Interview help! The 3 Stages of a Successful Job Interview
David Ozi Borg
Congratulations! You’ve applied for the job; you’ve been labelled as an interesting candidate and now you’ve been asked to come to the office for an interview! Now is when the hard part starts. Countless times have strong candidates gone into jobs perfect for them, but due to poor preparation, they’ve botched it. At BigWig we give interview preparation to candidates as part of our service to help prevent these situations, so we have a little insight into the subject. So we thought we’d give you a few tips on how to successfully manoeuvre the interview process based on our expertise.
Role research
Firstly, this should go without saying, but research not only the role you are looking to apply for, but also the company you will be working for. The role may sound like the perfect match, but if the ethos and mission statement of a company clash with your values as an individual then it is important to reflect on whether you believe you could thrive in a situation like this. This preliminary process is also very useful as it gives you a broader understanding of your role and what you would be offering to the company, meaning when it comes to an interview, you would be more prepared to thoroughly engage with questions asked, and would also give you the ability to ask questions back to your interviewer(s). A clear articulate question that relates to your position is guaranteed to be appreciated and may draw focus away from other candidates if you are in a group interview.
Question preparation
However, you don’t want to get ahead of yourself, it is certainly impressive to answer the interviewer’s questions with one of your own, but you also need to make sure that at this point you are not captaining a sinking ship. You need to make sure that you practice common interview questions to create yourself a foundation that you can build up from. Questions like ‘’tell me about yourself’’, ‘’what are your strengths and weaknesses?’’ and ‘’why do you believe that you suit this role?’’ are commonplace in an interview setting and we recommend preparing some talking points to touch upon in your response. Some may tell you to learn complete answers, but we believe that this is problematic as you may be caught off guard if the question is phrased differently, as well as the obvious potential to sound like a robot!
Final touches
Finally, you need to once more call upon your knowledge of the company you are interviewing for to appropriately dress yourself for the interview. Consider what sort of attire you would be expected to wear for that position, as well as the culture at said company. Remember, follow the mantra - always overdress, never undress when it comes to an interview as there is no harm in dressing smart in a workplace that is comfortable with smart casual, or similarly dressing smart casual for a casual workplace. But, as soon as you turn up in a t-shirt and shorts to an office where everyone is formal, there will be some serious considerations about not only your eligibility, but your common sense. Additionally, bring copies of your resume/CV. We’ve had candidates in the past who have forgotten to bring extra copies and have been shown the door. It seems simple and perhaps even ridiculous as someone has clearly already viewed your application, but that doesn’t mean that will be the same person who is conducting the interview. Having your resume/CV to hand allows you to remind the interviewer why you are perfect for their vacancy, as well as making for good reading in the lobby whilst you are waiting to be interviewed.
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