Edition 3 - "Preparing for an Interview"

Making the most of your newly perfected CV & LinkedIn profile, you have been applying for jobs all over, in the hunt to find the perfect fit for after graduation!

Thankfully, the new resources at your disposal have helped you to line-up lots interviews across many different businesses. So now, it's time to prepare...

In this Edition of "The Hireability Handbook" we will be taking a closer look into the tips and tricks that I have learnt from my experiences of interviewing many future Graduates, to give you the best chance of moving onto the next round!

Hopefully Edition 3 will give you all the information you'll need for interview preparation, whether its the First Stage or the Final Stage...

What do you need to do to prepare ahead of the Interview?

Research the Company

Firstly, it is crucial that you know as much about the Company you are interviewing with as possible before you arrive. This information is not only for the benefit of looking prepared for the role, but also will help you as a candidate to understand if this is a business that you are wanting to begin your career with.

It's important to note that no-one will be expecting you to know every detail about each aspect of the business, especially if it is within a niche industry or is particularly large, but make sure to use all of the resources at your disposal to be prepared (you don't want to be stumped by an easy question!).

These are some of the things you should try to find out ahead of the First Interview with any company:

• Find out as much as you can about the key products/services/markets that the business specializes in
• Learn as much as you can about the culture of the business. This could include any benefits they advertise to their employees, or company incentives run by the business for their staff etc
• Familiarize yourself with the Senior Leadership Team. Even if this isn't who you'll be speaking with, have a look online at who they are and what their background is
• Look into the people who you will be speaking with and make sure to know as much about them as possible! Try to find out what their background is?How long they have been with the company? Where are they from? What they look like?
• Make sure to double-check the company address/HQ - you don't want to go to the wrong place!

The majority of the above research will likely be accessible via a simple Google search, but when looking into specific individuals LinkedIn will be great for finding some more detail!

Prepare Questions

The pressure of answering lots of questions for 20/30 minutes can be a little bit stressful, only to then be asked if there is any questions that you have afterwards! Obviously, it is understandable for your mind to draw a blank in this situation, so make sure to have a think ahead of the interview and prepare a few questions that you'd like to know about the role or the company.

When you are in the flow of the interview, some new ideas might pop up that you'd like to know, but it is always good to have a safety net of questions to maintain the Interviewer's interest.

Crucially, it leaves a good impression on the Interviewer if you ask good questions after an interview, as it shows them that you have spent the time to look into their business and the role. If the company is interesting to you, there should be some more things you'd like to know!

Here are a few examples of good questions to ask after an interview:

• What is it about the business/your job that you enjoy the most?
• Where do you see the business going over the next 5 years?
• What would progression look like in this role/within your business?
• What are you looking for in a successful applicant?
• What was your biggest challenge when you first started with the business?
• What are the next steps after this stage in the interview process?

Dress for the Occasion

In order to make a good impression, it is important to dress the part. It is not expected to be a full tuxedo or a gown, but make sure you make the effort to dress smart for the corporate world, as you would if you were to get the job!

If you are ever in doubt, there may sometimes be office photographs on the company page/LinkedIn which could give you a hint as to what current employees are wearing around the office which could help.

Also, if there are multiple in-person stages to the interview process, make sure to assess how the current employees are dressing, and base your approach around this.

Crucially, if you are every questioning how to dress for an interview - choose the smarter option!

Arrive on time

Just to clarify, when it comes to an interview, on time should mean 15 minutes before!

Making sure that you are well ahead of schedule gives you plenty of time to account for any issues or incidents which could happen along the way. This is particularly important when travelling a long distance or relying on public transport to get to an interview.

Remember, you can always grab an extra coffee if you do arrive particularly ahead of schedule!

Arriving at an interview "early" also gives you time to settle in and do some last minute prep before going in...

Following-up after the Interview

Finally, it is crucial that you take the time after the interview to process how you're feeling about things and also how you feel the interview has gone!

Once you have done so, make sure to send the Hiring Manager/Team or the Interviewer a nice message to thank them for their time and let them know that you look forward to hearing from them. This makes sure that you leave a great last impression!

Hopefully by following all of the above steps both before and after you interview, you will have received great feedback from your chosen company and given yourself the best chance of advancing to the next stage, and are now one step closer to landing your dream role! Now onto the next stage!