How to Prepare for Interviews

Our team here at Instinct frequently gets asked the questions:

• How do I prepare for my interview?
• Please can you advise on what I need to do before my interview?
• How can I give myself the best chance of a successful interview?

So, here are a few tips from the team to help prepare for your first stage interview:

Research, research, research!!

• Get to know the company you are interviewing with inside and out. So, in the event of being asked: What do you know about us? You are equipped with the answers. Things to research include: The company history, size, financials, team, core values, recent projects, the sector they are in and their footprint in that sector. The more research the better! This helps you understand the company better to help you decide if it is the kind of organisation you want to work for, and will enable you to prepare a range of questions in readiness for your interview.
• Get to know your interviewers. Prior to your interview, you should have been advised who is going to be conducting the meeting. It is important to look at their personal profiles, on Linkedin, company website etc, to get an understanding of their backgrounds, skillset, and role in the company along with their progression path. Also, you may find some common values, for example, you may have worked at the same companies or gone to the same School / University which can be an instant icebreaker in an interview scenario!
• Know your CV. Your interviewer has seen your CV before they meet you and that CV is the reason you are in the interview. So, making sure you know what you have written and can answer any questions about your CV experience is crucial – or this could end up being an awkward conversation when they recite something from your CV, and you forgot you had written it!
• Understand the position. You will be asked questions that relate to the job you are interviewing for, so digesting and analysing the job specification will allow you to formulate your answers that relate to the role more accurately. If the role mentions using Articulate Storyline and the Adobe Creative Suite then the chances are, you will be asked about your competency with these tools. 
• Practice! This relates to the point above – if you are going to be asked about your experience in a certain sector then practice your answers so you aren’t struggling to formulate one when in the hot seat! Practice formulating your answers so that the interviewer will not have to ask for you to expand. 
• STAR – At Instinct, we recommend the STAR Methodology when answering interview questions – competency-based or not. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result and using this technique will enable you to structure your answers to interview questions. The benefit of the STAR method is that it should help you provide clear and concise answers — be specific, but don’t get caught up in the details.

Preparation will allow you to be more confident when interviewing as you will have all the knowledge you need to hurdle any question thrown your way. Confidence is key in the heat of an interview environment and will in turn allow you to feel more relaxed, less pressured, and enjoy the interview rather than dreading it!