Job Interview Tips

Know exactly where the interview will be and the time that you need to arrive. Of all the interview tips that we feature, this is key. Print off a map and if possible do a dry run the day before, so you know exactly how long it will take to get there. Ensure you know who the interviewer will be, how to pronounce their name and his or her title. Also check who you need to ask for on arrival as this may not be the person who is interviewing you. Do not be afraid to ask for this information. If this hasn't been provided, call the HR department or recruitment agency and get as much information as possible.

Visit their website and look at any press releases or annual sales returns. Also read up on their products and services and their principle lines of business. Ask the company or recruitment agency if they have any brochures or company literature that you could send you.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of questions an interviewer can ask, so you can never prepare the answers completely. However, interviews do tend to follow a common pattern.

Biographical Interview - This interview will discuss your skills and experiences and will go through your CV. To prepare for this type of interview make sure that you have memorized your CV. The interviewer will be likely to ask you to elaborate of certain elements, so be ready. In addition, there are also many standard questions that can be asked in a biographical interview. These could include:

• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• What can you bring to the team?

The internet is a useful tool in preparing for an interview and there are endless resources, interview tips and interview advice sites available, which will provide you with example questions.

Competency Based Interview - This is becoming the norm within the recruitment industry. The interviewer will ask situational questions e.g. "Tell me about a time when you demonstrated strong organisational skills" To prepare for this type of interview, write a list of the key competencies required for the role (the job spec will help you with this). For each competency think of a situation when you have demonstrated this. How you answer the question, needs to be structured in a specific way and this is referred to as the STAR technique: S= SITUATION, describe the situation and what the initial problem was T=TASK, what were you charged to do or achieve?   A= ACTION, describe the action you took to resolve the problem and R= RESulT  what was the result of your actions.

On of the key interview tips that we can offer you is that when the interviewer has finished questioning you and asks "Do you have any questions?" do not breathe a sigh of relief that it's over and head for the door. The interviewer will assess you on the questions you ask. Be prepared with a handful of intelligent, pertinent questions. Do not ask questions such as "How many days holiday do I get" or "When do I get my bonus?" You need to demonstrate your interest in the company and the role and ask questions that will interest or test the interviewer.