You have secured an interview... How do you prepare for what's to come.... Dayna Stewart's Top Tips on how to prepare. ??

It's that time of year again, when we see an influx of Graduates applying for their first permanent role to kick start their professional careers.

Congratulations, you’ve presented a great application and you’ve been selected to interview. But have you thought about the best way to prepare for this interview? Our current statistics in recruitment surmise that you’re likely to be one of 5 people who’ve made the shortlist, so how can you stand out, and score the position?

Here are my top tips to help in your preparations, some are obvious, some perhaps not.

1)?????Dress to impress. It’s a classic tip, but a tried and tested one. Think about the company you are interviewing within, research their culture and dress accordingly. First impressions last.

2)?????Instant rapport – building instant and credible rapport is important, a nice firm handshake on meeting the interviewer(s) keep good eye contact and thank them for taking the time to meet you. Most company websites will have “company values” or “meet the team” sections, check that out so you can demonstrate some of the qualities these employers already have in their team and possibly use the key words they have mentioned in the values to describe your own characteristics. Don't fidget with pens, or slouch or be "too casual" even if the company environment is relaxed, the hiring manager still seeks a professional person to deliver in this role.

3)?????Research, research, research! This is a point I can’t stress enough. Don’t just look at the company website. Research all of their digital assets, follow the company via their social media pages, subscribe to their email marketing and understand the reach they have in the market. Understand their services and client base and any awards or special mentions they have recently had in the media, so you can make mention and discuss.?In addition research the person (or people) who are interviewing you. See if you have any common interests, these can be great “ice breakers” and instantly a way to build rapport.

4)?????Know your stuff. Your resume got you in the door, so really know what you’ve written so you can back up your experience by providing the interviewers with solid examples. If you've listed certain achievements or technology "tools" experience, I guarantee you'll be asked to explain them in greater detail.

5)?????Own your responses. When answering questions, take ownership over your response by saying “I did” rather than “we did”. Whilst it’s nice to be collaborative in your approach, prospective employers need to know you can take on responsibility and own your own projects.

6)?????Examples please! When you’re asked a question, try to think about a specific example to deliver your response, rather than just yes/no answers to everything. This will give more power to the punch. For Example: (Q) “Have you experience managing digital campaigns” (A) Yes I do, during my time working at xxxx I had to manage a lot of projects concurrently, they were a combination of social, display and email campaigns. I was able to prioritise these based on urgency, size, clients and dollar return to our business, and managed to implement all to deadline.

7)?????Ambition is good, but be realistic – It is important to have goals and ambition is great. However when you’re being interviewed for a specific role, it is just that. The interviewer will want to know that if you’re successful, you’ll stick it through in that role for a decent period of time, looking to “move up” in 6-9 months probably won’t be a realistic timeframe for promotion, so definitely inform the interviewers of your desire to further learn, develop and grow your career (ideally within their business) and where you’re looking to head, but make it a 3-5 year plan to give reassurance.

8)?????Ask questions. At the end of the interview, most interviewers will ask “do you have any questions?” rather than saying, “No, you’ve covered everything off” have some intelligent and targeted questions. You could write specific questions down before the interview, and take a note pad into the meeting. The questions should be directly relating to the company and the role and questions that haven’t already been covered off through the interview. Don’t ask about salary, hours of work or holidays in the first interview, leave those questions for end negotiations when they love you and want to offer you the role.

Good luck!! I hope you land that new role!

Dayna Stewart | Director | The Nudge Group | [email protected] | www.thenudgegroup.com