Preparation
Before any interview make sure you dress smartly and in accordance with the role, if in dealt phone up the company and ask. Remember dress the part but don’t overdress. If you are dressed correctly you will feel confident and not awkward in the interview. Check yourself in the mirror, polish your shoes and check your overall appearance as you want to look good as this shows respect to the interviewer, that you take the interview seriously and more importantly that you want the position. Common mistakes:-
- Top button not done up
- Wrist buttons on shirt of blouse not done up
- Turn your mobile phone off
- Tie not correctly done up
Make sure you read the company brochure if you have one and read the company web site, make sure you know what’s going on and the sort of work that they carry out. Also and this may seem a bit strange but read through your own resume before you go to your interview as sometimes under pressure we forget to mention about some of the things we have done in the past when asked for examples such as in a behavioural interview structure. Highlight in your mind your strong points and examples to back this up it’s often not enough just to say you are a ‘good communicator’ interviewer’s want specific past examples.
Re-read the advert for the role you have applied for and think about how you fit the criteria and the areas which you are weaker on. If there are areas you are weaker on or have not done before do you have any transferable skills which may provide evidence to support these weaker points? If there is not, don’t worry and don’t try to make things up after all the interviewer(s) have seen your resume and are interviewing you so you must be in with a chance from the skills you show on your resume in the first place.
Get there early and know where you are going, you can always stroll around the area to waste some time if you are too early, rather than sprinting around like an Olympic athlete looking for the office!
Summary for Preparation
- Check dress
- Read web site / brochure
- Turn off mobile phone
- Re-read your own resume
- Re-Read Advert for position
- Get there early and know where you are going the day before
