Take it from me ...

Top tips on Preparing for an interview :

As an employer

1. Understand the role in question including key tasks, responsibilities and accountabilities
2. Have an agreed list of ‘must have' and ‘desirable' criteria which form the basis of measurement for every candidate
3. Have an agreed list of questions to ensure fairness to all candidates
4. When interviewing with a colleague, assign areas of responsibility so that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing
5. Be clear about where this interview fits into the overall process to avoid duplication and wasting the candidate's time
6. Think about how you will ‘sell' the role and your business – over-selling may lead to false expectations where under-selling may lose you great candidates
7. Be honest in answering questions to avoid problems later on

As a candidate

1. Do your research – about the business, the role and the interviewer – using publicly available sources and your network
2. Think about your audience – anticipate what is going to be important to them and plan how you can best meet their needs
3. Critique your CV – put yourself into the shoes of a potential employer, predict the likely questions and consider your responses
4. Visualise yourself two months into the new role. What are some of the things you wish you'd known at the interview stage and mull over the questions you should ask
5. What are the essential conditions for your accepting this role? Plan the questions that will give you the information you need to reach your decision
6. Know how long it will take you to get to the interview destination then plan in some slack
7. Make the best of your appearance to create those all important first impressions

 

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