Preparing for Job Interviews
Most of us find job interviews unnerving, and some people panic or have sleepless nights worrying about them.
It happens to even the smartest and most confident people, and can mean they fail to make the right impression in a job interview even though they might have all the skills and qualities an employer is looking for.
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Preparation is the key
Job interviews don’t have to be hell. Making a great impression at a job interview and getting your ideal job, means preparing for it as carefully as you can. If you do that, your confidence will soar and you’ll be ready for anything an interviewer throws at you.
Good preparation involves:
- planning your schedule and tasks
-
doing your homework
-
practicing answering questions.
But to prepare successfully for interviews, you also need to understand what a job interview is really all about.
What is a job interview?
Essentially, interviewers are looking for answers to three basic questions:
- can you do the job?
- will you fit in with the organisation?
- can you take instructions?
You won’t necessarily be asked these questions directly. Experienced interviewers ask a combination of questions that together will give them the answers they’re seeking. For example, you may often be asked “Tell me something about yourself” to see if you’ll ‘fit in’ with the team.
Your task in the interview is to be like a salesperson and help the interviewer come to the conclusion that you are the best person for the job. You have to sell yourself. You do this by showing you have the right experience, qualities and temperament. In other words, you have to describe your unique selling points - what makes you better than the other candidates - just as a salesperson does with a customer.
Most interviews have a definite structure with stages where different kinds of questions are asked. At the start, you’ll often be asked ‘icebreaker’ questions. For example,
“
How was the journey getting here? Did you find us alright?”
After the icebreakers, you’ll be asked questions about your personality, your career to date, your skills and often what your career plans are. During this stage the questions can be more challenging and probing.
In the next stage, you may get questions about your hobbies or interests – only ever mention one or two in case it sounds like your job is really the hobby! And then the interviewer may ask about the salary and benefits package you’re looking for. But don’t negotiate during the interview – leave that ‘til you’re offered the job. If you have to give a salary figure, give a range such as £25,000 to £30,000. That way you avoid setting a ceiling that the employer will try to knock-down later.
Finally, you should be given the chance to ask questions. So, prepare some in advance – 1 or 2 is enough, but make sure the interviewer has not already answered them.
Planning
When you’re invited to an interview, you need to swing into action immediately because you may only have a few days to prepare. First, plan the tasks you have to do and when you’ll do them.
Use a ‘To Do’ list as a checklist of the tasks you need to do, and use your diary to fit them into the time you have available.
Decide what you’re going to wear - ring the employer to see if the ‘dress code’ is formal or smart casual - and take your clothes to the dry cleaners in good time.
Decide when you’ll get your hair cut, or styled.
Check train and bus timetables to plan your journey. A ‘practice run’ is often useful if you’re travelling by car. Aim to arrive at the interview about 10 minutes before it’s due to start.
Since you may have several interviews in the same period, you’ll need to juggle your time without cutting corners in your preparation. But it gets easier and faster the more interviews you go to.
Homework
Next, you need to do some homework. Employers often ask: “What do you know about our organisation?” So never go to an interview without doing some research.
Look at the company’s website, ‘phone to get company brochures, and go to your local library. Friends and relatives can often be good sources of information too, particularly for local jobs.
Note down information in a research log, and re-read it the night before the interview. You don’t need to go over the top with your research – employers don’t expect you to have detailed or expert knowledge. Focusing on the company’s products and activities, how many branches they have, their competitors, and how successful they are, should give the right impression.
Re-read the CV (or the application form) you sent to the employer to remind yourself what you told them. And print out 2 copies of your CV to take with you – one for you and one for the interviewer in case they’ve misplaced it (not unheard of!).
Next comes some detective work to find out what kind of person the interviewer is really looking for. Clues can be found in documents like the person specification (which lists the qualities the employer is looking for), job advert and job description (which describes what the job involves). Read these documents carefully at least two or three times.
Once you’ve done your homework, you’ll know what kind of person the employer is looking for. That helps you predict the kind of questions you might be asked and you can prepare some answers.
Our Job Interview Coach programme has over 500 sample interview questions including our Top 25 and Top 100 interview questions all with detailed hints and sample answers.
Some common interview questions are:
“Why do you want this job?”
“What do you think this job is all about?”
“What do you think you can do for us?”
“Why should we employ you?”
“What experience have you got of this kind of work?”
It’s best to plan your answers by writing them down. If necessary, edit them after checking with a friend or colleague, and then practice speaking your answers out loud. This helps you work out how long your answers will take to speak - aim to keep them between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long. Speaking your answers also improves your delivery as well as your confidence. Don’t be afraid to answer some questions with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, for example when the interviewer is checking something, e.g. “Have you ever been sacked or asked to resign?”
It's quite common these days to be asked to take a test either before or after your interview. So you need to prepare for these too.
You may be told to prepare for a test in the invitation to the interview, but not always. Sometimes, you will take a personality or aptitude test when you arrive for the interview.
If you've been asked to prepare a presentation or take a test, make sure you know exactly what you'll have to do. If the employer sent instructions and you don't understand them, call for more information.
To prepare for personality and aptitude tests, click here.
No matter how well you prepare for interviews, or how good the impression you give, you may still not get the job – perhaps you were up against some really top-notch candidates.
