Basic of Interview Preparation

Thorough preparation is an essential part of being successful at interview. However, many candidates are ill prepared and fail to get the job they are seeking not due to a lack of ability but because they did not adequately research.

This is particularly important if you are a job seeker who is changing your career into another industry or area of work, if it is your first application after a period of absence from work or if it is your first time in the job market after leaving school/university. In situations such as these, there is a greater abundance of potential applicants, so to be successful, preparation is required.

Know The Company

For a number of job seekers knowing some information about the company to which they are applying best a secondary concern. This can, however, lead to failure at interview. Company knowledge is important because it shows that a job seeker has an interest in that organisation (and by implication wants to work there). Research does not necessarily need to be to great depth (dependent of course on the level of position to which you are applying) but should show that you have an understanding of the culture, structure and commercial activity of the company. Your knowledge can then be utilized in two ways: giving knowledgeable answers to interviewer questions and asking intelligent questions of the interviewer (which again reinforces your interest in the position). Not knowing some pertinent facts about a company is inexcusable and it can be disappointing if one fails at interview because of this.

Know The Job

Sounds simple but it is surprising how many people go for an interview without really understanding the job to which they are applying. For example, if you are a long distance lorry driver with experience in the UK and you are applying for a job with a French company that distributes in the UK this surely begs a few questions? You might want to know whether you will be distributing across European borders, you will therefore need to have an understanding of appropriate French legislation, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you are capable of driving longer distances than perhaps you have experience of, etc. In other words by really knowing what the job actually is, it can help you predict the questions that might be asked.