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You’ve emailed your CV, you’ve showcased your soft skills in writing, you may have even sent a video CV. Now it’s time for the interview.
These formal situations can be daunting. Here are some top tips to help you prepare for a job interview, along with common interview mistakes to avoid.
Do: research the role, the company and the industry thoroughly.
Don’t: Hold back from asking the HR rep or recruiter what to expect.
Do: Line up your references ahead of time in case they ask.
Don’t: Pick someone unless you’re confident they’ll be positive.
Do: Line up your references ahead of time in case they ask.
Don’t: Pick someone unless you’re confident they’ll be positive.
Do: Arrive early and leave extra time in case things go wrong. If you haven’t been before, have a look in street view so you’re familiar with the area. Set off with time to spare.
Don’t: Take any chances here – being late or having to ring for directions is a terrible start.
Do: Smile, make eye contact, and have a firm handshake. Show your interest with your body language – sit up straight, lean forward slightly, keep your hands visible, make eye contact, nod occasionally.
Don’t: Face away or cross arms.
Do: Lead with your headline, keep it concise, and stay structured. If you don’t know, say so.
Don’t: Fall to answer the question asked or ramble on too long.
Do: Come ready with questions that show you’re prepared.
Don’t: Ask only about logistical things like timing and pay.
Do: Send a thank you note that’s personalised (email is fine).
Don’t: Overthink it – brief, fast and customised beats stalling.
Do: Know your answers to the most common questions. Ask the format of the interview – will there be any tasks to complete, and do you need to bring anything?
Don’t: Neglect seemingly easy ones like ‘tell me about yourself’.
Do: Find someone else who can practice answers out loud with.
Don’t: over rehearse to the point that you sound robotic.
Do: Research the dress code in advance (or just ask if you’re unsure).
Don’t: Take a risk – if you can’t figure it out, go more formal.
Do: Show respect to everyone – the intern, the receptionist etc. use the interviewer’s name once or twice – just enough to feel personal, not forced. Don’t assume the person asking the questions is in charge,
Don’t: Think your interviewer is the only people who gets a say.
Do: Be confident in yourself. You might not have loads of experience, but you know what you’re good at.
Don’t: Be overly confident. Don’t present yourself as someone who knows more than you do.
Do: Stay positive and authentic.
Don’t: Badmouth other people or exaggerate details.
Do: Pause before answering whenever helpful.
Don’t: Assume silence is bad. It shows you’re thoughtful.
Do: Pay attention to whether you like their actions and demeanour.
Don’t: forget this is mutual. You’re interviewing them too.
Do: Write down what did and did not go well after the fact.
Don’t: Miss a chance to grow – this interview likely won’t be your last!
To gauge preparation and interest in this particular role and the company.
Show you’ve done your research, mention things you really like. Relate it to the position and how you align with it. Be passionate and excited.
To find out about you and your personality – and if you’re the right fit for them.
Share your work journey and experience you’ve built up that would help with this job. Tell them about your passions and hobbies, and what skills they build up.
Aim to keep this under 5 minutes.
Why are they asking?
To find out your main skills in relation to the role.
Talk about any experience and how these developed over time. Share how you think these strengths will directly benefit them.
To gauge self-awareness and openness to self-improvement.
Be honest, and share actual weaknesses, not “I work too hard”. Ensure the weakness isn’t a core skill of the role. Highlight your proactive steps and growth mindset.
To assess your confidence in your decisions.
Share a situation where you stood by your decision, explaining your rationale.
To assess your ethical standards and decision process.
Detail a specific instance, focusing on the actions you took to uphold integrity.
To gauge your experience.
Explain the calibre of the problem and its importance. Discuss how you approached it despite the difficulty. Explain clearly how you solved it and the impact that had.
To evaluate your customer service skills and ability to manage stress and conflict.
Provide an example where you navigated the situation while maintaining professionalism.
To understand your time management skills and how you handle setbacks.
Be honest about the circumstances, how your learnt from the situation, and what you would do differently with this knowledge.
To see if you can distinguish between different priority tasks and deadlines.
Describe how you were organised and prepared. Describe what skills you used to multitask. Use a specific example and discuss the impact of the result.
To identify your motivations and ensure they align with the company.
Focus on seeking new opportunities for growth, new challenges, or alignment with career goals – and the business you’re applying to. Never speak ill of your former employer.
To find out what unique value you can bring to the team.
Highlight your unique skills, top strengths, experiences or perspectives that directly benefit the role you’re applying for.
To see your communication and empathy skills in difficult conversations.
Discuss your approach to being solution-focused.
To evaluate your leadership and management skills.
Explain how you assess skills, workload, and development needs of team emmbers to delegate tasks appropriately.
To determine if your expectations align with the budget.
Provide a range based on your research of industry standards and your experience.
To learn about your resilience and ability to manage pressure.
Share an instance when you remained calm despite the turmoil. Discuss how its been a continuous journey of improvement and talk about how you’ve learnt with every experience. Describe your effective stress-management techniques and how they help maintain your performance.
To assess your interpersonal skills and how you contribute to a harmonious work environment.
Highlight your ability to communicate openly aiming for a collaborative resolution. Share that you went in with empathy as you never know what others are going through. Discuss the common ground you reached and what you learned from it.
To see what drives you to succeed.
Concentrate on growth, passion and purpose as key drivers. Don’t mention money as the primary motivator.
Gauging your ambition and drive.
Highlight your ambitions, hard work, and willingness to contribute to the company’s success. Study the career path within the company and mention an attainable position.
To assess how curious you are.
Use this time wisely. It’s a great way of showing your research. Select 3-5 precise and important questions. Ask them what success looks like in the first 6 months of the role. Ask them politely and with respect.
Aim to keep this under 5 minutes.
Aim to keep this under 5 minutes.
Aim to keep this under 5 minutes.
You’ll learn cultural values, what’s rewarded and if expectations are reasonable.
