When it comes to kicking off the application process for a new job position, your written resume and cover letter serve as your first introduction to a potential employer.
From there, you need to be prepared to nail the next stage of the process – the interview. The interview is your opportunity to make a good impression by emphasising your greatest qualities, skills, and strengths.
Continue reading our guide to find out how to best prepare for an interview so you can secure your next role.
The Purpose of an Interview
In the employment landscape, an interview is a discussion or conversation between a potential employer and applicant regarding why said applicant is the best fit for that role and that company.
For the employer, they’ve read your resume and have decided that your education and professional experience are likely to meet the job’s requirements. The interview, therefore, is an opportunity for them to learn more about your personality and soft skills, and can even be thought of as a ‘vibe check’.
For the employee, it’s your chance to decide whether the role, company and management are something you can see yourself committing to. It’s also a great time to ask any questions you may have about any of the above. After all, work is where we spend half of our waking day, so you want to make sure the environment is right for you.
Preparing for an interview will help you anticipate what to expect when going in, leaving you feeling more confident and at ease to leave a great impression on the hiring team.
Preparing also shows your commitment, interest in the position and the company, and attention to detail, increasing the likelihood of success in securing the job.
Let’s take a look at some interview formats, as they each require a somewhat different approach to nail.
Individual vs Group Interviews
An individual interview is a one-on-one meeting with a recruiter or potential employer that involves the interviewer asking questions to prompt responses that will likely highlight your nature, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, skills, and knowledge.
A one-on-one interview is usually more structured than a group interview, giving you a great opportunity to stand out by leading the conversation.
A group interview consists of a small group of people – typically more than three applicants – and a recruiter and/or potential employer who conduct the interview. By having a group of applicants togetherin the one room, recruiters can ask questions but also observe interpersonal skills.
Having applicants engage with each other allows them to demonstrate their ability to work in a team and collaborate, which is a skill that is vital to many roles across retail and sales.
Individual interviews are typically more common for white-collar roles, particularly as seniority increases. However, many industries and companies will conduct group interviews in the initial stages, before progressing successful candidates to the individual interview stage.
Moreover, contracting positions typically rely on group interviews since the roles require being a highly-agile member of a larger team.
In-Person, Online & Hybrid Interviews
In-person interviews are the more traditional approach, however, following COVID-19, online and hybrid interviews have become increasingly popular.
Being face-to-face, in-person interviews allow you to display your personality, enthusiasm, and professionalism in a more natural setting.
On the flip side, this means there’s a lot more to consider compared to an online interview including your body language, outfit, travel, arrival time, and things to bring to the interview. To ensure you succeed in an in-person interview, we recommend planning ahead by following our pre-interview checklist below
Online interviews are generally conducted via platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. This virtual style of interview allows you to connect with people from different locations easily and saves travel time and costs.
To do well in online interviews, you need to:
- Make sure your laptop or phone is sufficiently charged.
- Check that any software you might need to download, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, is up-to-date so you’re not late.
- Ensure you have an adequate internet connection.
- Maintain a professional appearance.
- Choose a suitable environment for the interview, ensuring that your background is tidy, room quiet, and face is well-lit and in focus.
Nail your next virtual interview with our video interview guide.
A hybrid interview process is a blend of online and in-person interviews across various stages. Typically, you could have an initial interview via Zoom, followed by an in-person interview in the office.
Hybrid interviews give you the convenience of the Zoom call as well as the opportunity to show off your qualities in-person. The key to success here is to maintain a consistent demonstration of yourself throughout every stage.
Now that we’ve considered the different types of interviews, let’s delve into and explore how you can prepare.
Guide to Preparing for an Interview
Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, below is a guide that will help you prepare for an interview.
Before Attending an Interview
Here are our top recommendations of what to do before an interview.
1. Research the Company and Industry
Employers assess your interest and motivation by how much you know about their organisation. Familiarising yourself with the position, company and industry prior to an interview is essential to making sure you are prepared for any queries asked.
