Interview Advice

The Basics
Ensure that you know the exact location, the time of your interview, who you're seeing and how to pronounce their name - first impressions are extremely important. Even in these days of business casual always wear a suit. As soon as you enter the building you should consider yourself as a potential employee. Be polite to everyone you meet from the receptionist onwards. Stand up when the interviewer enters the room and shake hands firmly. Finally, and we know this is obvious, but never lie!

Preparation
Interviewers are continually amazed by the number of candidates who haven't  prepared and possess little or no knowledge about the company they're interviewing with. Preparation prior to your interview is absolutely critical and with the advent of the Internet there's no excuse for not knowing the basic facts about the organisation and its competitors.

Typical Questions
The following questions might be old chestnuts but they always seem to come up:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths should always be backed up with examples. Weaknesses should be turned into strengths.

Why do you want to work for this company?
Emphasise positive reasons why you want to work for the company, avoid mentioning aspects such as more money or shorter hours.

What is your greatest achievement in work to date?
Identify the skills that you used and the benefit it gave your employer.

Why should I hire you?
Keep it brief and to the point. Each point should demonstrate your relevant skills and experience for the job in question. A precise answer shows that you understand the role.

Why do you want to leave your current job?
Avoid stating personal reasons, such as ‘I didn’t fit in with the company environment.’ Instead consider using one of the following reasons such as looking for a more challenging role, location, career advancement and job security.

How do you handle criticism of your work?
Try to portray an attitude that all criticism is beneficial, and provides a chance for improvement. Give an example of a poor idea that was criticised, rather than sub-standard work, which you had produced.