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Being organised will alleviate some ofthose 'on the day' nerves and so that youset yourself up for success.

Firstly, test out the journey to theinterview. Sit outside in your car andobserve people entering and leaving thebuilding. Dress code has changedconsiderably over the years, and formany companies, the 'suited and booted'look has disappeared. What people wearto work nowadays varies by culture, andwhile you need to opt for the smarterversion of the company's standard dresscode, first impressions will make a bigdifference.

First things first, congratulate yourself onsecuring a formal interview! You havebeen chosen from a large pool ofcandidates and you’ve done really well!No doubt you will be listening to greatadvice from those closest to you saying“just be yourself, you’ll be fine” however,you know that this will not be enough tosecure the job you really want.

Hiring Managers are looking for the bestperson to fill their vacancy and they areinterviewing you to find out if you are thebest person. However, a job interview isalways a two-way street. Not only do youneed to convince an employer that youare right for their job, you also need tofeel assured that they are right for you.

Fail to plan, plan to fail. This phrasecouldn’t be more pertinent when it comesto preparing for an interview.

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Next, consider who you know who alreadyworks for the organisation or someone whomay be able to advocate you in theorganisation. LinkedIn will be a great toolin this instance. Set up a time to speak withthem and have an in-depth conversation tofind out more about the organisation, therole and your potential interviewers.

Follow the corporate social media pages(LinkedIn & Facebook) to review recentposts and recent news and pressreleases, which could educate you ontheir growth and stabilityResearch the company's and industry'schallenges, trends and opportunitiesReview the company's GlassdoorReviews. Bear in mind that people willonly usually comment if they have hadan excellent or poor experience workingfor the organisation, so ensure you arereading the reviews in this contextFor more senior roles, go ontoCompany's House to review their lastfinancial results. Having anunderstanding financially of how thecompany is performing can highlightsome pressure points that you might beable to help with

Develop a list of insightful questions aboutthe organisation based upon your research.This will show the employer that you havedone your homework and that you aregenuinely interested in working for them.

C O M P A N Y R E S E A R C H

Visit the company's website to ensureyou fully understand the nature of theirbusinessReview the careers pages to understandand appreciate the company's values,vision and mission statement

Your interviewer will ask you specificquestions around their business, so makesure that you do your homework.  

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F I N D O U T A B O U T Y O U R I N T E R V I E W E R S

Ensure you know the format of the interviewand who and how many people will beinterviewing you, their names and job titles.

To help to put you at ease and todemonstrate how well you have prepared,aim to find out more about the people whowill be interviewing you. Look on LinkedInand also the company website. Try and findout more about their background, how longthey have worked for the company and whattheir role is. Also, link in with yourinterviewers before your interview, this willallow them the opportunity to view youroptimised profile and your LinkedIn activity,which will give a positive view of you beforethey meet you.

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U N D E R S T A N D T H E J O B

Where possible, ask for a copy of theJob Description and PersonSpecification. If the company cannotprovide you with these documents,review the job advertisement and lookfor people on LinkedIn who may be ina similar role with the companyMake a list of the knowledge, skills,behaviours and abilities required.How does your experience andpersonality traits compare to theattributes they will be seeking?Talk to anyone you may know who isfamiliar with the kind of work youmay be doing and aim to find out whatqualities the prospective employerwill be seeking. Particularlyimportant if you haven't done thisspecific role before.

Your ability to talk simply to theinterviewer about your relatableexperience and transferable skills will beessential.

Prepare some examples of relevantexperiences you have encountered andsuccesses and achievements you havehad. Don't forget to provide data andevidence to back up each one.

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Q U E S T I O N S

Tell me about your career journey todate?

There are three questions which will featurein every interview you attend and masteringyour answer to each one before yourinterview will help you to showcase yourbest self.

1.

This question sets the tone of the interview,but so many interviewees can spend far toolong answering this question, losing theinterest of the interviewer very early on.Ensure you craft a response which isconcise, natural, involves some story-tellingand filter in your successes along the way.

2. Tell me about your achievements?

The employer is looking at the value youcan bring to their organisation, and theyare looking for reassurance and evidenceto substantiate this. You need to knowyour numbers when you are deliveringyour answers. Ensure you go into detailaround sales, profit, new client wins, costsavings and KPI performance, whicheveris relevant to your background and therole. Show ownership of the part youplayed in your impactful response.

3. What questions do you have for us?

Never reply with "you seem to havecovered everything". It's a weakresponse and will give the impressionthat you are not interested in the role ororganisation. Instead, hold back someinsightful questions to ask at the endwhich demonstrate your genuine interestin working for them.

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