The Key to Interview Preparation
Sian Taylor • March 6, 2016
Meeting with a potential new employer can be very daunting, how you conduct yourself during your interview can change your life! Preparing for your meeting is essential to your success. I would like to share with you some guidance and a few pointers that I have noted during my recruitment career…
- The best preparation should be done the night before especially, if you have a morning meeting.
- It is essential that you look at the company website, making sure you are familiar with the company’s vision, mission and values. (Make note of the values that are in line with your own). See if the interviewer is on the company’s ‘About Us” page, so you are familiar with their work and of course what they look like!
- Re read the job description (you should have one) and your resume. Make note of what you can bring to bring to this role and what you perceive as your development areas.
- Familiarise yourself with interview questions, have a look here for some examples of these types of questions which appear on the people2people website. Think about your answers in line with the C.A.R. (Circumstance – Action – Result) or S.A.O. (Situation – Action – Outcome) techniques. Think about your strengths, weaknesses, key achievements in your career to date and your career goals.
- Check the location and plan your route to the interview. You should aim to arrive 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time.
- Get your clothes ready! Iron your shirt, polish your shoes and plan what you are going to wear. It is important that you dress to impress, as you will find yourself feeling more confident if you are happy in what you are wearing.
- Get an early night so that you are refreshed and in the right frame of mind.
- Write a list of questions or queries that you have. You may find that most are answered throughout the interview but it is worth knowing what you want to gain from the meeting. Examples of questions you have may be in line with the company culture, what career opportunities they have, why the position has become vacant and what attracted them to join the company themselves!
- As you travel to the interview, take a couple of minutes to think about what attracted you to the role and why you want to leave your current position. For most of us, we are looking for an opportunity to develop professionally and the decision to leave a firm or role is essential for our own progress.
- If you do have any questions surrounding the role or the interview please call your recruitment consultant. We can usually offer an insight in to the person you are meeting and what others have said about the company.
And finally… good luck!
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In business since 2002 in Australia, NZ, and the United Kingdom, people2people is an award-winning recruitment agency with people at our heart. With over 12 offices, we specialise in accounting and finance, business support, education, executive, government, HR, legal, marketing and digital, property, sales, supply chain, and technology sectors. As the proud recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Large Agency and Excellence in Candidate Care Awards, we are dedicated to helping businesses achieve success through a people-first approach.
