{"id":5074,"date":"2022-06-18T09:22:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-18T09:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview-you-can-never-be-too-prepared\/"},"modified":"2022-06-18T09:22:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-18T09:22:22","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-an-interview-you-can-never-be-too-prepared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview-you-can-never-be-too-prepared\/","title":{"rendered":"How to: Prepare for an interview – you can never be too prepared"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

When it comes to an interview, you can never be too prepared\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re new to job hunting, or you\u2019re a well-practiced interviewee \u2013 thorough research and effective preparation is absolutely essential to guarantee interview success. Attempting to \u2018wing it\u2019 will only ever end badly (and\/or in awkward silences).<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already covered\u00a0telephone interview dos and don\u2019ts\u00a0and\u00a0video interview tips, but if you\u2019re invited to a face-to-face interview \u2013 here are our top tips on how to prepare:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting started<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First things first, you need to know what to prepare for.<\/p>\n

Aside from giving you an insight into the role and organisation, good interview preparation will also give you some all-important confidence. Let\u2019s face it, no-one likes surprises.<\/p>\n

But what specific preparation should you carry out? Here are a few key things to cover:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Research the company<\/li>\n
  2. Look up your role<\/li>\n
  3. Find the address<\/li>\n
  4. Pick an outfit<\/li>\n
  5. Think of some\u00a0potential questions your interviewer may ask<\/li>\n
  6. Prepare some\u00a0potential questions you could ask at the end of the interview<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    101 interview questions you\u2019ll never fear again<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The week before the interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Research the company<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Interviewers expect candidates to have a good grasp of what their organisation does \u2013 meaning your ability to research effectively is essential.<\/p>\n

    Consider aspects like: how big the company is, how it\u2019s divided up, who their customers are, and who their main competitors are \u2013 as well as any recent developments or plans within the company.<\/p>\n

    With this knowledge, you\u2019ll be able to add value to the conversation, whilst showing a genuine interest in what they do.<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Read the job description<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When it comes to interview preparation, the job description is your best friend.<\/p>\n

    Not only will a thorough examination of the duties and required personal qualities help you to understand more about what the role entails \u2013 it\u2019ll also help you to recognise exactly what the employer is looking for.<\/p>\n

    Then, you can tailor your answers accordingly \u2013 coming up with tangible examples that prove you\u2019re the best candidate for the role.<\/p>\n

    What job adverts really mean<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Figure out the format<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Interviews can take a number of forms \u2013 from one-on-one and group interviews, to position-specific tests, role plays, and psychometric questionnaires. And each one will require a different type of preparation.<\/p>\n

    Often, this will be explained when you\u2019re invited to the interview, but there\u2019s no harm in asking for more information if needed. Researching online to find out how the process has worked for other people in your situation will also help you to figure out what to expect.<\/p>\n

    Finding out who your interviewer(s) will be and researching their roles within the organisation will additionally help to reduce surprises on the big day. You can look these up on the company website, or try finding them on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n

    Competency-based interviews: What you need to know<\/p>\n

    Group interview tasks and activities<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Write things down<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Unfortunately, you can\u2019t predict every\u00a0interview question\u00a0that\u2019ll come up.<\/p>\n

    So instead of relying solely on memorised answers, prepare an additional list of your most relevant skills, attributes, and work experience. Each question you address will be an opportunity to provide some of this information to the interviewer.<\/p>\n

    That way, you can get be sure you\u2019ll get your most suitable qualities across \u2013 even if the specific questions you were hoping for don\u2019t come up.<\/p>\n

    What are transferable skills?<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The day before the interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Although you should have the bulk of your preparation done by now \u2013 that doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s nothing to organise the day before.<\/p>\n

    Here are a few things to do:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Pick your outfit and try it on<\/li>\n
    • Find a map of the location<\/li>\n
    • Do a trial run to check the journey time<\/li>\n
    • Put important information into a folder (e.g. your CV, portfolio, certificates, or any other examples of your work and\/or qualifications)<\/li>\n
    • Read and review the research you\u2019ve done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Sorting out all of the above in advance will mean less stress on the day of the interview.<\/p>\n

      You\u2019ll be sure your outfit fits, you\u2019ll know exactly where you\u2019re going, and with all of your important documents to hand \u2013 the interviewer will be able to see you\u2019re prepared.<\/p>\n

      Even if you don\u2019t end up needing examples of your work \u2013 they could turn out to be a great way to demonstrate a point or answer a question.<\/p>\n

      Pre-interview checklist<\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The day of the interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      By now, you should feel prepared.<\/p>\n

      All that\u2019s left to do is get there on time, and put your preparation to good use.<\/p>\n

      Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time \u2013 and if you\u2019re going to be late for any reason, make sure you inform the interviewer as early as possible.<\/p>\n

      If you\u2019re still feeling nervous \u2013 don\u2019t panic. Here\u2019s our guide to help you\u00a0deal with stress in an interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      When it comes to an interview, you can never be too prepared\u2026 Whether you\u2019re new to job hunting, or you\u2019re a well-practiced interviewee \u2013 thorough research and effective preparation is absolutely essential…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uptymes.com\/edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}