Careful preparation can help avoid serious mistakes and give you an advantage in an interview.
Suggestions:
- Take a map and the company phone number and plan to arrive 20 minutes earlier than the scheduled interview time.
- Know the company’s facts and figures, products, markets, competitors and recent news. Know the position you are applying for.
- Ask your recruiter for inside information – the background of the people you will meet, the main needs of the company, the reason the position is open, specific questions which will be asked in the interview and the style of the interview.
- Know your own company’s facts and figures, products, markets, competitors and recent news. You may unexpectedly be asked to make a presentation about them.
- Rehearse answers for common interview questions asked by employers (refer to Questions page).
- Have your own questions prepared (refer to Questions page).
- Bring the job specification sheet and a copy of your resume. Focus the conversation on areas in your career which match the job requirements. You may wish to highlight these with a marker on your resume.