Interview Tips
Preparation
Prepare yourself, interviews are two way meetings. They are both an opportunity for the interviewer to find out about you and whether you are a suitable candidate - and for you to find out about the organisation and if the position will provide you with the challenges and job satisfaction that you are looking for.
Think about your skills, qualifications and experience and ensure that you can talk confidently about what is written on your CV. Particularly ensure that you can talk about the skills relevant to the position you are going for.
Prepare some questions to ask at the interview. At the first interview it would be wise to restrict your questions to the details of the job and the organisation. Salary and benefit discussions are best left until a second interview or a job offer is made.
Do your homework
Find out as much as possible about the company prior to the interview. A good starting point is to look up their website and find out about the products and services they offer, the location of the office/s, and the number of employees.
Ask the consultancy if they have any extra information on them. Check out social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook – does the company have a profile or groups set up? What is the typical background of an employee currently working their?
Gain insight into your interviewers as you can be sure that they will be checking you out at CV submission stage. On this note, ensure that your social network sites are clean with suitable images for display!
Dress code and appearance
Ensure that you are well groomed with tidy hair, clean shoes and clothing. Do not wear too much perfume or aftershave and keep make-up, jewellery and nail polish simple.
Travel and timing
Plan your journey beforehand to ensure you arrive a few minutes early. Allow for possible travel delays. Just in case of a major hold up, make sure you have your contact's telephone number so that you can call if you suspect you will be late.
The Interview
What to expect
Interviews come in many forms - panel interviews, one to one interviews, group interviews etc. Ask your consultancy what form of interview it will be beforehand. You may be asked to take a test before the interview, depending on the type of organisation. These might consist of psychometric or aptitude tests.
There are many different interview styles and each interviewer will have their own personal style. Some interviewers will fire questions at you while others will start off with an open question such as "tell me about yourself" leaving you to do most of the talking. The majority of interviews will be somewhere between the two. Be prepared for any style of interview.
Two-way communication
Make sure the employer knows the benefits of employing you. It is important to sell yourself by telling the employer details of your relevant skills and experience that you have to contribute to the organisation.
Try not to monopolize the meeting - let your interviewer talk. Find out what the key parts of the candidate specification are so you can show how you meet them. Show that you have done some research.
Don't give negative information or bad news if you are not asked for it and don't criticize previous employers or jobs – this is a major turn off for future employers! The key is to turn negative information into positive information.
