If you do good preparation ahead of an interview, you dramatically increase your chances of success. Plan carefully for the interview and get started at preparation as early as you can. Don’t wait for an interview invitation. You might receive short notice.The best preparation that you can do revolves around mining down and gaining a really good understanding of yourself – of what you are looking for career-wise and what you have to offer – and of the job that you have applied for.
Self-Appraisal
The key to successful interviewing is to be clear on what you want to do in your next job, where you want to go career-wise and what you have to offer the employer you’re meeting.
Objective and Strategies
Decide what your message to the employer should be. Then consider how you can communicate that message in clear and easy-to-remember terms.
Research Employer and Job
You’ll need to demonstrate that you have research the employer and have a well thought-out response to the question ‘Where do you think our sector is heading…?’
Prepare for First Question
At the start of most interviews you’ll be asked to, ‘tell us a bit about yourself’, ‘talk us through your career to date’, or some such open-ended question. You’ll need a concise summary.
Your Strengths
Think about and document what you have achieved in your career to date. Use stories about these achievements to back up claims you make regarding the strengths you have.
Transferability of Your Skills
High performers appreciate what the interviewer is looking for. They talk about related experience that they have and explain how they can acquire other experience they don’t have.
Shortcomings and Complications
Many people have something that can impact on their ability to do a job. If you have, consider how you should respond to related questions. Then, do lots of practice around this.
Mock Interviews
Doing a mock interview is the very best way that you can prepare for a job interview.