday, February 5, 2018

Employers often use psychometric testing to vet potential employees and help them understand a little more about your personality and ability to fit into the role they are offering – and this type of testing is becoming increasing popular. 

When it comes to having an interview, you can never do too much preparation.

Whether this is your first interview, or you’re been to loads of interviewers – doing research and effective preparation is extremely vital to guarantee interview success. Attempting to ‘do it off the cuff’ will only end badly or consist on awkward silences.

Getting underway

Primary, you need to know what to prepare for.

Aside from giving you an understanding of the job role and organisation, good interview preparation will also give you confidence and less chance of any surprises.

But knowing what specific preparation should you carry out can be tough? Here are a few key things to cover:

  1. Research the company
  2. Look up your job role
  3. Find the address so you know where you are going.
  4. Pick an outfit that is suitable and professional.
  5. Think of some  possible questions your interviewer may ask
  6. Prepare some  questions about the organisation you could ask at the end of the interview, always looks good to have some questions. (Not how much money or many holidays do I get though)

 

The week before the interview

Research the organisation

Employers expect candidates to have a good knowledge of what their organisation does – meaning your ability to research effectively is vital.

Think about different aspects like: how big the company is, how it’s made up, who their targets clients are, and who is their competition– as well as any new expansion or plans within the company.

With this information, you’ll be able to add importance to the conversation, whilst expressing a real interest in what they do.

  

Look at the job description

When it comes to interview preparation, make sure you know the job description inside out.

Not only knowing the duties and required personal qualities help you to understand what the role is all about – it’ll also help you to identify just what the employer is looking for.

Then, you can alter your answers accordingly – coming up with examples and ideals that show you’re the best candidate for the job.

 

Work out the interview format

Interviews can take a number of stages – from telephone, one-on-one and group interviews, to position-specific tests, role plays, and tests. And each stage will need a different type of preparation.

Often, you will be told when you’re invited to an interview, but there is nothing wrong with asking for more information if you need it.  Having a look online to find out how the process has been for other candidates in your situation will also help you to find out what to expect.

Find out who your interviewer(s) will be and research their roles within the company using business website such as LinkedIn, this will help to reduce surprises on your interview day.

 

Write things down

Unfortunately, no one knows what questions are going to be asked on the day of your interview.

So instead of trying to remember everything write a list of your best relevant skills, abilities and work experience.  Each question you mention will be chance to offer some information to the interviewer.

That way, you can be sure you’ll get your most relevant qualities across – even if certain questions you were hoping for don’t come up.

 

 The day before the interview

Although you should have most of your preparation done by now – that doesn’t mean you can relax the day before.

Here are a few things to do:

  • Pick your outfit and try it on, make sure it fits and looks professional.
  • Find out exact location
  • Do a test run to check the journey time
  • Put all  important information into a folder (e.g. your CV, portfolio, certificates, or any other examples of your work and/or qualifications)
  • Read and review the research you’ve done

Sorting out all of the above in advance means you will be more relaxed and prepared on the day of the interview.

You know your outfit fits, you know where to go and how long it takes, and with all of your documents to hand – the interviewer will be able to see you’re prepared.

Even if you don’t end up using examples of your work – you could use your documents to demonstrate a point or answer a question.

 

The day of the interview

At this stage you should feel confident and prepared.

All you have to do is get there on time, and put your preparation to good use.

Plan to get there at least 10 minutes before your interview time – and if you’re going to be late for any reason, make sure you tell the interviewer as soon as possible.