3 Essential Steps to Prepare for an Interview

Getting ready for an interview and nervous about it? There is nothing better to calm those nerves than the feeling of being well-prepared. Here is a quick check list that our applicants find useful:

1. Research the company and the people you are meeting

Sources: company website, company blog, LinkedIn (and Facebook / Instagram etc) profiles of the hiring manager and other interviewers. It will help build rapport with the person in front of you - perhaps through discovering a common passion, be it cycling, exotic travelling or being a mom.

2. Role-play answering CV- and competency-based questions

Practice answering CV- and competency-based questions with your partner or a friend. It doesn't have to be long. Whether 10 minutes or half an hour, you will be surprised how helpful you'll find it.

Top tip. Get them to ask you the question you are most afraid of.

Make sure they also ask you something along the lines of "What brings you here?".

If you haven't been to an interview for a long time it's a good idea to try to more or less to learn your CV by heart - this way you will be able to focus on answering questions rather than searching for suitable examples of achievements or getting sidetracked. This will also prevent going into too much detail.

3. Identify key points that make you a better fit for the role than other candidates

This is where we will need both the job ad text and the job specification. Ask your recruiter what kind of candidates there are in the process and how you compare to them.

Also it's a good idea to ask your friends and colleagues about what they value about you at work and in private life. What makes you good at what you do? What makes you a great friend? Your strengths may be not so obvious to you.

Hopefully these three simple steps will help you kick off your preparation and enjoy your interviews.