Once you’ve sent out your CVs and you’re starting to get responses, the next step to Prepare for is the Interview process. Interviews are daunting and can be nerve-racking for some. But once you know how to prepare for them and what to expect, you can fly through them in the blink of an eye.
Research
The Company
Many interviewers will expect you to have a good grasp of what their company does. You sent an application through to them, so they will want to know that you’re passionate about working with them. If you don’t know anything about the company, it’ll come across as if they were your plan B or C.
Before going in for the interview, you should have a good grasp of what their organisation does, who their customers are, how big the company is, and who their competitors are. This will also mean that you’ll be able to hold a relevant conversation about the company. It’ll give the impression that you really want to work for their company (even if you don’t).
The Interviewer
Knowing who’s going to be interviewing you is just as important as knowing about the company. If you don’t know, try calling their office and asking. Once you do, find out their role in the organisation and any other professional information about them. You can use the company website, or LinkedIn to do so, but not Facebook. It may start coming across as too stalkerish. Keep it professional.
The Role
Understanding what your position in the company will be, can give you key information about whether or not you’ll really want the job. If it’s something that you’re going to find tedious and exhausting, then it may not be the best career choice. Try and raise any queries you have during, or before the interview.
Questions
Getting Asked
Interviewers can often fire out questions that aren’t always simple to answer and unfortunately, it’s impossible to know every question they could ask. Instead, try preparing a list of important points about yourself beforehand and then drop the facts about yourself into your answers. Each question will give you the chance to tell the interviewer a little bit about yourself.
A good way to prepare for interview questioning is to ask a friend to engage in a role-play scenario. They’ll fire out questions and you can practice your answers.
Doing the Asking
The interviewer can’t do all the questioning, even though sometimes it may seem like it. You have to treat an interview like a conversation. You have to show your input by giving answers and asking questions.
Come prepared with a list of questions to ask. The answers may give you a better understanding of the role you could be getting into. It can also solidify your decision about whether or not to accept a possible offer.
Prepare
CV
Before you head off to your interview, double check that the content on your CV is all up-to-date. Change dates, add skills and make sure there aren’t any typos.
Getting to the Interview
The last thing you’ll want to do is arrive late,, because you weren’t able to find the place. Instead, make your way to the meeting place the day before. You’ll know what it looks like, how to get there and how much time it’ll take to get there. You also won’t be as frantic and stressed out if you get lost.
What to Take
You’ll want to take a few essential things to every interview.
- 2 or 3 copies of your CV
- Examples of your work
- A notepad and pencil
- Any certificates of merit or qualifications are worth having
It’s well worth being over prepared, because if the interviewer asks for anything you’ll have it on hand.
The better prepared you are, the better you’ll look.
