By Nicki Wilson, Genie Recruitment
Interview coming up and not sure where to start? I’ve got your back, here to give you some secret weapon tips in research to give you the ammo to be the standout candidate!
Research common interview questions
It’s not about memorizing every question that could ever be asked its about being selective and ensuring you know how you would answer tricky questions or maybe you know you have stumbled on a previous question before. Ever heard of failing to prepare is preparing to fail? Common questions might include:
Tell me about yourself?
What do you know about XXXX (the company you’re interviewing for)?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Tell me about an achievement you have had?
How have you navigated through a conflict?
Are you a team player? Give an example of how you have acted as a team player previously
Why are you interested in this role?
Where do you se yourself in the next 5 years
…. ohh the possibilities are endless but a quick google search will bring up more!
Read through your CV
You wrote it, they have read it, you will be asked about it. If you cannot remember the figures you gave in sales or perhaps the duration you worked in a previous job it may show lack of detail or may demonstrate you are a bit forgetful! Just make sure you read through and remind yourself of your life’s work before heading into an interview.
Read through the job description
…well, if you have one to read that is! I personally would print it off highlighting all the keywords relevant to my skill set and do the same with my CV so that I could think of ways to bring it into the conversation.
Get your detective hat on
Research everything about the company and the interviewers. Who knew all that Instagram stalking of celebs you have done in the past can be put to good use! Investigate recent articles, their social media handles, and LinkedIn to get a feel for them and also understand how you can find some talking points to help the interview flow. It is the best way to understand their culture and perhaps also understand what they look for in candidates. My most recent hire put a photo of herself in a unicorn onesie into her presentation, would that work for everyone no, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously and… I love unicorns so she was hired of course.
Key points to look out for whilst playing detective:
Company values
Key players in the organisation
The tenure of the team in positions
Company culture / personality
What does the company do, what are they known for?
Recent projects they may be proud of
Clients, products, or services
The person interviewing you, what is their background, and have they been in the press for anything recently?
Ask around….
More common than not, your friends or friends’ friends might even work at the company or know something about it. You may even know someone who works there yourself and reaching out to these people (as long as they like you!) could actually put a good word in prior to your interview or give you some insight into what a good talking point might be to impress the interviewer.
Anticipate the interviewers concerns or reservations
Perhaps you know you don’t possess all the skills required or you have gaps in your cv or maybe your qualifications do not match the job description. That’s ok don’t beat yourself up about it you are still worthy you got to interview stage. Just ensure you are ready to talk through it or address the concerns before they even come up.
Questions at the ready
Line up your questions to ask, never ever say you don’t have questions at the end of an interview even if you really don’t you really should have something to ask. A no not really nonchalant reply may give off uninterested vibes.
Practice
In your car, in front of a mirror or even find yourself a volunteer to roleplay with. Practice makes perfect and even just being able to summarise a bit about yourself in a concise way will help the interview run smoothly.
Research the location / check your interview set up
Check you know where you are going and have enough time to get there. If the interview is not in person its worth ensuring you have the right set up, software or tools to get online and know how to work the program. Every week we face technical issues when candidates do not know how to get online so this is a must even if you think you know it all already!
Finally, just go with the flow, be positive, bring your best energy and good luck!