Please note that the tips provided here are not substitutes for attending the skills sessions.
Congratulations! You've got an interview, your next task is to make sure you present yourself in the best possible way to show the recruiters why you would be the best candidate for the job.
Top tips
- The interview will be based on the skills you need to do the job effectively.
- Prepare! Research the company, find out about the role and think about what you might say. This demonstrates how much you want the role and it does come across when someone has not prepared.
- If you are applying for a job internally, don't assume you know about the team, you still need to do your research.
- Take a copy of your application form with you and make sure you know it. You may be asked to expand on something you wrote or, to give additional examples.
What research should I do?
Research the company, the team and the job, the better your understanding of the role, the easier it will be to give relevant examples.
If there is an informal contact, call them and ask them about the position and what sort of person would be good in the role or what the team is like. If there are any requirements of the role you do not have, you can talk to this person about it and discuss whether you should still apply.
What might I be asked and how can I prepare?
With the job profile and the information you have researched about the team and company, you can improve your chances of performing well by thinking about what you might be asked and how you might respond.
Review the job profile and person specification and ask yourself:
- What would I be doing in this job?
- What skills would I be using?
- What experience do I have of using those skills?
Make a list of examples you can use from your work experience (the more recent the better) that demonstrate how you have used these skills.
Think about the questions you might be asked and how you would answer. Thinking about what examples you could use in advance and practising will help you to recall this information in an interview.
When answering questions, be concise. Tell the interviewer what the situation was and what happened, what your role was, what skills you used and what the outcome was. You may also be asked what you learnt from it or what you would do differently another time.
Quote real examples of your experience and skills to prove your achievements. These don't have to be limited to work situations. They could also relate to your home life, voluntary work and a leisure interest.
Practice answering out loud and if possible in front of a friend, they can give you feedback on your answer so you can then practice answering the same question again. It may feel embarrassing but it helps!
Don't forget that the examples you give can be related to all areas of your life including your home life, voluntary work, leisure activity and previous employment.
Think about what transferable skills you have. These are skills that are developed in one environment and used in another, for example: You may have developed budget-monitoring skills through voluntary work or a project at home, such as building an extension, which you could use as an example for the post you are applying for.
Apart from the questions, what other things should I think about?
You've researched the company and the team, spoken to the informal contact, reviewed the job profile and practised answering questions. What else is there? The way you conduct yourself in the interview is just as important as what you say.
- Be positive and enthusiastic about the role for which you are being interviewed, you need to show the interviewers that you want this job!
- If you find yourself becoming nervous during the interview focus on taking deep breaths and have a drink of water.
- Be on time and turn your mobile off
- Do not criticise your current manager/team or moan about a situation, it does not reflect positively on you. If you were frustrated about the way something happened, talk about how you managed your frustration and what you learnt from the experience.
Should I ask them any questions?
That depends; do you have any questions about the role or the company?
Don't feel pressured to ask questions for the sake of it, if you would like to you could ask questions about the team culture, why has the position become available or what you will be expected to deliver in the first 3/6/12 months?
It is highly recommended that you attend the Interview techniques skills course to help you understand the best way to plan and prepare for an interview.
Interview competency based questions for you to practice with.
