An interview can be one of the most important events in your life. After all, the hour you spend with the interviewer may determine your entire future.

We know that for some people, interviews will be a really exciting opportunity but for many others it can be an extremely daunting and stressful experience. It may have been a long time since you’ve been interviewed so you just have no idea what you’re going to say and what the interviewer may ask you.

Many of these difficulties and concerns can be overcome by a bit of research, preparation and rehearsal; our consultants will work with you to plan how to make your interview an easier and less stressful experience. We’re good like that.

Do your research.

There are a number of things you’re certain to be asked during an interview and they tend to cover the following topics:

The company.

An online search on the company’s website is the best place to start. As well as information about the business itself you will get a feel for how they market themselves, there may be some key people within the organisation and often there will be a news page with recent stories and updates about them.

Google news is also a good place to look for up-to-date reports about a business and it shows you have gone further than just the easy route to find information. If you can get an annual report too, this can be really useful.

The products or services they sell.

Know and understand their product range. Get brochures from the company if possible and find out who the competitors are including strengths and weaknesses as well as unique selling points.

Most industries have trade magazines and websites so this should give you a wealth of information to work with.

The market.

Look at the market the products/services will be sold to and potential new areas that could be exploited. Talk to users of the products if you can to find out how they are perceived in the market. In short, get to grips with the issues of the industry. This is where industry publications could come in useful again.

The job.

We’ll be able to brief you fully on all aspects of the role you are being interviewed for so you should make written notes on how you perceive the job, the responsibilities and how you would go about doing it. Try to relate specific areas of your CV back to the job description. It will help the interviewer see clearly why you are right for the job.

The journey.

Plan your journey, check how long it takes online and then try and do a dummy run. Plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early, late arrival for an interview is inexcusable.

Now check out our Interview Preparation Tips Part 2 here.