Researching for an Interview

So you've prepped yourself and have all the details you need now you need to prepare yourself and do your research.

This is essential to being successful and unfortunately a lot of people discount how important this is.

Job Specification:??

• Always read through the job spec in detail – this will give you clues about the personal attributes and professional skills the organisation are looking for.
• Try and relate these skills to your previous experience and how you have demonstrated this in a professional capacity. Don’t panic if there are duties on the job spec that you haven’t done before. It’s best to be honest so the organisation can provide you with the relevant training but try and think about how you would go about doing this if you or even try to find links in your personal life/hobbies.
• For example you haven't had any leadership experience within work but you've captained a netball team for the past few years, that would be a perfect example of how you can draw in those skills

Company Website:?

• Make sure you have a look through the organisations website – you won’t be expected to know everything about them but try and note down 5/6 key points about who they are.
• Good things to look for are company guiding principles, their specialisms/departments and when they were founded.

Social Media Pages:

• Look at other social media pages for any updated information – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are always key platforms
• These can also inform you of any recent events or news about the employer - they had any new contract wins for example?

Know who is interviewing you:

• Look into who is interviewing you – what are they’re positions and remember their names. Have a look on LinkedIn to get an idea of their backgrounds and their journeys – you may have mutual connections that you could utilise. This will also give you a sense of familiarisation when interviewing making you feel more at ease.

Glassdoor or Indeed Accounts:

• ?Look into any Glassdoor or Indeed accounts – this will enable you to see employee reviews and get an understanding of their culture. Remember, that everyone’s experience is an individual one so if there is a negative review it doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on the business.

General Industry News:

• Whether you have worked in the industry for numerous years or you're just stepping into it, knowing about the industry will really help and can also guide some of your questions.
• With there being a lot of changes in the economy this may affect the journey the company is going on. Look for industry related websites or LinkedIn channels as this will give you a wider view.

Try not to feel overwhelmed with your prep. You're not expected to know everything but the interviewer will want to know that you've taken that step to look into everything in more detail so let them know! If you panic and forget, use this as excuse to turn around the question on them. For example: "I've read that you've recently won a new contract with a big retail client which sounds really exciting, would you be able to tell me a bit about this?"

The next article will focus on answering interview questions. Follow for more updates!