What to do:
- Review the job description and consider how you can express why you would be a good fit for the position and the company.
- Study the organisation’s website and social networks to learn more about the job role, the company’s values and goals, the people who work within the organisation, partners or stakeholders and more.
- Gauge what the organisation does, the type of work they do, and how they differentiate themselves from their competitors.
- Search Google News to see if there’s been any recent press about the company.
2. Prepare Key Points
Prepare responses around the key topics, ideas and previous work projects you’ve worked on to ensure you will be ready for a wide selection of questions.
What to do:
- Think about why you are interested in this position and evaluate how your past experiences may have played a role in your interest.
- Consider why you are a good applicant for this position.
- Evaluate how your past work experience, personal characteristics, academic achievements, interests and hobbies make you appropriate for the job.
- Determine the skills and experience that you could bring to the job if you were offered it.
- Be ready to highlight your skills and experiences with specific examples.
This is another important point that can be incorporated in your interview preparation.
3. Salary Discussions
We recently conducted a poll to survey which aspect of interviews people find the most challenging. Our audience largely considers salary negotiations to be the trickiest part of an interview. Luckily, a bit of preparation here can go a long way.
Depending on the role and industry, position wages are sometimes not outlined on job listings. When this is the case, enquiring about the salary range can feel awkward. Moreover, negotiating a salary during an interview can be a complex subject to raise in a job interview environment. While many people recommend not mentioning payment in an initial interview, we believe this is still a very important aspect to tackle, as it can play a large part in whether a role is right for you.
Our top tips for salary discussions in an interview are:
- Always research the job’s average industry salary and familiarise yourself with what is considered an appropriate amount. Remember that each company’s job wage can vary.
- Determine a realistic salary for the job position based on your experience and expertise.
- Be open-minded. Even if a job pays less than your current role, the benefits, proximity to home, or better environment can more than make up for it.
- Understand the appropriate time to raise the salary topic in an interview. This is also very important as sometimes this discussion may not be appropriate to raise depending on the interview’s atmosphere. We recommend allowing the interviewer to lead the conversation here.
- If this conversation does occur, practise the best ways to approach the subject and how to express yourself professionally.
- If the recruiter or potential employer queries what your ideal salary is, it’s better to give them an approximate salary range, rather than an exact number. This stops them from feeling that you’re closed off to a discussion, and also means you could end up with more than you were originally expecting.
- After a conversation about the job position’s salary, take the time to think about the offer – remember, you do not have to answer salary questions right away.
Need help understanding what salary range to expect? Talk to our team or check our salary guide for guidelines across 14+ industries.
4. Practice Interview Questions
A common mistake people make before attending an interview is not preparing for the questions going to be asked. It is super important to look into what are common interview questions and how you may respond appropriately.
What to do:
- A great way to practice answers for an interview is by hand-writing responses to common interview questions. Although writing down your ideas is useful, it’s also beneficial to use verbal practice to help retain the information. This can be done alone, with friends or family, or with a mentor.
5. Prepare some questions for them
The interview is a chance to learn more about the employer and the position. Writing down the questions you may want to ask the employer could be another great way to show your commitment and attention to detail.
What to do:
- Consider what you would like to know more about such as the role, organisation, and industry. Check the company website ahead of time to make sure your questions aren’t already answered here.
- Write these questions down then memorise them. There’s often a segment at the end of the interview where an interviewer will ask if you’ve got any questions, and showing you have some ready demonstrates attention to detail.
6. Before an Interview Commences
- Always be on time, aiming to arrive at least 10-15 minutes before the scheduled start time. If the interview is in person, be sure to check out the public transport or parking situation ahead of time.
- Ensure you bring everything you need – this can be packed the night before.
- Once you have arrived, always be very kind and considerate to the people around you.
- Put all devices on silent.
