Well done — you have an interview. You have been selected, possibly out of hundreds of candidates. The employer thinks that you can probably do the job and wants to meet you and find out if you are the right fit for the organisation or team you’ll be working in. Take a moment to celebrate getting this far. It’s a real achievement and you should reflect on the skills and hard work that got you to this point. Interviews are two-way conversations where you are trying to convince the potential employer that you are the right person to help their business that you are ready to work with them, and where you find out if this is the right organisation to give your skills and energy to.

Interviews can take many different forms. This is dependent on the type of job and company you are applying for. You will usually be told how long the interview is expected to last, where it will be held, what form the interview might take, and if there is anything you are expected to prepare.

Interviews can vary from a more informal chat, group tasks, assessment centres, individual tests, presentations to a panel or a formal one-to-one. There could be more than one element to your interview, and often there are multiple stages.

Step One

Do your research. Use the organisation’s website to look at their mission and annual report, any press coverage, and social media — including what the company say about themselves and what other people say about them. Use LinkedIn to find out who works for this organisation, or to find out more about the person who is interviewing you. At this stage don’t ask to connect with employees on LinkedIn but you should follow the organisation on social media. What questions do you have about this organisation or job because of your research?

Step Two

If you are going for a university interview you also need to do your research.

• Why have you chosen this institution? Be specific and detailed.
• Why do you want to do this degree? What in particular attracts you to this course? Read the course syllabus and talk about any modules or tutors that interest you. Be clear about why this relates to your longer-term goals.
• Demonstrate your passion for your subject; read around it, not just what has been taught in the classroom. Look at contemporary discoveries or research.

Step Three

Review your CV and cover letter (or application form) along with the job description and remind yourself of how you meet the various criteria. These are the key competencies and experiences that the company will be assessing you against during your interview. Map out how you meet each of the criteria detailed on the person specification, including work-based examples that you should be ready to talk about. Some organisations might also assess potential candidates on behaviours. For example, if a key behaviour or value is integrity, you might be asked how you have demonstrated this behaviour at work, so try to have some examples to hand.

Step Four

Think about any gaps in your CV and how you will talk positively about them. Focus on transferable skills and give an example of when you have learned something. Be specific about the skills you’d like to develop or experience you’d like to gain if you are offered the role. You might also be asked why you left previous roles so you should be ready to discuss this.

Step Five

Practise, practise, practise. Ask someone you trust to help you practise answering questions. Spend some time thinking about what sort of questions you think the interviewer might ask (see below for a list of Common Interview Questions). Practise answering, with examples to back up each answer.

Step Six

If you must prepare a presentation for the interview, allow yourself plenty of time to do the necessary research and planning. Stick to time limits you are set. Consider the format – if you are doing a PowerPoint or a document, why not try to emulate their branding? It shows that you’ve gone the extra mile. Consider your audience – ensure what you have included is appropriate and relevant.  If you are using technology, make sure you have a backup you can switch to easily in case something goes wrong. For example, have the presentation on your laptop, on a memory stick and print a copy of your PowerPoint presentation. Make sure you practise your presentation in front of other people.

Step Seven

Plan what you are going to wear – look at images on the company website and LinkedIn photographs to help you get a sense of the company’s style. If you aren’t sure, it’s always best to dress smartly. Make sure that what you are wearing makes you feel comfortable and confident.

Step Eight

Plan your route, print a map or write the instructions down in case you lose phone reception. Aim to arrive about half an hour or 40 minutes early and wait close by in a cafe. You can do some final preparation, and if something goes wrong with your journey you reduce the risk of being late for the interview. Plan to arrive at the organisation five to ten minutes before your interview starts.

Step Nine

The night before, check your clothes, make sure your bag is packed and you have any resources you need if you are giving a presentation. Get an early night and lots of rest.

Step Ten

Just before you go into your interview take some deep breaths – in through the nose and out through the mouth. If you can, do a quick physical and vocal warm up and say some positive affirmations to yourself: something like ‘I am prepared and ready to shine – let’s do this’.

• Smile, say hello and follow the interviewers’ lead as to whether to shake hands.
• Listen very closely to the questions; if you don’t understand something, ask for clarification.
• Make eye contact with the interviewers and smile.
• Be specific with your answers, keep to the facts and be honest.
• Don’t complain about previous employers or colleagues.
• Ask your own questions or be clear if the interviewers have already answered your questions during the conversation.

• On your journey home take a moment to reflect on what went well during the interview and what you might do differently if you were going to do the interview again.
• If you get the job or university place — well done. Take some time to celebrate your success and reflect on how you achieved this. Get ready to bring the best version of yourself to day one in your new job — maybe set yourself some goals for the first week, month and three months in your new job or course.
• If you don’t get the job or university place, it’s okay. Throughout your life you’ll probably do lots of interviews where you don’t get the result you hoped for. It’s all learning and practice. Ask for feedback from the interview, reflect and look for ways to build your skills and experience to move you closer to your goal. Think about ways to improve your interview technique. Most importantly, don’t give up. We develop our resilience by dealing with challenges and overcoming difficulties.

The questions below are common interview questions which can all be answered in different ways. Have a go at answering them. You can then develop and refine your answers. Think about using the STAR method to help you (see Crafting your cover letter for more information on this). Remember to always listen and absorb the question before answering.

Tell me about yourself

• This is like a mini elevator pitch — share the best points about yourself, your career and interests.

Why do you want this job?/Why would you like to work here?

• Make sure you know about the job role and the company — employers will be keen to see that you have done your research about the organisation.
• Link your career goals back to your knowledge about the role being offered.

Why should we hire you?

• This question is about what you can offer the organisation as an employee.
• Link your skills and experience back to the role and company as a whole.
• Be positive about what you have to offer.

What are your strengths?

• What skills do you bring to the role, and how can your prior experience help support this?
• Remember to come up with an example that demonstrates a time when you displayed these skills, and make sure they’re relevant to the role.

Do you think you would face any challenges in this role?

• It is okay to admit you might face challenges in a role — we all do at some point.
• This question is about identifying areas for self-improvement — try to ensure that you ground your answer with an example of a time something didn’t go to plan, what you learned from that and what you would do next time.

What skills would you like to develop?

• This is an opportunity to let the employer know that you are committed to growing your skills and becoming an even better employee.
• No-one is perfect, so think about some skills that this role would help you develop.
• Also think about how you are proactively developing these and what techniques you have put in place to improve.

Tell me about a time you overcame a problem

• It doesn’t have to be a problem that you experienced in a job, but ensure it is a professional situation.
• It could be an issue you had with running an event at school or a customer complaint at work, but the important thing is how your actions impacted the situation.

Do you have any questions for me/us?

• Most interviews will end with a chance for you to ask the interviewers a question.
• You don’t always have to have one, but it’s a great opportunity to show your interest in the organisation or role by asking a question that tells you something that you might not already know.

Copy: Anne Langford and Simon Pollard