Get focused early. Start the preparation immediately. You can never be to prepared!
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
- Your CV – know what is on it
- Relevant experience, Knowledge of organisation, Skills for the job, Relevant training, Why do you want the job and Why you think you are the best candidate?
PREPARATION:
- Request a job specification if one was not issued
- Go through the job specification and match your skills and experience to their requirements – You will be asked questions based on the job specification and on the information in your C.V.
- Research the company and have some key knowledge that you can demonstrate at the interview about products, branch and office locations, the more important the job, the greater knowledge of the company will be expected
- Take each item on the job specification and all relevant skills or tasks on your CV and write a paragraph to highlight your competency and your match for the role
- Do this by giving an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome, describe the tasks involved in that situation, talk about the various actions involved in the task and what results directly followed because of your actions. Keep the company style and profile in mind when doing this
- Prepare questions that you may ask at the end of the interview
- Know the key skills and qualities that make you stand out from other applicants
- Prepare for the question “why should we give you the job over the other candidates” and have a clear, honest, prepared answer to this question. If not asked, ensure that you finish off the interview with a statement as to why you should get the position
- Get someone to go through a mock interview with you to assist getting focused
- Consider what you are going to wear. Take out interview clothing to ensure cleanliness and that they are in good repair at least three days in advance of the interview. Ensure that you are presented to a professional standard to make a really good impression
- Do a practice run to the location of the interview at a similar time to the interview, time yourself and explore the best route to travel
If you would like to learn more, we offer a free, innovative and job-focused training programme supports unemployed people to:
- Identify and document your skills.
- Prepare a winning CV to get you to job interview.
- Identify what skills you have gained; through employment, education, voluntary work.
- Your outcomes and achievements
- Job hunting, methods and techniques using the internet and Linkedin
- Cover letters – sample cover letters
- Matching your cover letter to the job advertisement and job details
- Ensuring the correct ‘pitch’ with you job application
- Interview Skills and Job Search
- Successful interview skills