Great news, you have been invited to an interview.

For most people this is the second stage of a recruitment process after the initial application. An interview represents two things, it tells you that a company / recruiting manager is interested in you and wants to hear more and it's an opportunity for you to demonstrate why you are a right match for the role. The key advice for anyone attending an interview is 'Preparation'.

Research the company.

If you have applied directly or through a Flat Fee Recruiter like Together Recruit you should always know who you might end up working for. It may be the case that this information wasn't shared as part of the application process if you didn't apply directly but at the time of being offered an interview you should know who your future employer might be and the address of the interview, if not ask. Most companies have websites which should provide enough information for you to understand about their business, what they do, who are their customers and what their products and /or services are etc. You might be asked as part of the interview what you know about the company and not knowing anything is not a great response. Researching the company in advance could also help your examples and when you are thinking about questions to ask during the interview. If you know who is planning to interview you there is no harm looking them up on a professional job site like LinkedIn.

Read and understand the job profile.

Read through each section of the job profile and reflect on how you might meet the requirements. Do not just assume you know what the role is, regardless of the title and how familiar you might be with the position, this role might have some major or subtle differences which you should be aware. Understanding the job profile in advance will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate how your experience matches the requirements, if you have transferable skills it's good to understand how they fit and what more you can bring to the role.

Understand the format.

Interviews can take several formats - one-on-one and group interviews, presentations, role plays and psychometric testing. Each one will require a different type of preparation and some may require you to submit work in advance. Where this is required make sure you understand what is needed, by when and in what format. Increasingly more recruiters are providing video interviews, if this is the agreed format make sure the room where you choose to sit is tidy, clutter free, make sure your equipment is working, it has power and the camera lens is clean.

Plan the day in advance.

Where will the interview take place, do you know where it is and how will you get there? The last thing you want to do is arrive late and flustered because you missed a transport connection or could not find any parking. Where possible you might want to do a test run in advance as this might help you on the day. What will you wear, and have you tried it on recently? Do not leave things to chance on the day - interviews are usually formal attire, turning up in jeans is sometimes not appreciated by the interviewer. If this has not been discussed in advance and then there is no harm in asking. 

Consider what questions you might be asked.

Take some time to think about what you might be asked in the interview. Reflect on your experience and identify your strengths, achievements and what you have done to overcome challenges. Interviewers don't just ask about the good things you have done so consider times when things haven't always gone to plan and what did you do to remedy this. The more you prepare the easier you will find answering questions. Depending on the type of role you are applying for and if you have other similar interviews, try and remember the questions you have been asked and reflect on your answers. It might be at a future interview you are asked something similar. Asking questions is not just done by the interviewer, there should be time during the interview for you to ask questions. This is your way of demonstrating you are interested in the role, try and keep questions relevant and consider the things are important to you. You might want to understand about your training, support and development or be interested in the mid and long-term plans of the business. 

The interview day.

Hopefully, you are now feeling prepared. Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time and if you are going to be late for any reason, make sure you inform the interviewer as soon as possible. Try and keep relaxed and focussed on the day ahead, some people can find interviews uncomfortable, being prepared really helps. Good luck.

Post Interview.

Well done, regardless of the outcome. Its natural once an interview if over to start thinking about how it went, what you said, was there a good connection, was there a positive next steps conversation etc. Its very easy to find something negative and for this to feel like it was a huge issue that means you will not get the job. However, the best thing you can do here is to recall the interview, write down what went well and if anything was not so good and think about how you would approach this differently should you need to attend another interview. It is always a good idea to note the questions you were asked and what your answers and examples were. Chances are that if you attend another interview for a similar role you might be asked the same or near same questions. Would you answer these the same of have you remembered an even better example?

Whilst interviews are sometimes uncomfortable, they do get easier and your confidence will grow. Hopefully, you will not need to read this again, but if you do please follow the advice and tips and remember 'Preparation is key. If you need further support, please contact one of the team at Together Recruit who will be more than willing to help support. If they have been Advertising a Job, then they will really want to support you and help you be your best.