Three things you should know before you go to an interview

There are many aspects to going to an interview that you should be aware of before you start your journey to meet a potential new employer. Unfortunately many candidates are completely unaware of this and turn up to interviews unprepared and often because of this cannot demonstrate why they would be a great fit for a new company.

Here are three things you should bear in mind before you head off to an interview:

1) What role are you interviewing for?
This is more than just a vague description that it is an XYZ Service Engineer position.

If you are actively looking around for a new role, it is easy to forget exactly which roles you have applied for or discussed with different agencies.

Recruitment is becoming far more transparent as time goes on so it is easy to just pick up the phone and ask the consultant who spoke to you to re-clarify the role and a good consultant will be more than happy to do so. At the end of the day, we want you to do well and perform to the best of your ability so don’t hesitate in calling us back to go over the company and the role again!

Try and keep a list of what companies you have been in contact with and what positions they are considering you for.

This will immediately make you feel more in control of the situation and more prepared.

2) Information about the company
Again, this is more than knowing their address and what industry they work in.

Nobody expects you to go to an interview knowing everything about the company, after all that is one of the crucial things you find out when you meet them.

But,
this is a key tip that many people still forget. Knowing a little bit about the company, their history, ethos and having visited their website is all it takes. Again, if you have found the company via an agency ask them- they should know!

Additionally asking for a bit of background information on the person you will be meeting is also useful and shows that you are genuinely interested. Most managers today are on Linkedin and all it takes is a quick search to often put a face to the name and know a little bit more about who will be interviewing you.

3) How to prove that you are a good fit for them
If you haven’t followed the first two pieces of advice- this may be difficult…

If you combine the information about the role and what would be expected of you with a bit of background about the company- you can easily work out how and why you would fit in.

Whether it be that you have done the role before, have transferrable skills or that this is an environment where you can demonstrate being able to thrive, you can work out whether the position is for you and why you want it.

(Role Description + Company Information = your position and how you fit in)

So the next time you say yes to popping down to meet somebody bare these things in mind so you can present the best version of yourself. Also, bear in mind that these meetings are all networking opportunities and you want to continue a successful career- you can never have too many contacts!

Good luck and smash it!
If you have any other questions or would like any other advice on what to find out, please feel free to give me a call.