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Essential Interview Preparation and Techniques

Prepare well for the interview by finding out about the history of the company, its structure, market position and management style, along with details such as: how big the company is, how long have they been operating, what are their key income revenues and core areas of business, who are their major competitors, and if they have experienced any recent successes. The easiest place to start the research is the website, or calling the marketing department and asking for a company profile or press kit. This will not only help you show your enthusiasm to the company but also enable you to be more relaxed about the questions asked. If you are preparing for a specific job interview, you will need to familiarise yourself with the job description, so matching your attributes to their requested skills.

It is also worth preparing information about yourself through building up a personal profile to enable you to answer questions both quickly and accurately. The profile should include both personal and business information.

The right Interview Techniques

The interview is a good opportunity for interviewer to assess if you are the right person for the job, but it is also an opportunity for you to see if the job and the company are suitable for you.

During the interview you need to look for opportunities to be proactive and ask your own questions or try to lead the discussion where appropriate. Questions should reflect your keenness to work for the company. Generally you should limit yourself to just a couple of significant questions such as:

• What are the key tasks and responsibilities of the job
• What support and guidance is available
• What training will be available

Other aspects to talk about are:

• Structure of the organisation
• Success of the organisation, it's profitability and product portfolio
• Future strategies and development

Keep your concentration levels up during the interview and make sure you listen to the responses the interviewer gives you. The worst mistakes happen when people end up asking questions about topics that have already been covered, or don't hear or understand what the interviewer has said.

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