But don’t get discouraged; the key to successful job-hunting is perseverance. Give yourself a well deserved pat on the back for a job well done, and move on to the next one.
Making notes after interviews helps you to prepare better in the future and avoid mistakes. Persevere, and in time you’ll be successful.
Job Interview Coach is our interview preparation and practice programme which has over 500 interview questions delivered by ordinary people - the kind you'll meet in interviews.
Career Organiser has our Top 25 interview questions for people at different stages of their careers, eg school leavers, graduates, people who've been made redundant etc.
Both programmes offer video interviews, hints, tips and detailed suggested answers. You can also try out your interview answers by recording them and printing them out.
And both programmes have our unique Job Applications' Editor which automatically creates interview documents, including acceptance letter, thank you letter and checklist.
Our programmes are the most effective way to prepare thoroughly for job interviews.
Job interview tip
Believe in yourself
Now it's time to believe in yourself and what you can do. Because if you don't believe in yourself, how will you convince the employer to believe in you and give you the job?
So, believe you can get the job. Say to yourself: "I will get this job".
Thinking positively can have surprising results. Before the interview, close your eyes and imagine yourself at the end of the interview being offered the job.
But don't be over-confident. If you think the employer needs you more than you need them, your body language may show you're not so interested in the job.
You'll need the following to prepare properly for job interviews:
Diary
To Do list - to make sure you don't overlook any tasks
CV/ application form - reminds you of what you told the employer
Job description, person specification, job advert - tell you what the employer is looking for
Computer & printer - plan your schedule, write letters and notes, practice answering questions
Folders/ storage - keep everything organised and close at hand.
Space - a quiet place to work on your interview preparation.
Useful stuff
Done properly, preparing for interviews is hard work and takes time. If you’re applying for jobs while still in employment, it’s even harder to find time to get everything done. So get some help.
Ask your family, colleagues and friends for support as well advice and objective criticism. In return, you can help them with their job-hunting.
Ask people for help with your research, or predicting the kind of questions you might be asked. And you can also do a mock interview where a friend acts as interviewer. Try videoing your practice sessions with a camcorder and then analyse your performance together afterwards.
This type of question is meant to
- get you talking
- help you relax, and
- start building rapport with
the interviewer.
Remember that the interviewer (or one of them) may be your boss if you get the job - so getting on with the interviewer is essential.
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Here's what you need to do to prepare properly for interviews:
1. Confirm you can attend the interview - send an email or a letter, or phone.
2. Plan your schedule -up to the date of the interview.
3. Plan your journey to the interview. Book train tickets, hotel etc. Print a map.
4. Decide what you'll wear. Plan when to get your hair cut, and which clothes need to go to the cleaners.
5. Research - find out as much as possible about the employer and the job you've applied for. Read job documents (person spec etc) to find out what the employer is really looking for.
6. Practice answering interview questions, plan your answers, and practice speaking them. Remember each interview will involve different questions.
7. Day before interview -
wash and iron clothes, collect dry cleaning, haircut, polish shows. Print 2 copies of your CV. Collect information about the employer and the job. Charge your mobile 'phone.
8. Interview day - shower, shave, eat something (to avoid a growling stomach). Set off in good time - aim to arrive about 10 mins early.
Task list - summary
Here's a checklist of the things you need to take with you to the interview:
1. Bag - to hold everything (NOT a carrier bag!)
2. Printout of
email or letter you were sent inviting you to the interview
3. Directions to the employer's offices (or your own map)
4. Train or bus tickets and timetables
5. Mobile phone, and change to use a call box
6. Cash for train, bus or taxi fares, food and drinks
7. Credit or debit cards for fares, overnight stays or emergencies
8. Cash for train, bus or taxi fares, food and drinks
9. Change of clothes. toiletries for overnight stay
10. Notebook
11. 2 or 3 pens/ pencils
12. Comb or brush
13. Make-up
14. Spare pair of tights
15. 2 copies of your CV, or copy of the application form for this job
16. Materials and notes for tasks the employer has asked you to prepare
17. Your portfolio (examples of your work, if appropriate)
18. Clean handkerchief and some tissues
19. Raincoat and umbrella
20. Your job application folder for this job
21. Your laptop (eg if you have to do a presentation).
To take to interview
Here's what you need to do to prepare properly for interviews:
1. Confirm you can attend the interview - send an email or a letter, or phone.
2. Plan your schedule -up to the date of the interview.
3. Plan your journey to the interview. Book train tickets, hotel etc. Print a map.
4. Decide what you'll wear. Plan when to get your hair cut, and which clothes need to go to the cleaners.
5. Research - find out as much as possible about the employer and the job you've applied for. Read job documents (person spec etc) to find out what the employer is really looking for.
6. Practice answering interview questions, plan your answers, and practice speaking them. Remember each interview will involve different questions.
7. Day before interview -
wash and iron clothes, collect dry cleaning, haircut, polish shows. Print 2 copies of your CV. Collect information about the employer and the job. Charge your mobile 'phone.
8. Interview day - shower, shave, eat something (to avoid a growling stomach). Set off in good time - aim to arrive about 10 mins early.
