Types of interview

Graduate employers use different kinds of interviews at different stages of the recruitment process these are as follows:

Telephone interviews are increasingly being used at an early stage of the selection process in order to check candidates meet the basic requirements and to filter out those who aren’t serious about the job. If you are offered a telephone interview, the most important fact to remember is that the employer wants to find out the same information as they would face-to-face, so your preparation needs to be just as thorough.

Competency-based interviews - are used by most organisations and are structured to reflect the skills and abilities (competencies) that an employer is seeking for a particular job which are usually detailed in the person job specification or advert.

Panel interviews – These involve several people sitting as a panel with a chairperson to coordinate the questions. This type of interview is popular in the public sector.

Structured interviews - The interviewer has a set list of questions, and asks all the candidates the same questions.

What to wear

Dress appropriately for your interview, it is important to look smart and convey a professional image but feel comfortable too. Decide what to wear well in advance and ensure that it is clean, ironed and ready to wear and your shoes are clean.

How to make a good impression at your Interview

• In advance of your interview, plan your journey and work out how long your journey will take.
• Arrive a few minutes early to allow time to collect your thoughts. If something unexpected occurs that is beyond your control, contact your prospective employer as soon as possible to explain that you may be delayed.
• Collate any supporting information you'll be taking with you and come to your interview with a fresh copy of your CV or application form
• Be relaxed and be yourself
• Listen, speak clearly and loudly enough for the interviewer(s) to hear, and try not to speak too fast
• Give concise answers supported by relevant examples. When you feel you’ve answered the question, stop speaking.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if a question you are asked is not clear
• If you need a moment to think about a question, inform the panel that you’d like a minute to gather your thoughts.
• If you feel you answered a question badly, or could not answer it at all, don’t dwell on it - move on, and do your best in the other questions.

Your questions

Remember that an interview is a two-way conversation, so be prepared to ask relevant questions such as promotion or training opportunities, how performance is monitored or assessed, how they would describe the company’s culture and when you’ll be notified about the outcome of the interview. This will demonstrate your commitment for the role and show the interviewer(s) that you’re thought about how the job relates to you.

Reflect and Feedback

Following your interview, it is important to review how things went and to learn from the experience as this can help you evaluate your performance and improve on it. It will also help you prepare for interviews with other graduate employers. Getting feedback from interviews where you have been unsuccessful can also be invaluable.

And finally…Good Luck.