How to give yourself the best chance of landing a job before you even interview?
Interviewing is always a nerve racking experience and you want to make sure you prepare effectively to maximise your chances of success. We work with candidates every day helping them to give themselves the best chance of getting the job they want.
Here are some tips that could help you next time you have an interview.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation!
Being prepared is so important and it's something clients always want to see. It shows them that you have an understanding of the role you are interviewing for, what they are looking for and why you are interested.
Make sure you look at their website, look at their accounts on companies' houses and research on the areas that they are interested in prior to the interview. If you don’t know what this is you should consult with your recruiter straight away. They should be able to give you a good idea of what the client is looking for, why they are interviewing you and what they want to see from you in the interview process.
Who are you being interviewed by?
Might seem like a silly thing to suggest but having a quick look on LinkedIn and familiarising yourself with who you are being interviewed by can be really helpful. You can look at where they have worked before, their background and ultimately see what progression they have had at the company you are being interviewed by.
Think of the questions you could be asked?
I always like to put myself in the clients shoes and think what would I ask me if I was interviewing for the position. More likely than not they are going to be asking a lot of the questions you would ask yourself.
Trying to come up with the hardest questions you can think of prior to the interview can also make the real thing seem a lot easier than you would have thought.
Review your CV before you interview
So many people falter at this point. They have a CV they update only when they are looking for a new role and forget about the rest of their background. If it is on your CV you can and normally will be asked questions about what you have put on there.
The client needs to be assured that you have a good idea of what you have put on your CV and that you genuinely have the experience stated there. Forgetting something on your CV can often be the reason you don’t get selected and it's such an easy thing to fix.
Have questions prepared
This shows that you care and that you genuinely want the opportunity. Having done your research, think about the questions they might ask you. Think about the question you want to ask them. Ultimately a permanent position is like a marriage and you don’t want to go through an early divorce because you didn’t ask the client questions you want the answers to.
If its a video interview
Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the interview in a place without distractions and that you have tested the link beforehand. Try and focus on the camera as much as possible as eye contact during an interview is hard to gauge.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Yes you want the job but if you don’t get it, it's not the end of the world. All you can do is give yourself the best chance to get the job! Following these steps will definitely help.