The interview
Preparing for an interview
The most important tip is: BE PREPARED!
How to prepare for a first interview:
1. Know your CV – Interviewers will refer to your CV throughout the interview, so ensure that you know it inside & out. Often you will be asked by the interviewer to give a brief overview of your experience.
2. Do your homework about the company you are interviewing at. The easiest way to research a company is to visit its website, click on as many links as possible. It’s not an exam, so there’s no need to memorise everything you see on their website, just familiarise yourself on what the company does, the products or service they offer and a little bit about the people and size of company. The more interest you show in the company the better.
3. What you wear and how you present yourself is often as important as your experience. Therefore, choose an outfit that is appropriate for the job you’re interviewing for and pay attention to your body language and tone of voice throughout the interview. Be confident, friendly, have eye contact and remember to smile.
4. Think about questions you might be asked by the interviewer.
Examples of the type of questions you could be asked appear below:-
1) Can you please tell us about your recent experience at XXXX for example what were your day to day tasks?
2) What did you enjoy most about your experience?
3) What type of computer skills do you have?
4) What skills would you like to develop in this job?
5) What are you looking for in your next job?
6) What type of environment do you enjoy working in?
7) Where do you see yourself in the next three years?
8) What are your strengths and weaknesses?
9) Why do you want to work for this company?
5. One of the most common questions you can be asked in an interview is ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’. When answering this type of question you might like to consider the following:
STRENGTHS: It is important to provide specific examples to demonstrate your ‘strengths’. For example someone in retail or hospitality could be ‘passionate about customer service’, therefore explain a time where you went out of your way to fulfil a customer’s request. Make sure your examples are truthful and can be backed up by a referee.
WEAKNESSES: Try not to use the word weakness instead, start your sentence with: ‘My area for improvement is……’
Being able to say you are actively trying to change your weakness into a strength is also a good idea. For example, ‘My area for improvement is public speaking and I have just enrolled in a toastmaster’s course.’
6. Prepare your own questions. Some questions you might consider:
a) Ask about the company. Size, how long the company has been operating, who their clients are.
b) What is the size of the team you would be working in should you get the job.
c) How soon would they need you to start.
d) Is public transport easily accessible.
e) Are there opportunities for growth and career progression within the company.
f) Are they interviewing many people for this role.
g) What would be the next step should they be interested in progressing your application further. Will there be a 2nd interview stage.
h) When will you hear from them again.
7. Don’t just focus on how working for their company would be good for you. Think about what you can bring to the company; for example skills and qualities that you could apply to the role. This is important to get across to your prospective employer.
8. Your aim is to stand out from the crowd; be confident and professional. Showing enthusiasm and a keen interest in the company, will rate highly with the interviewer regardless of your previous work experience or qualifications.
Don’t forget all job interviews are learning curves. Analyse how you think the interview went. If you’re turned down after a job interview, try to remember to ask the person WHY. Constructive feedback is very valuable to improve your chances of success the next time round!