“We are pleased to invite you for interview...”

So, you put in the hard work. You made getting a job your job (see last post) and your reward for all that hard work is a single page letter inviting you to interview. What now?

At 2000 Weeks we believe that the most important questions in a job interview are the ones you ask yourself before the actual interview. Of all the questions you ask yourself the most important is:

Do I really want this?

If this role, with this organisation, really is how you want to spend half your waking life for the next few years, then getting this job is your new job!

The good news is that the organisation have looked over your CV/application and believe that (on paper) you have everything they are looking for. The bad news is that the chances are if you really want this job, other people do as well. It’s a competition, get comfortable with that reality.

At this stage you can’t change how your qualifications and experience stack up against the completion. What you can do is get yourself in the mindset that you will “out prepare” them. You must work harder than the other 3-6 people who want your job.

My thoughts on how you should go about that preparation:

1. Reply. Call the number on the letter, thank them for the invite, confirm you’ll be happy to attend and check the date, time and location. Follow this up with a quick email:

“For the Attention of XXXX

Thank you for inviting me to interview for XXXX (post and reference number).

I plan to attend as directed.

Regards

XXX”

2. Research. Start looking into the organisation in more detail. You could consider: - What were the key messages from the last annual report? - Carry out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the company. - Check for any recent announcements on the news sites or papers. - Make as many connections with their employees on LinkedIn as you can. - Read their whole website carefully, particularly the news feed and values.

3. Document. Make a 2 page summary of everything you found out and highlight those parts that would relate more closely to the position your being interviewed for.

4. Visit. This is a very important step which most people (including hopefully your competition) miss and that can make a massive difference. Email or call the contact on your invite letter and ask to visit the function you’d be working in. You can’t speak with anyone involved in the selection process (and shouldn’t ask) but most organisations will be happy for you to visit. This makes a great first impression, it shows your interested and will give you more context for the research you’ve just carried out. Just remember to dress as if it were interview day, smile, ask questions (eg: “What are the big challenges for you guys at the minute?”)and listen. Finally, don’t take up more than 15-20mins of their time but as soon as you get out, sit in a cafe and write down everything you remember.

5. Predict questions. Question prediction is one of the key services we offer at 2000 Weeks but you should always have a go at this yourself first. Use the job description, LinkedIn, advert and your research to predict what you might be asked. Start by asking any connections you have on LinkedIn who work or worked in the organisation if they remember some of the questions they were asked. Unless they had the same job role, they are unlikely to be identical but it will give you an idea of the question types. The job description or advert should have a list of key characteristics they are looking for.

For example, if the job role is Project Manager, you can be sure they’ll ask you to talk them through a project you have managed.

Link the questions to your experience

Once you have an idea of the areas you will be asked about, start to sketch out roughly how you’d answer any question in that general area. Take time to think how you could answer each area based on your own knowledge, skills and experience. I’m not a fan of predicting the exact wording of a question and then writing out word for word a perfect answer. This particular piece of advice is gained from bitter experience! In my last year at University I really wanted a graduate position with the Northern Ireland Health Service. I was confident of the questions to expect as the format didn’t change much from year to year. I wrote and rewrote answers for the six questions I knew would come up. I practiced giving those answers in front of the mirror at least twice a day for two weeks. Come the morning of the interview, I was confident that the job was mine (there’s another lesson in there about over- confidence)! Thirty minutes later I walked out after having given one of the worst interviews of my life! Every question I had prepared for came up exactly as I had expected but the lady interviewing me obviously hadn’t read my script because the first question she asked was the fourth I’d prepared for! From that first question until I slumped out, my mind went blank.

"You don’t have to learn every lesson the hard way."

With this in mind I encourage candidates to think about answers in the following simple structure:

• Introduction (set the scene, explain the background very briefly). E.g.

“ In 2016 I was appointed Project Manager of our Head Office relocation. I had a budget of ￡500K and a staff of 3 to assist me in managing full transfer of HO functions within 6 months”

• Tell them specifically what you did

E.g. “I managed the project this way .....”

• Finish off by quickly stating the positive result of your actions

E.g. “the Project was competed on time and below budget”

Practice talking generally about each of the key criteria in the job description, linking your experience with solid industry research and hopefully a little insider knowledge gleaned that you gleaned from your visit.

Get comfortable speaking out loud your answers as you look at someone. The mirror would do but someone who can answer back is preferable.

When your comfortable with the general answers you give, arrange a formal dry run. Your college, job centre or recruiter should be happy to arrange this for you but even if they don’t you can arrange it with a friend. Let them know the questions and have them ask you each one in a random order.

Work on the steps above until around 4PM the day before the interview, then stop. You need your mind to be fresh for the next day and the worst thing you could do would be to frantically review answers into the early hours. You want to look confident, rested and relaxed when you walk in to that interview room.

I’d advise getting out and going for a walk, swim or workout in the gym, some sort of physical activity that will give your mind a break and get you ready for a good night’s sleep.

Don’t eat your dinner to late that evening. Try and have a healthy meal with plenty of veg, carbs, good fats and protein but no alcohol. You’ll have earned wine and a takeaway by the time the following evening comes around!

Set your clothing out for the next day, making sure everything is pressed and clean. Relax for an hour and get an early night. While your sleeping your sub- conscious will be working away processing everything you’ve been learning that day allowing you to hopefully wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle one of the most important days in your career!

If you would like any specific guidance on your job search or even where you should be searching, please get in touch with us www.2000weeks.co.uk

Thank you