How to prepare for an interview

Preparing for an interview takes a lot more than deciding what to wear and Googling a list of frequently asked interview questions. You need to ensure you make the right impression if you want to secure a new role. This means lots of research on the company, its products or services and of course, how to convey that you’re the perfect fit for the job.

By planning everything you need ahead of time, you’re setting yourself up for a successful interview. There are several things that need to be considered ahead of your interview including the journey, interviewers and company culture.

The Logistics

If you’re attending a face to face interview it’s important to know how to get to the interview slightly early and stress free. Arriving late will not put you in a good light and being flustered not in the right frame of mind. Don’t arrive too early though because this can annoy interviewers – it’s best to hold off entering the building if you arrive more than half an hour before your interview slot.

If you’re using public transport, it’s important to make sure that buses and trains arrive with plenty of time to get to the interview location slightly early. Double check that you can walk to your interview location in a realistic time and check for the simplest route. It’s also a good idea to make a note of local landmarks or businesses that you should pass on the way. This is also a good plan if you’re planning to drive to your interview as well as checking the parking situation. Some organisations require you to book a space beforehand whilst others do not have visitor parking at all so you will need to know where to park nearby.

Always check on the day of your interview that there are not any travel issues or disruptions so you can make alternative plans if there’s a problem on route.

It’s also still important to think about location even if you’re not attending an interview in person. If you’re being telephone interviewed make sure you can speak in a quiet spot with good signal and no interruptions and candidates appearing on video calls need to use a well-lit place with a tidy background and reliable internet connection.

The Organisation

Some interviewees haven’t bothered to look at an organisation’s website and incredibly do not seem to even know what business they are in. Obviously, this is perceived as laziness and shows zero attention to detail which are not attractive qualities in a potential employee, so these candidates are unsuccessful. It’s important to spend time looking at your potential employer’s website and to really find out what they do, their company ethos and if they have any significant news or projects. Don’t start reciting their website content at interview though as you will just look desperate and will only be telling them things they already know.

Some interview advice tells you to ask something regarding the organisation but in reality, this is only a good idea if it’s a genuine question and doesn’t make you look desperate and asking for the sake of asking. Ask too many questions and the interviewer will feel grilled. Also remember that no interviewer is going to be impressed by someone who only asks about money, benefits and holiday allowance.

Research your interviewers on LinkedIn and see what sort of business & company backgrounds they’ve come from. They might also have a corporate profile on the organisation’s website which will provide some useful information or shared common ground such as supporting the same football team. You can assess whether they are likely to respond well to shared interests during the interview so don’t start cracking jokes to somebody who then turns out to be overly formal.

The Dress Code

The key is to dress appropriately for the organisation so check out their social media and see if their culture is modern and casual or more traditional. It helps to understand what your interviewers will be wearing because if they’re in jeans and you’re wearing a suit you will feel uncomfortable so in this instance chinos and a shirt would be better. It’s important to wear something suitable but also comfortable as you will be more much more confident. Wearing something too tight, itchy or worrying about walking in heels will damage your performance. The room you’re interviewing in could be boiling or freezing so be prepared for either eventuality by wearing layers including a jacket.

Once you decided what to wear then make sure it’s cleaned, ironed and ready to wear ahead of the day. Check that it fits properly and is in good order without missing buttons. Make sure that everything is ready the day before which includes cleaning your shoes and emptying your bag of unnecessary items (lots of clutter tumbling out on the journey will not help you stay calm). Also check that nail varnish isn’t chipped and that nails are clean.

You will be more confident and relaxed on the big day knowing that you have everything in hand because when it comes to an interview, you can never be too prepared.