Remember, this is your opportunity to shout about YOU!
Here are some of the top tips that the ladies at 9-2-3 have put together based on client and candidate feedback and of course, their own professional opinion.
Go prepared with questions to ask them about the role, not just questions that you think the prospective employer would like you to ask them but burning questions that are important to you in a new role. Candidates sometimes forget that the interview is just as much for you as it is for them and it's so important to find out everything you want to know so you can judge whether it's the right job or not.
Turn up in plenty of time – don’t create a bad impression on your first meeting!
When introducing yourself, ask them how they see the role working and what they want before you go into full interview question mode - this helps you to tailor your responses to the questions from the start.
BE FULLY AWARE of EVERYTHING on your CV including dates/time at each role.
Be able to relate each/as many of your roles/responsibilities to the one you are applying for at your interview – it’s always great to be able to demonstrate experience and to pull examples from your CV – don’t assume they will know your CV inside out – they might be seeing A LOT of candidates!
Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not – you want a job that suits YOU.
As nervous as you may feel, remember you are interviewing them too – they need to show you why you want to work for them. Cultural fit is so important, if you’re not happy at work it doesn’t matter how good the role is. If it then doesn’t work out it wasn’t meant to be. If possible try to get a feel for the culture before you go and dress accordingly – (superhero capes optional!)
If you’re returning to workplace after a career break and are struggling to remember ‘professional’ examples then try and prepare a few current examples e.g. During 4 years on the school PTA, I’ve honed my relationship building skills, had lots of experience managing suppliers and learnt how to secure sponsors…
Honesty! Especially when going for flexible roles – you need to show you want to work and being too demanding isn’t always going to be welcomed well by the employer but equally over promising to get a job isn’t going to be helpful to anyone in the future. If you are asking for flex you need to show how you can make the role work in the hours you are suggesting.
Thinking like you have the role already and talking about how you will achieve the targets, job spec puts in their mind that you are capable of what they want you to do – they will be able to envisage you doing it.
Pick out top related achievements to go through during the interview that you know will impress them on a personal and professional level - this will give them a really good overview into you as a person and also demonstrate your professional skills too!
Close the interview - this is especially important if you are going for a sales role but good advice for any interview. You close the interview by saying something along the lines of, "thank you for your time today, can I just ask, is there anything that you are unsure of that I haven't demonstrated in the interview and that would stop me from being put forward to the next stage?" This is now the employers opportunity to highlight any concerns then you can address them there and then so there is no reason for you to be not put through to the next stage of the process.
…..And most importantly…..RELAX!