This is part one of our series of interview tips focussing on how to prepare for an interview. When you go for a job interview, the power is in your hands as the prospective employee and it is all down to you in how you prepare. Part 1 of our job interview tips series is going to focus on what you need to do running up to the interview to make sure you are well prepared. You need to remember that the interviewer only knows as much about you as you have told them leading up to that first interview, be it on the telephone or face to face. Usually by this point in applying for a graduate program, you will have gone through a first sift online application and CV submission to HR and psychometric testing. In this article, we will look at how you can prepare with five simple steps for a standard CV based interview but not covering competency questions..

When you get to interview stage for a graduate program or any other job, it is your chance to shine and showcase your skills and ambitions. The employer must have liked something about you so far for someone to sit in a room for an hour with you to talk to them about your skills and experiences to date. However, the ball is in you court in terms of how prepared you are. As the saying goes, fail to prepare, then prepare to fail and this is particularly apt for job interviews.

Brush up on your knowledge of the company and understand what they do, what their key products, markets and services are and who the customer demographic is. Also, alot of people forget to know their CV inside out. You will have given them a taste of what you have done in the past but you know most questions will be around that as a base so make sure you are ready to give more detail and build on what they already know about you as they are your strengths. There are no excuses for not knowing enough about the company, the role your are applying for or your own experiences and preparation is key.

Top 5 tips – How to prepare for a job interview

1. Research the company and make sure you know what they do, who their key customers are, where they are located in the world, what their strategic objectives are. All this will be available on their corporate website so be prepared to answer interview questions on these topics.

2. Take a look at Google News or other sources of up to date content to see what the media have been saying about the company and what the current share price is.

3. Think of two or three killer questions to ask the interviewer about the company such as, workplace culture, challenges they are facing and what a successful employee in the role looks like. If you come prepared with questions to ask at the interview then you will impress the interviewer with your preparation skills and show you want to learn more about the company.

4. Note down your main strengths and weaknesses and be prepared to talk about them as the interview questions are going to focus on those. Employers want you to be aware of your abilities and where you need to improve and will expect you to be able to talk about that.

5. Know you CV inside out and make sure you can back up your statements and talk confidently and clearly about you past employment / education. Practice your answers to possible questions you may get asked. See more here on part 3 for questions you should be prepared for.

In part 2 of our job interview tips series, we look at how you can impress your interviewers and part 3 focuses on what questions are asked in a job interview.