Been invited for interview? Congratulations! That’s the first step done. The next step of course is getting ready so that at the interview itself, you’ll impress the employer, get offered the job and achieve the end result you want. In terms of getting ready, it’s all about the prep work. We’ve put together some basic tips on preparing for interview that we hope will help.

Research the Company

One question which you are pretty much guaranteed to be asked at interview is what you know about the company or organisation. It’s essential then that you dedicate some time in advance of the interview to finding out all that you can about them. There are a whole host of places where you can do this. Firstly, Google is your friend! Doing a quick search for the company should bring up a variety of resources that will be of relevance. There will (hopefully) be the company website itself; there may be news articles in online newspapers or magazines or perhaps features on industry related sites or you may find interviews with some of the organisation’s key figureheads. Social media is another great resource – check out Twitter and Facebook and of course LinkedIn and see what’s being written about the company and of course check out their own social media sites too.

Research the job itself

Even if the job you have applied for is very similar to the job you are already doing, there are likely to be some differences. It’s worthwhile therefore spending some time checking out the finer details of the role. Use the job description you received when you applied for the role or ask for a job description in advance of the interview. Check out some LinkedIn profiles for people who are doing the job presently or who have done so in the past. They may list duties and responsibilities that the job ad does not. If you know someone already working for the organisation, have a chat and pick their brains about the job. Insider info can often really help!

Get your answers ready

Most interviews will combine a mixture of questions – the traditional questions and the competency based questions. It’s essential then that you plan ahead and rehearse your answers for the more typical questions that you are likely to be asked. Figure out some examples which best illustrate how you have the skills and experience required for the job. Use the job ad and the key criteria to determine the essential skills and therefore traits that the employer is seeking and prepare relevant answers accordingly. Don’t just leave it to chance. Check out our tips on frequently asked questions – they’ll hopefully be of use.

Organise the practical bits

There are a lot of practical bits and pieces which need some thought in advance of your interview. You will need to consider where the interview is being held and plan your route. Check bus or
train timetables or figure out how long it will take you to get there and how you will do just that. You will also need to plan what you’re going to wear and get it all in order well before the day itself. Leaving things like this to the last minute will only serve to add anxiety to your day and that’s the last thing you would need before an interview.

If you’ve got an interview on the horizon, we hope that these basic tips on preparing for interview will certainly help.