Interviews can be scary, nerve-racking and intimidating. These feelings are normal and often suggest you want the job! The purpose of this short blog is to outline what advice we provide our Candidates with at PRL Recruitment before they meet the client.

It’s very simple really – prepare, prepare and prepare. We strongly recommend and advise our Candidates to focus on what they can control. This includes the amount of preparation you do around these five key areas:

 

  • The interviewer

Client’s will often divulge who is on the interview panel. Using LinkedIn and other public platforms you can research the panel including likes, interactions, blog shares and other information which will give you an insight to what type of person / manager they are. This might help you construct responses to potential and likely questions.

 

  • Questions

Depending on the type of role you have applied for, you can almost predict some of the questions which will be asked. For example, if you’re applying for a field sales role there will be some questions similar to:

  1. What’s your sales target and how is your performance measured?
  2. How are you performing against your sales target?
  3. What strategies do you employ to win new business?
  4. Can you provide an example of a recent sizeable business win and how you facilitated the deal?
  5. Why sales? What made you pursue a career in sales?

Preparing responses to questions is crucial if you want to present yourself positively and articulately. Candidates often reflect on answers post interview and wish they’d included more examples or approached a question differently. At PRL Recruitment we often suggest our Candidates prepare by repeating responses to potential questions aloud (on their own or in front of family and friends) to ensure they convey positively and include all the examples needed to demonstrate credibility. Preparation is key!

 

  • The company

Similar to point one, our experienced recruitment consultants always advise Candidates to research the Company in detail. There are two main reasons for this:

  1. As a potential employee you must be due diligent as if you’re successful you may not enjoy the job and this research could have prevented a poor move. Often our Candidate’s would engage with other employees at the Company, review online platforms such as Glassdoor or Indeed and LinkedIn – all of which have review sections of the company and also review their financial stability… after all, this new employer will be paying your salary!
  2. Almost all candidates will be Asked what they know about the company. This demonstrates ‘buy-in’ and commitment as well as due diligence. PRL Recruitment suggest you research recent acquisitions, new business wins, awards and recognitions. Something small like this can be the difference between securing the new job and not!

 

  • The role

Know the job! This sounds obvious but you would be surprised how many Candidates fail to read and study the job specification in detail. All companies vary and may have different roles but similar job titles. Doing your homework here is crucial to not only looking incompetent at interview but also to avoid making a career mistake.

 

  • Ask questions

Interviewers and hiring managers are often searching for candidates with initiative, high energy and an eagerness to learn and develop. By asking relevant questions which are not duplicating discussions from the interview you are demonstrating due diligence and your genuine interest in the company.

By researching the interview panel, the company, the role in detail and recent press releases you will inevitably have questions… don’t be afraid to ask them!

 

Interviews are nerve-racking – especially if you want the job – but the more preparation you do the better!

For more information on our live jobs or to speak with a consultant please call 01668 5144 or visit our jobs board by clicking here.