Be it your first interview or your sixth an interview can be a daunting experience, take it from a team that arranges interviews for a living, it’s hard for most people.
To avoid the usual cliché’s you see on LinkedIn like “fake it till you make it” or “mind over matter” we thought we would collaborate the best ways our candidates that actually got the job prepared.
You can be as qualified as any candidate but the person that’s prepared and ready for anything the interviewer has to throw at them has a distinct advantage.
So, as to not bulk out the word count any further. Here are our top 5 tips when preparing for an interview.
1. Understanding the job role
This is mainly what skills are required of course, but each store is different. How busy is the store, who will you be working with. Is there a dispenser, are there two?
These can all affect your day to day, and is vital to speak to your interviewer about this to make sure the role is good fit for you.
If you need this ask your consultant to resend over a recap of the role.
2. Research the company
Similar to number one, but you want to show you are keen. If you can talk about the team, and crucially what services they offer and computer systems they use.
There is a big to do surrounding extra services being offered in practice, so if you can show that you are able and willing it will go a long way in the hiring process.
3. Make a good first impression
It might sound obvious but we are writing it for a reason, believe me it’s not obvious to everyone. Making a good impression can be as simple as being on time and looking presentable. This can be just as important as the first two steps.
This does extend to video and telephone interviews, these should be taken just as seriously as face to face interviews. That means a shirt and tie with pyjama bottoms is probably something to avoid.
4. Be positive
One of the biggest mistakes candidates can make is being hyper negative regarding past employers.
Discussing your previous roles and why you left is necessary and likely will be brought up. You will just want to be careful not to fall into the trap of coming across negative, be candid sure but putting something down rarely puts you in a positive light.
5. Prepare for the questions
It can be hard, even for us to know exactly what questions will come up, but there are similarities between every practice and a crossover of experience is almost guaranteed.
Obviously we can talk you through everything before the interview as we will have a good level of insight, Based on candidates and clients we have spoken to, here is a compilation of the most common questions;
- Why do you want to work for this company? – Here are where tip one and two come into play, you are showing understanding of what the client does, your research on the client will help massively here!
Keeping the bills paid and the lights on may be the obvious answer but you want to stick with how fantastic you think they are and what you would bring to the role.
- What are your strengths? – Leave your humility at home for this one. This is free reign to big yourself up. Team Locum would have not put you forward if they did not think you can do the job. This is your time to shine and show the client that you have the skills they want.
- What are your weaknesses? – Trust us, saying a positive and phrasing a negative has been done to death and interviewers expect this, they are looking to get to know you here. So be frank and earnest, you want to say your weakness and how you overcome it. Something like;
“My weaknesses can sometimes be my time keeping, however I overcome this by giving myself a clear step by step schedule to make sure my work load is manageable and completed”
Another might be “how do you deal with X”
This can include difficult customers, workload etc..
Along with “how would you” questions, they may also ask for you to explain a time you have had to handle certain situations.
To handle these questions, you can use the following method –
- How you went about achieving/ resolving the situation
- What the outcome was
- Your thinking process
- How this made you feel
- What, if anything you would do differently next time.
Bonus tip!
Ask your recruiter for advice. We are in constant contact with our clients so have a conversation with your recruiter before the interview.
We have put you forward for the job because we think you are right for the role, ask us why!
I hope this helps you prepare for your interview. If you have any questions or need any advice please do not hesitate to contact the permanent recruitment team on 0121 451 2707
