Job interviews are situations in which it’s crucial to impress your potential employer. If you’ve been invited to a job interview, it means that you have the qualifications and experience they need. The interview process is to get to know you, talk to you more to assess your skill levels, and to see if you’d be a great fit with the team. So you need to show you have the qualities of a great candidate in order to stand out from the other candidates. Here are our tips on how to make yourself interview-ready and create a great impression.
Looking good
You don’t have to buy expensive clothes for job interviews, but it is important to look work-smart. Pick an appropriate outfit that shows you’re serious about impressing your potential employer, and make sure it’s clean and ironed. If you’re travelling to your interview in extreme weather (hot, icy, or wet), it’s a good idea to take your interview outfit with you to change into at the last minute. There’s bound to be somewhere nearby with a public toilet you can use, which is not ideal, but much better that your first impression is of someone who doesn’t have sweat marks, dirty shoes or wet trousers!
Also make sure that you’ve got neat hair, so make sure you give your hair a brush or comb just before you arrive. A recent trip to the hairdresser or barber for a trim will help enormously too.
Do your research
However small the company you’ve applied for a job with, there will always be information about them online, so find out as much as you can before your interview. Interviewers will not be impressed if you don’t know anything about the business, so be sure to read as much as possible about them. You will be asked why you applied for the job with them, so prepare your answers so that what you say is informed and relevant.
Some companies also publish profiles of their staff, often with personal information such as their pets or their favourite TV programmes etc, so it’s a good idea to have a look to see if you’ve got something in common with any of your interviewers as it could make a great talking point to break the ice.
Also, re-read your CV before the interview too. You will be asked questions based on what you’ve told them, so the more familiar you are with it, the better your answers will be. It’s absolutely fine if you want to take a copy of your CV into the interview so you can refer to it – either as a print out or saved on your phone. No-one expects you to know it off by heart!
Do you have any questions for us?
While most of the interview will be your interviewers asking you questions, you will always be asked if you’ve got any questions for them. That’s why it’s a good idea to have something prepared. Ask them questions such as: what have the previous apprentices gone on to do? ; what future training opportunities may exist once you’re qualified?; how long other members of staff have been there? etc. You can also turn the tables on your interviewers and ask them what they like about working there, how long they’ve worked there etc, which shows you’re thinking about a long-term future with them.
Do you know where you’re going?
One of the most important ways of creating a great impression is to turn up for your interview on time – preferably around five minutes early. Therefore, one element of preparing for the interview is to make sure you know how you’re going to get there and how long it will take. If necessary, do a practice run beforehand – the more familiar you are with the route, the less anxious you’ll be on the day. Of course, however well prepared you are, there will be circumstances when it’s not possible to arrive on time. So if you’re running late for whatever reason, you must call ahead to explain, apologise and give them an idea of the time you will get there. Even if it’s just going to be a couple of minutes – it’s a sign of a great candidate. And remember to apologise again when you’re introduced to your interviewers.
Practice your answers
You know you’ll get asked lots of questions, so think about what your answers are going to be beforehand. There are a number of core questions that you’ll almost certainly be asked, so if you’re not prepared for them, it won’t make a good impression. These are questions such as:
Tell us about yourself.
Why do you want to do this job?
Why do you want to work for this company?
Why do you think you’ll be a good fit?
There is a lot of online advice about how to ace an interview, and you can always ask a family member or friend if they wouldn’t mind doing a practice interview with you – be prepared to accept any feedback they give you. If you’ve applied for the Apprenticeship through Skillnet, we’ll also be more than happy to help you practice your interview technique too. Good luck!