Interview Professional’s – Interview Preparation Guide

Making time to ensure you’re interview ready is the most important part of the process for anyone seeking work in today’s job market

While the application process is necessary to get you to the interview, it’s the actual interview itself that will land you the job you want, and if you’re not properly prepared to answer each and every one of the interviewers questions to the best of your ability, your chances of landing the job you’re interviewing for will start to decrease exponentially

How much time you make to prepare for an interview is entirely up to you, there is no right or wrong way to do this – it’s all down to your strengths and needs as an individual, and about how much time you are willing to commit to. Keep in mind that preparation before an interview will usually give you a huge advantage over other candidates who haven’t prepared for it. And if you’ve been following along with the other sections on this site and have created your own job search schedule, then it can make for the perfect way to plan in the times in your day to schedule your preparation

Interview preparation – how much time do I need?

Again, the answer really is subjective – and dependant on your individual circumstances

Experts would recommend you do a minimum of 4 hours a day – as this is around the standard for what most serious interview candidates do. And anywhere from 4 to 7 hours a day is considered a reasonable amount of preparation time to spend each day in the week leading up to your interview

The main factors influencing the amount of time you spend on your preparation should be the number of days you have left before the interview, (the shorter the time left before your interview the longer you should spend preparing each day), the actual job itself, (is this a quality job that is worth the effort you will spend preparing for it?), the type of interview itself, some interview settings can be more challenging than others, (for instance a structured interview will usually have more challenging questions than an unstructured interview), and although it sounds cliche, another important factor is that you try and enjoy your interview preparation as much as you can. If you do, you will find you retain a lot more information. Put simply, it means DON’T TRY TO DO TOO MUCH.
(Some people are inclined to study and revise more than others – you don’t want to do too many hours and burn yourself out, yet you need to strike a balance between this and doing an effective amount of preparation so that you’re interview ready on the day)

While some of the questions you’ll be asked will be quite open-ended, giving you flexibility in how you answer, others will be quite rigid, meaning certain types of answers will be expected of you. Know that your interviewer will be listening very closely to how you respond to each and every question, with the effectiveness of the answers you give providing the basis for the opinion that they form of you. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes hard to know which direction to take with your answers – that’s why the best thing you can do is prepare properly before your interview, try and give strong answers to all of the questions you are asked, try to connect with the interviewer and build a good rapport with them while staying on topic, and at the same time doing your utmost to ensure you keep everything you discuss during your interview positive and upbeat

BASIC PREPARATION BEFORE AN INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW PROFESSIONAL’S PREPARATION GUIDE

• Make sure you know your travel route in advance.
  Sometimes people like to make the journey beforehand, that way it greatly reduces the anxiety and worry of making the journey on the day. It’s up to you if you want to take the time and make the extra effort to do this. If not, that’s fine, but it’s important that you have a clear understanding in your head of the route beforehand. So, make sure you research the route online well before the planned interview day and make a copy of the times of any buses and trains that you’ll need. Take a printed copy or phone map with you. It can also be useful to take numbers for travel information services (such as the relevant rail and bus companies), and taxi services, in case you encounter any problems or delays. You should also take the contact number for the recruiter/ office reception of the company you are interviewing with, in case you need to get in touch with them if you are running late
  
  
• Lay out your outfit (Do this a night or two before your interview)
  
  
• Pack a bag or briefcase and put all the items you might need inside.
  This can be things like water, snacks, mints, tissues (helpful for removing foods or liquids from clothing), an umbrella, or any other useful item you think you might need. Most importantly, bring along printed copies of your C.V, and a reference sheet if references are requested (half a dozen should be enough – although if you are attending a panel interview you may wish to bring along more so you can be sure you have enough to give everyone a copy)
  Be sure you also take a copy of your C.V for yourself too, because on the day it’s always useful to do some last-minute familiarization so you have the talking points of current/ previous job roles fresh in your mind
  Also, make sure you bring a pen or pencil and stationery to write with

• It is important that you are physically as well as mentally prepared for your interview as well. A good breakfast will kickstart your metabolism and give your brain the proper supply of glucose it needs to function. It has been proven that breakfast greatly improves brain functionality and increases concentration levels. That’s why, to make sure you’re at your best in the interview, that you make a point of eating properly on the day. That means having a good breakfast, and also a good lunch too, depending on how late into the day your interview is. Doing so will guarantee you are at your best when your interview begins
  
  
• Be sure to set your alarm the night before and make sure you get up early on the day. This will give you plenty of time to take a shower and gather you’re things so that you’re not rushing out of the house at the last minute and forgetting essential things like your C.V’s. You don’t necessarily need to get to the interview too early (arriving 15-20 minutes before the start of your interview is considered appropriate) – but leaving your house in plenty of time is a great way to reduce a lot of anxiety and stress before the interview begins. Your journey you won’t feel like it’s rushed, and that alone will greatly help. It will also give you time for a last revision of things so that they are fresh in your mind for the interview

• Consider taking an Interview Cheat Sheet with you. On it, you can put important information that you can revise on the way to the interview. Not only is this a great way to get in some last-minute revision before the interview starts, but it’s also great a way to alleviate nervousness and get rid of anxiety on the day. Just keep in mind that there is only a very limited amount of space on the sheet, that’s why you should only put the things that you feel will be most relevant onto it.
  (You should also take care that you do not exceed 1 page otherwise your cheat sheet will start to lose its effectiveness, and you’ll find it becomes more difficult to retain information from it)

For more information on how to compose a cheat sheet, see the INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEETS area in the application section

LINK TO INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEETS

• Ask for feedback – (Post-Interview Step)
  Use this step in any instance where you’ve been unsuccessful in an interview.
  In these circumstances, following up with the interviewer is one of the most important things you can do.
  Start off by thanking the interviewer for their time and reiterating how much you enjoyed the interview. Proceed to then tell them how disappointed you were not to get the role, but that you’d still love to be a part of their team and will keep your eyes open for future opportunities with them. From there, go on to ask for some constructive feedback and explain that this could be really helpful to you in future interviews going forward.
  It is important to remember that most of the time you won’t receive this feedback when you request it. This, at a time when you may already be feeling dejected and down from not landing the role. Therefore, the key thing here is not to lose motivation, to think positively, and to remember that there are plenty of other opportunities out there waiting for you. While most of the time you won’t receive any feedback due to the time constraints the interviewer has, in the instances that you do, it can be really helpful when preparing for the interviews to come