Pre Interview Preparation

1 Appointment

Remember the day, date and time. Ensure you book the time off work as soon as you can.

2 Clothes

Decide what you feel is appropriate to wear and make sure it is clean and ready well in advance. If you are not sure of the dress code, ask your Recruiter. Generally, always dress smartly and professionally for interviews. You should "dress for success" as this aids part of the non-verbal impression.

3 The Journey

Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the interview but only go in a maximum of 10 minutes before. You should plan your journey well before the day and if you are driving make sure you know about parking. These links may help you plan your journey.

- National Rail -Transport for London - Google Route Planner -

4 Research

Why research ?

Research is important for a number of reasons and puts an interviewee in a very positive light as it shows your:

• Interest - in both the job and the organisation.
• Respect for the Interviewer - by not asking questions where the answers were readily available on the company website. This means that more time can be spent on finding out more about the actual role and how it fits into the organisation and your own career plans.
• Dilligence - and thoroughness and this is always a positive trait for a potential employee.
• Confidence - knowing about the company you are going to visit is a great way to keep some nerves at bay on the day of the interview thereby helping you come across as a more confident individual.

What to research ?

We suggest that your research falls into 3 categories:

• The Company - learn as much as you can about the organisation especially about its products, services, management, directors, company history and any recent news items. Any news about their products ? Are there any product demos on YouTube ? Do they have any USP (Unique Selling Points) ? Are they part of a group ? Recently taken over or due for take over ? Who are their competitors ?
• The Interviewer - This is not unethical and is now quite common practice prior to meeting someone in business. However, it should be done with ethics and morals. Does your interviewer have a technical or HR background ? Do you both know some of the same people ? How does the interviewer fit into the organisation ? Have they been there long ? Have they written any interesting pieces or won awards ? The point of this exercise really is to find commonality and also background. Remember this is not about digging up dirt but about finding commonality.
• The Role - How does it fit within the organisation ? What is the likely forward career path ? What are the necessary skills ? Are there any skills on the job specification which you do not recognise, if so, find out what they are so you have an awareness of what you could learn and the impact of your non-knowledge in this area. For any skills on the job specification which are weak or missing, find something positive you do have to offer. Do you have any relevant personal achievements in previous roles which might interest the interviewer ?

How to research

Search terms to use: Company Name - Product name - Interviewer Name

Start with the Corporate website and their social links and then using the search terms above, move on to the following:

- LinkedIn - Twitter - YouTube - Facebook - Pipl -

- Google - Bing - Blog search -

5 Questions

You do not need to ask ANY questions but you need to answer the question of: "Do you have any questions ?"

Questions NOT to ask :

• Benefits, holidays, working hours, sick pay etc (especially at 1^st stage interview)
• Opinions about other people (especially management) within the company
• Start a conversation on any potentially controversial subject .

Questions you COULD ask :

• The organisation - are there any plans for expansion or growth ?
• The role- what do you think the most challenging part of this role would be ?
• Personal Performance - are there regular appraisals ?
• Moving forwards - What is the next stage in this selection process ?

No questions then you could say:

"Actually, I don't have any questions as my research and your thoroughness today has answered them all. Thank you".

6 Attitude

Remember: An interview is a 2-way meeting ! Knowing that you are as prepared as you can be, go with a positive attitude.