Steps to a Successful Interview

1. Before the Interview:
   • Preparation is essential. You must review your application, the job description and think about answers to some common interview questions. You should also think about relevant questions to ask the interviewer.
   • Try to find out about the organisation in advance:
     • What do they do?
     • What do they make or sell?
     • Where are they based?
     • What does the role involve?
     • Who are their customers?
   • Spend time thinking of your skills, both job specific and transferable and how you can demonstrate these to the interviewer.
   • Ask a friend or a Careers Adviser to hold a mock interview so you can test your performance in advance.
   • Plan your journey and your appearance. This may sound obvious but first impressions count. Being late and not dressed smartly enough is guaranteed to put you at a disadvantage.
2. At the interview:
   • From the moment you arrive at the company location you are effectively being interviewed so treat all members of staff that you encounter in a professional and courteous manner.
   • Common Questions:
     • There are many books and websites devoted to interview questions and how best to answer them. Here is a brief overview.
     • Open, general questions such as ‘Tell me about yourself’: This is a great opportunity to highlight the things you want to (and gloss over those that you don’t). You can use this answer to tell the interviewer about your skills, experience, personal qualities and why you find the role interesting. Practice an answer to this question which lasts a few minutes and presents you as the best person for the job.
     • Questions asking you to reveal your good and bad points can be tricky. An example would be ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’. Remember the job role when you answer this. Replying that you are disorganised but chatty is not going to go down well with an employer.
     • A question about why you applied for the placement is almost certain to come up. Other common questions involve you giving an example of how you handled a situation (such as a challenge in the workplace) or what you would do in a particular situation or scenario (such as when you have too much work to do in a short space of time).
     • Again, prepare and practice answers to these and other questions in advance.
3. At the end of the interview:
   • Asking questions:
     • Think about relevant questions to ask the interviewer in advance. You could ask about their customer base for example.
     • It is fine to ask the interviewer for an idea of when you will hear the outcome of the interview.