Are you Interview ready?
Great news, you have been invited for an interview, what now?
Are you interview ready, below is the definitive guide to get make that all important 1st impression.
Fail to plan, plan to fail.
By doing your homework on the company, it’s people and the specific role will help out you be at ease when you finally sit down to the interview - research is a must
All the information is already online and ready for you to google, but where do you start:
Key Sources of Information: Company Website, LinkedIn Company Pages, Employee Profiles, Company Publications and News Articles.
- Check out the company’s Website these contain great information for you to research.
- LinkedIn: A great tool where not only the company information, but it’s post, News and People – Always check out the profiles of the people you will meet on the day – and dive deeper see what they have posted or written
- Find out the company’s History, It’s Values, it’s Mission Statement
- What is it’s USP, i.e. what differentiates them from their competitors?
- Look up the company and the interviewers in the news
- Ensure you’re familiar with the industry, competitors, innovation etc
During the interview this knowledge will help you align your own values, and tailor your responses to demonstrate your interest in the company.
What is your role all about?
These day’s applying for a job is easy as clicking a button! do you fully understand the role you are being interviewed for?
Your next job is about your growth, so don’t fret about not having all the experience, career opportunities should offer you career development and headroom for growth. However, if you are applying for a contract it is your specific experience and expertise that is critical.
- Look at the team profiles on LinkedIn, this will give you more information to evaluate alongside the role description.
- Identify the key skills and responsibilities and map your skills and experience to these and be sure to think of examples of how and where you have applied them, anecdotal evidence carries a lot f weight
Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful way to respond to questions, especially when illustrating relevant experiences. It enables the demonstration of personal values and soft skills in a tangible, relatable manner. Anecdotal evidence not only supports your answers but also makes them more engaging and memorable.
Remember that your CV acts as a script for the interviewer so know it thoroughly making sure that you can answer any questions that it generates.
Familiarise yourself with the STAR method of answering questions: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioural questions.
The interviewer will want to assess:
- technical expertise,
- problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills
- communication skills,
- capacity to work in a team.
- cultural fit, adaptability,
- personal qualities; accountability, empathy, and self-awareness
Nervous, understandably so, use the 5Ps; Perfect Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
If you have not interviewed before or it’s been a long time, ask a family member or a friend to help set up a mock interview, get constructive feedback, refine and repeat.
Be Ready to ask your questions.
Here you can highlight your research, talk about a product, news article or an industry innovation – engage the interview it shows a proactive interest.
Ask about what good looks like, what are their expectations of you and how do they see your career developing in the organisation?
