Interview (noun – a meeting of people face-to-face, in person or on-line, for consultation)
How to be a success at interview and make sure you are remembered
Get to know your prospective employer: This is the time to call on Google, Safari or whichever search engine you prefer. You have a wealth of information at your fingertips, use them to find out as much as you can about your prospective employer, their modus operandi, their values and CSR policies, their staffing structure, accolades and position with the field, news reports etc. Read everything you possibly can so that when you walk through the door, or press connect on-line, you feel you already know and, more importantly, understand them.
Get to know your interviewers: Linkedin – use the platform to look into your interviewer(s) background, to understand their career and how they have progressed. See who they connect and interact with, and on which subjects of interest they respond. Most companies have a dedicated Linkedin company page; read these for current news feed and pertinent issues which have affected their industry so you are fully up to date.
Yourself: think about your appearance and the first visual impression you want to give. Make sure it is the best professional version of you. The majority of our clients and indeed the wider legal profession prefer smart, including ties. Better to err on the side of caution than regret a poor choice of outfit.
Your journey: if you have a face-to-face interview, plan your route and timings. Half an hour early with enough time for some deep breathing exercises is much better for your nerves than arriving late, dishevelled and breathless.
Note, there is nothing worse than a late candidate and especially annoying for interviewers, especially if they have arranged back-to-back meetings. You will be the one remembered for putting the whole day out of schedule. Not a great start!
Dependent on the role you are being interviewed for, most interviews tend to fall into one of the following:
Informal chat: Don’t be fooled. Whilst this may be billed as a relaxed, convivial social exchange, it is also an assessment of your ability to build rapport and communicate effectively. Your interviewer is ‘getting to know you’, trying to gauge what makes you tick, your motivational drive and whether you would be a good ‘fit’ for the team. So don’t relax so much that you veer off subject. Keep focused and remember although ‘informal’, your interviewer may chuck in some formal questions as well, so be prepared.
Test & competency: these are sometimes required to test particular key competencies required for the position. You should be briefed as to what these may entail in order for you to prepare. These can include English composition for communication purposes, IT understanding for general day-to-day operations and sometimes specific software competences such as Excel or SAGE.
Good preparation takes time and practice and should be done over days, not hours unless you were only advised at short notice. You need to have digested a lot of information in order to feel equipped and ready for anything that might get thrown at you.
Remember it is difficult to remember everything. Make notes on the above and have them with you on the day of the interview. Whilst you may not be able to use them during the interview itself, they are great for a quick glance over before you go in, to refresh that memory and also good to have a quick look at the end, to make sure you have covered everything.
Deep breathing exercises help to slow down a slightly raised heart rate. Remember to smile and introduce yourself. Don’t forget, your interviewer is just a normal person who has probably been in your shoes. Remember, they thought your CV or application, was good so they want to know more about you and your abilities – go sell yourself. The very best of luck.
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