An interview is your opportunity to sell yourself.  If you get asked to attend for interview, then congratulations! because they think you can do the job and all you have to do is prove them right!  Exactly how you should approach your interview often depends on a number of factors.  Nevertheless, there are some basic rules:

Preparation – before the day:

1. Know the job – review the Job Description/Person Spec and your skills match.

2. Know the organisation – What it does, It’s priorities, organisational values, where it operates. There should be excellent data on their website and they will expect you to have done your research.  There may be something topical on a BLOG page.

3. Check the time, date, the name and job title of the interviewer(s) and check the location. Leave enough time for traffic conditions/diversions/parking charges etc and consider doing a trial run if practicable.  Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes before the interview start time.

4. Consider what you are going to wear. Dress appropriately and always dress up, not down, even if it’s a video call. (see my Dress to impress blog!)

5. Think about the sort of questions they are likely to ask you and the questions you are going to ask them. Prepare some “Skills stories” and be familiar with your CV.

6. If possible, have a mock interview with a friend. This might be particularly helpful for video calls.

Interview tips:

Of course, the interview may be a video call, so make sure your background is appropriate and noise levels are kept to a minimum. Close down any unnecessary applications on your desktop and put your phone on silent.

Be aware that your interview panel may well be nervous too and if they are inexperienced at interviewing you may need to work that little bit harder to sell yourself.

Pay attention to the question. Answer the one they have asked and not the one you wished they had asked!  Don’t give yes and no answers – If the interviewer is asking closed questions, volunteer information about yourself.

Break down the question. Take it apart bit by bit.  If you are not clear about the question, then ask the interviewer to repeat it.

If you don’t know an answer, admit as such and explain how you would go about finding the answer.

In Part 2, next week’s BLOG –  we will look at those difficult questions you might get asked at interview and how best to respond.