Working for over 15 years in recruitment has given me great insight into the interview processes of large and small businesses, so I have compiled some info on interview best practice and how to successfully survive an interview!
Interview Best Practice: Do’s
Prepare
- It amazes me that people have attended interviews without even looking on a company website to understand what the company even does so do your homework – research them, look at LinkedIn, their current updates, news, recent events, and people.
- Look into your interviewers – they usually can be found on LinkedIn and don’t think you are being nosey, they will like the fact you have shown an interest. You may have worked for a previous company or attended the same school/college so that is a great ice-breaker.
- Read the job spec and write notes – the key here is to extract the important duties (usually listed nearer the top) and to show you have this experience Take time to review your CV and be prepared to sell your skillset.
- Plan your journey – ensure you leave in plenty of time.
First Impression
- Dress to impress – even if you know the company have a relaxed dress down policy Waist up if on Teams/Zoom.
- Arrive in plenty of time – ensure you park in the correct parking bays. Nothing is worse than mid-interview you get asked to move your car.
- Speak to the Receptionist – the gatekeeper is key to get on side!
- If in person, a firm handshake, smile and plenty of eye contact.
- Bring a notepad – when appropriate sometimes taking notes shows your interest and you may also want to have questions written down that you intend to ask.
Sell yourself
- Prepare to talk through your CV, explaining any gaps. They don’t want your life story here so keep it specific to the job you have applied for.
- Speak with confidence and keep your answers polished and professional.
- Highlight any of your strengths that are relevant to the role, this goes back to understanding the company and the job spec.
- Mention relevant duties you performed in recent positions.
- Ask open ended questions – as much as they want to interview you, you need to make sure they are the right fit for you.
Interview Best Practice: Dont’s
- Keep mentioning your experiences from 20 years ago – keep your answers relevant and ideally recent.
- Speak ill of current or previous employers – even if it is true, this is never seen in a positive light.
- Falsify information on your CV.
- Ask about every single benefit – especially not sick pay. Although important, this can be something that can be checked with your agency or the recruitment contact after the interview.
- Speak over your interviewer – this can be more tricky on a video call but is more accepted because of the time delay.
- Say you actually want to leave to study in 6 months or that your dream job is not the one you are applying for.
- Be too familiar – the interviewer wants you to be relaxed and may come across informal, but always try and keep it professional.
- Swear!!
How Kingswood Group can help
At Kingswood Group, we like to ensure our candidates feel confident and ready for their interview and this reflects in our success. We have other supporting documents to help you so to discuss further please do reach out to myself or one of our experienced team.
