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How To Prepare For A Job Interview

9 Sep 2024

Congratulations, you’ve landed yourself a job interview! At this stage, it’s important to prepare as much as you can to give yourself the best chance of being offered the position. We’ve broken this down into a few simple steps to help you make sure your interview runs smoothly. 

Read the job description 

Re-visit and review the job description and person specification so that you understand the responsibilities of the role are, the qualifications and experience they’re looking for, and any important information about the employer. This should also help you come up with any relevant questions you may want to ask during your interview. 

Think about your qualifications and transferable skills 

After reviewing the job description, you should have a good understanding of the qualifications needed for the role. It’s also a good idea to think about any experience you have to demonstrate relevant skills. Even if you don’t have any direct experience in the industry or role, all experiences can have transferable skills, so don’t be disheartened and start planning examples of your transferable skills.  

Research the business you’re applying to 

Learning about the company’s background, who they work with and the products or services they offer will help you feel better prepared for the interview.  Your research could involve looking at: 

• The company website. 
• The history of the business along with its mission and values. 
• Their social media accounts, like LinkedIn. 

You can also use your interview as an opportunity to ask any questions that may arise during your research. 

Prepare your answers and questions 

It’s a good idea to prepare your answers to common interview questions and to prepare a few questions you may have for your interviewer. You should also practice these to help you present yourself professionally. One technique that you can consider when answering questions is the STAR technique, which stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Using this can help you structure your answers clearly. 

Plan how you’re attending the interview  

If you’re attending an in-person interview, plan how you’re going to get there and how long it will take in advance. Make sure you know your transport plans and who to ask for on arrival. 

If your interview is online, plan a quiet place to do the interview where you won’t be disturbed. Check that your microphone and camera work and your Wi-Fi is stable. This will give you added confidence on the day of your interview. To ensure everything runs smoothly, you should also aim to be ready slightly earlier than you need to - this will give you a buffer to allow for traffic, unexpected delays, or technical glitches. 

Plan your outfit 

It’s important to wear an outfit that gives you confidence as well as the right impression to the interviewers.
When looking at what to wear you should take into consideration the industry and role you are interviewing for, which can give you an idea of whether you wear a business formal outfit or a more casual outfit. 

Discover more about how to choose what to wear for your interview in our blog. 

Preparing for your interview will help increase your confidence and enhance the likelihood of everything running smoothly on the day. So, when you’re preparing for your next interview follow our simple tips above.