Interview Preparation – The Bare Minimum
It still suprsies me how many candidates hope to “wing” interviews with the minimum amount of preparation. We all lead busy lives and balancing current work commitments with family and searching for a new role can be difficult, but there are some basics you have to do before every interview.
Be in a position to tell your story:
The most common form of interview is the CV Run through during which the hiring manager runs through your CV asking questions about your work history.
Be prepared to take the lead with this and tell your story for the majority of the interview -target 30 minutes.
Decide in advance what you want to focus upon and which anecdotes you will provide which highlight your skills set.
Job Description:
Read through the job description thoroughly, if there isn’t one -and all too often there isn’t I’m afraid- ensure you have discussed the role thoroughly with the recruiter you are working with.
Highlight the skills and experience that you have and they are looking for and ensure you can illustrate those skills and give examples of how you have used the in the past.
The Internet:
Search their website, their social media presence -particularly LinkedIn- Glassdoor and any other resource that can provide a window into their organisation.
Search for the individual who will be interviewing you and know their work history.
You should expect the question ”What do you know about us?” and you should be able to answer it in a few sentences as a bare minimum.
Dress to Impress:
Dress in appropriate and professional business attire, ensure your business suit is clean and ironed. First impressions count, but more importantly it will give you confidence if you feel smart.
Unfortunately being the best prepared candidate will not guarantee that you will be offered the job, but being the worst prepared will guarantee that you will not be offered it.
No one offers the job to the worst prepared candidate it doesn’t matter how good you are.