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Preparing for a Face to Face Interview

3rd February 2017

A potential employer has liked what they have seen so far with your job application and would now like to meet you for a face to face interview. This is now the perfect opportunity for you to convince those that work at the company that you are the best candidate for the position.

So how can you put yourself in the best place for consideration? Let us here at Zenopa give you some helpful advice and guidance on preparing for that interview:
Advanced Preparation:

Research the organisation:
You may have had a telephone interview before being asked for a face-to-face by the company – remember that each company is different and will have different recruitment and selection processes that will fit with their business and culture, but you can never conduct enough research on the organisation. Websites are a great source of information, and will be kept up to date with the latest news, blogs and press releases. Look at the organisations background, values and if you can find it their mission statement. Look on their social media pages and look at their services and products to help you better understand the business and what they do.
Industry research:
You can really impress the panel within your interview and think about conducting some research on the industry itself. Looking at press releases, business publications, journals and magazines online will show that you are committed and interested, it could also be a factor that helps you to stand out from other candidates in the mix of contenders.
TIP: try and find out more about the interviewer/s that you will be meeting on the day of your interview. Find out their position within the company and what they do and see how you would be interacting with them within the role.
Look at the job description:
The job description gives a list of the duties that will be involved within the role, and the specification of the type of person the company is looking for to fill that role. Compare the skills required to what you have already gained and prepare some answers to questions that could come up if there are any gaps.
Prepare some questions:
In many interviews you will be given the opportunity to ask any questions that may not have been answered in the interview. When conducting your research on the company and checking out the job description, if there is anything that you are not sure on or you would like more information,  this is the perfect chance to ask.
TIP: Write things down – an interview is not a memory test, and it is normal to be nervous on the day of the interview. By writing down things that you would like to ensure are mentioned within the interview will help you to be as relaxed as possible, and make sure that you get across your most suitable information to the interviewer.

The Night Before:
Fail to plan then plan to fail. Try to avoid as much a stress as you can on the day of your interview and be as organised as you can. The night before your interview you can:< Choose the outfit you will be wearing and try it on: Remember to dress to impress. Neutral, business attire (a suit) and professional shoes works best. Ensure that your clothes and overall appearance is neat and clean – don’t forget this goes right down to the shoes you wear so don’t forget to polish them! Those with pierced ears, studs work best and neutral make up for a clean professional look.
Plan your route: Googling your route will tell you how long it will take for you to get to your interview location. If you have the time it is always good to do a trial run before the day of your interview to avoid any errors.
Gather any information you need to take with you in a folder: you may have been asked to prepare something for the interview so put it all together in a presentable folder to ensure you don’t forget anything. You may also want to take some examples of your own work with you or qualifications.
Re-read through your research and questions: make sure there is nothing you have missed and that you are happy with the questions you would like to ask.

The Day of the Interview.
Set off for your interview in plenty of time – remember to allow for traffic. Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before your interview time. If you arrive early, take the time to re-read your notes and check the names of who you are interviewing with. If you are going to be late, make sure you inform the interviewer as early as you can.

During your interview:

– Try to make good eye contact with everyone in the room,
– Speak clearly, try not to rush you answers,
– Sit up straight yet comfortably
– Think before you answer – if a question is asked that you have not prepared for don’t panic. Look at your notes and think about the answer carefully.
– Smile and be confident,

– And lastly, remember to relax, the interviewer/s want to get to know you so let some of your personality shine through.

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Our Guide to Competency- Based Interviews

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