How to Prepare for an Interview

 Hi lovelies,

So, you've spent hours slaving over your CV, tailoring it to the specific job role, and selling yourself the best that you can. You've hit send, and now the power is in the hands of your dream company. You're not really expecting to hear anything - other than a computer-generated rejection email - but at last, the agonising wait is over and you open your inbox to find to your surprise that you've got an interview! Amazing, congratulations! But amongst the feelings of pride and success, you feel an anxiousness creep in - how do you prepare for such an important interview?!

I know the feeling. I have had many interviews over the last few years. Some have turned into job offers. Most haven't. But as a person with a full-time job, I am here to share a few tips on how to prepare for an interview.

Tip #1: Research Research Research!

Research is key! Research the company that you are interviewing for - what do they do? Who is their target audience? What are their values? Research the role - what will your daily to-do list look like? How much money should you expect to be paid? And, if you can find out who is interviewing you, research them too! What do they do at the company? Will you be reporting directly to them? LinkedIn is a great resource for this. Make sure that you know as much as possible about the company, and demonstrate this knowledge throughout the interview.

Tip #2: Prepare answers to common interview questions

As part of your research, you should look into some common interview questions. Once you've found a list, prepare some detailed answers to a few of them. Always have an example to back up your response. An easy way of doing this is through using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. By using this method, you will easily have included some background context, an in-depth example about what you did and how you did it, and a closing statement about what you achieved through this task and what you could have done differently.

Some common interview questions that you could apply the STAR method to include: 'tell me about a time that you worked well as part of a team' and 'tell me about a situation where things didn't go to plan'. 

By having pre-planned answers to some of these questions, it will hopefully remove some of the panic and take away a few of the awkward pauses and 'ummmmm's' you do when you're manically trying to think up a response.

Tip #3: Have questions for the interviewer

Having 3 or 4 questions for the interviewer that you can ask at the end of the interview is a great way of showing off your company and role research, and will also answer some questions or concerns that your research didn't tell you. As well as this, it shows the interviewer that you have prepared well and that you're interested in the role. 

It's probably not the best time to ask about a salary - wait for them to ask, and if they don't, you'll find out if they offer you the job. Questions that you could ask the interviewer, however, include: 'what will my day-to-day responsibilities look like?' and 'what is the culture of this company?' Phrase them in a way that shows off your research. 

Tip #4: Dress to impress

Whether your interview is in person, over a video call, or just over the phone, you should make sure that your outfit matches the work environment of the company you're interviewing with. (You should have found this out through your research.) My advice is to always ere on the smarter side, even if the company has a more casual dress code. It can help you to come across as more professional and more confident. Just adding a blazer over a casual top, or wearing a pair of more structured trousers can turn a look from casual to smart casual in seconds. Even if the interviewer can't see you, the right outfit can do wonders for your mindset and confidence.

Tip #5: Have a glass of water handy

So simple, yet so important. No one wants their throat to go dry from the nerves of the interview, so having a glass or bottle of water nearby can help you to avoid the dry, cracking voice. It's also a handy prop to use when you take a bit longer to think up an answer to a question - or recall your pre-prepared response - without saying 'umm' repeatedly.

Tip #6: Relax

You've done the preparation, have a list of questions for the interviewer ready, look the part, and have water on standby. There's really not much more that you can do. So just relax - remember, they already liked you from your CV. Just sell yourself the best you can, and take the opportunity to learn more about the company and the interview process in general. The worst thing that can happen is that you don't get the role. But at least you'll have a bit more interview experience that will help you in the future!

Have any of you got any interviews coming up? If so, GOOD LUCK!

With love, Chloe x