- Enter the interview with an optimistic attitude and a smile on your face. A firm handshake can also go a long way.
- Take some deep breaths to make sure you’re focused, calm, and collected.
Pre-Interview Checklist
Feeling prepared will make all the difference. Go through the below checklist before your next interview to guarantee you haven’t missed anything:
- Study your notes, resume & cover letter, the job description, and the company/industry.
- For an in-person interview, check the route to the interview location and what the travel time is, factoring in any traffic if your interview is scheduled around peak hour. For an online interview, make sure you test your equipment and software prior to the interview, and find a suitable location where you can focus on the call.
- Determine what you are going to wear, ensuring it is suitable for the interview.
- Always check and remember the name and role of the person conducting the interview.
- Ensure you have the following items ready: hardcopy of your resume, your referees and their contact details, a notebook and pen, a drink bottle and any other necessary things that you have been requested to bring along.
- Try to get a good night’s sleep before the interview.
During the Interview
This stage of the interview process is where you put all of your preparation into action.
What to do:
- Always introduce yourself to the interviewer and others present with confidence.
- During the interview, listen attentively to the interviewer and be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the questions asked. This is your opportunity to display your ability to communicate effectively and confidently.
- Try to link your skills, experiences, achievements, and goals to the company’s values, objectives and culture when responding to queries.
- Be sure to highlight what past experiences have taught you that may be useful for the job position and the company. Make sure to provide some specific examples in your discussions.
- Use clear and direct language, avoiding the use of fillers like “um” as much as you can.
- Maintain eye contact with your interviewer(s), but remember not to over do it! If there are multiple interviewers, make sure to interact with each of them.
- Your body language can say a lot about how you feel – be aware of your posture, and remember to smile from time to time. Together, this will convey a sense of positivity and confidence.
- If the interview’s in person, observe the people and environment around you to get an idea of the company’s work culture.
- Ask about the company’s timeline for when you should expect to hear back from them.
- No matter how you feel it went, leave the interview with a polite and friendly thank you and farewell.
Post Interview
Now the interview’s done, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how it went.
What to do:
- Reflect on your interview as soon as possible. Ask yourself questions: were there any questions that stumped you? Consider how you might improve your answer to that question for next time.
- Consider what you learned about the position and employer during the interview and think about if this job is the right fit for you.
- If you come up with any responses for the above questions, be sure to include them in your post-interview follow up email. Here, you should again thank the hiring team for their time, and again express your interest in the position (if still relevant)
- If you don’t hear anything back after the timeline you were given, follow them up with an email or phone call to reiterate your interest.
- If they come back with a negative response, use it as an opportunity to ask for feedback.
How to Succeed in an Interview
Succeeding in any type of interview circles back to what we call the ‘Four Ps’:
1. Plan
Planning for an interview is essential in ensuring you are ready for anything that comes your way. This can even be as simple as reading over the job description, researching the company that is interviewing you and making sure your resume referees are up to date.
2. Prepare
Preparing for the interview is the most crucial step as it can be what makes or breaks the interview process. Preparing may include rehearsing your responses to interview practice questions, re-reading your resume to make sure you are fully aware of what you have mentioned and prepping what you are going to wear on the day of the interview.
3. Presentation
Presenting yourself in a professional manner during an interview is crucial. This includes your appearance, clothing, body language, communication skills, question responses and more. This is where your preparation is put into action to guarantee you leave the interview feeling confident in how you presented yourself.
4. Participate
In any interview, you should try and put yourself out there and truly display a strong enthusiasm for the role you have applied for.
This may involve stepping out of your comfort zone to go above the recruiter’s expectations through asking intriguing questions, creating engaging conversation, expressing your honest thoughts and delving into more detail when responding to queries.
Getting an interview for a job you have applied for is very exciting. Our interview preparation guide is here to encourage you to succeed in your next interview and make sure you put your best foot forward!
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