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How to succeed at interview.
How to prepare & succeed at your next interview.
Prior to Interview
Do your research, look at the company web-site and check their annual report and press releases. Learn as much as possible about the position from the job description.
Find out about the interviewer / client from the consultancy that has put you forward for the role and / or talk to any other business contacts that may be able to advise you on them.
Review your CV, think through your career history and anticipate the questions you will be asked and prepare some answers. Clients are impressed with candidates who are prepared for their interview. Rehearse with a friend or colleague if necessary.
List what you think the prospective employer will want from the ideal candidate and consider whether this is you. Summarise your involvement in relevant projects associated with your previous employment so when asked you are able to give fluent comprehensive answers to the interviewer.
Consider your key strengths, weaknesses and motivations for leaving your current role and desire to join the new employer. Prepare to be asked about them.
Prepare some questions to ask them – this demonstrates your interest in them and will help you decide if this is the right move for you. Remember this may be the last opportunity you will get to explore any concerns or worries you have about the new role directly with the client prior to being offered a role, later stages of the interview process may be carried out with other company employees rather than client themselves.
At Interview
Dress smartly for the interview and be punctual, arriving early is always appreciated, arriving late rarely is.
Be positive about yourself – you have got this far so you know they are interested in you but do not waffle. Short concise responses are often better than confused answers.
Be positive and confident but not overly confident or arrogant.
Be well-informed about the company, its record and achievements, about the job and why you want it.
Remember throughout the interview you will need to demonstrate to the interviewer you are technically qualified to do the job and motivated to get the job done well – your positive answers should reflect this ethos. They will also be assessing whether you will fit in with the company's organisational structure and the team in which you will work.
Whatever your reason for leaving a current role avoid, where possible, open criticism of your current employer as this will only cause clients to question your loyalty and consider whether you will show the same level of loyalty to them.
Prepare questions to ask them about the role and company as this will demonstrate your interest in the role.
After Interview
After the interview, consider the areas you feel went well and those that you felt you needed to work on – then actually work on them! If there are knowledge or experience gaps missing then this may be an ideal chance to consider them and work out whether you can fill in the gaps from within your current role to improve your chances next time.
Also you need to call either the consultancy or the interviewer directly for feedback and thank them for their time. This may be the appropriate time to discuss any areas that need development as they often they become less of an issue through discussion at this stage.
If you are not successful in your job application, consider telephoning the person who interviewed you to get feedback why you were not selected. This may not be appropriate depending on the client but if you discuss this with the consultancy they are in the best position to advise you further.
As a final note, please remember that not every position is the right one for you so keep your chin up and you are sure to find the role that is right for you!
MR |
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