Interview Tips

By spending some time preparing and thinking about your interview you can give yourself a real advantage. The following tips will help you to prepare yourself well and allow you to come across as calm and well-organised.

Research, research, research

Many interviewers will include questions about your knowledge of their company. A well-prepared interviewee will have information to hand on last year's profits and latest product launches. It is also wise to look at competitors in the marketplace and what their achievements have been. Researching the organisation in advance also shows your initiative and interest in pursuing a career with the company.

Practice makes perfect

The more interviews you do, the easier they become. Perfecting your interview technique should ideally be done in a practice environment. Although an interviewer will not follow any set format, there are some questions that come up time and time again. You should prepare answers to questions about your personal strengths and weaknesses, as well as being able to explain why you would be the best person for the job. It is always worth listing potential projects and examples that you can use to illustrate your suitability to the competencies listed in the job specification.

Be calm

If you have prepared well, you are more likely to be calm and perform better during the interview. As well as practicing your interview questions and researching the company you will also need to make sure you know exactly where you are going. Work out your route, allowing extra time, and get everything you need to take with you ready the night before. Remember to speak slowly and clearly, and if you are feeling nervous, take your time and pause for breath. Interviewers are often just as nervous as interviewees, so consider them too.

Look the part

Making an effort to appear smart and well-presented will show potential employers that you are keen. Conversely, turning up looking like you have just rolled out of bed with unpolished shoes and untidy clothes will give the appearance of having little interest in the role you are applying for. Although appearance should have no bearing on an employer’s decision, when faced with identically skilled applicants it is unlikely that they would choose the candidate who had forgotten to have their suit cleaned before the interview or chewed gum throughout.

Prepare some questions for the Interviewer

Most interviews will conclude with an opportunity for you to ask some questions of your own. In order to come across as interested in the role and the company, you should have thought about these and have a list of questions previously prepared. Work out some questions that will give you more information about the company, its culture, values and opportunities as well as future products and plans for expansion. Questions about the role can include its current and future scope as well as the current team members.