Preparing for the Interview
Firstly, if you are preparing for an interview that means you have gotten to the interview stage…that is great!
Remember how you did it for future reference. Did you apply online, did you use a cover letter, did you walk the streets hand delivering CV’s? Remember what worked to get you this far.
Here are three practical approaches in preparing for an interview.
Know yourself
- What work experience do you have? (Remember transition year and voluntary work count too!)
- What are your achievements? (Any awards in school or sports perhaps)
- What motivates you?
- An interesting story about yourself?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- What hobbies or interests do you have? (Remember them, because you don’t want to be trying to recall in the interview what you had put down on your CV)
- What school did you go to?
Know the job
- Start by reading the original advertisement and job description.
- Underline anything related to the responsibilities of the job, the qualification, training, previous experience, personal characteristics required of the job holder.
- Find out as much as you can about the company and the job position (looking at the companies online presence might help).
Matching the job to you
- Figure out how your experience, or qualifications match up to that of the job description.
- List the attributes of the job in bullet points on one side of a page. Write down what work experience you have, or what personal characteristics you have on the other side of the page.
If you can have a good idea of the company, the role being offered and what experience or characteristics you have to be able to fill that position you are well prepared for your interview!! Good luck!!
The final part of this series will deal with some of the questions that the interviewers will most likely ask you………… even the awkward ones!!!