Interview Tips
All employers will understand that the candidate is nervous and will keep this in mind when conducting an interview. For a formal face-to-face interview always wear smart clothes, shoes and arrive early.
When preparing for the interview you need to have a good knowledge of the company, yourself and the job description so when answering questions you can provide answers that relate to what they are looking for. You will often be asked questions about the company, what you think the role entails and how you will be a benefit to the organisation.
How much background research you do for the company you are applying to, not only directly reflects on your enthusiasm but will increase your performance in the interview. Good preparation gives you genuine confidence and enthusiasm, which can be very important to your interviewer.
When looking into their company website, make notes of their latest development, as well as important events in the company history. Find out what the corporate mission statement is, and try to embed their philosophy in your interview answers.
If you are applying for a sales representative position, do you have good understanding of their product range? Identify what was successful and what was not, put yourself into the role and be able to give some constructive evaluation. More over, based on your evaluation, prepare a plan of action, bullet point how you would run and manage your territory.
Prepare yourself for questions on your previous work experience, be ready to discuss what you did, what skills you learnt and improved while doing it and what you added to the role. Try to think of questions that an interviewer would ask you about your employment history as well as difficult questions they may ask, such as if you have a gap in employment on your CV, this way you will be prepared to answer both negative and positive questions. Some employers will ask for a mistake you have made previously, think of something beforehand and turn it into a positive for the future. Have a list of questions in your mind that you can ask the interviewer, questions about the role, the company, travelling, anything that will start a conversation and make you seem genuinely interested in the company. Try to make the interview as two-way as possible so you are not continuously reeling off answers.
End the interview on a positive note, enquire when you might hear about the result of the interview, reiterate your enthusiasm for the role and thank them for their time, end with a firm handshake, which is the common signal for the end of the interview.
