It is crucial to do some background research on the company because one of the inevitable questions you will be asked is “so, why do you want to work for us?” 

This is a basic question and a very fair one too because companies want to hire people who actively want to work for them. 

When they hire people that ‘just want a job’ they know that they will leave as soon as a position comes up in their ideal company.

If you can convince your interviewers that their company is your ideal place of work, you put yourself ahead of others straight away.

You can only be convincing though if you have some facts about the company.

You need to be able to tell them that you heard about the last contract they won and you were really impressed, or it’s because of their impressive safety record that you read about in a certain article or report, or maybe their newly launched HR initiative for training across the company.

It doesn’t really matter too much what it is.

What matters is that you have a concrete example of why you want to work there.

When you find your answer, write it in your interview preparation notes to review later.

There are many sources of information to find your reasons

You will by now have the name of the person or people who are going to conduct your interview.

Your mission is to find out as much as you can about them for the following reasons:

Use Google and social media to research other people who are, or who have, performed this role for this company either now or in the past.

Just put in the Job Title and the company name.

Check out these job holder’s backgrounds. See what qualifications they have and where they worked before. It will give you an insight into who they have hired for this same job in the past.

Find out who they report to. Then research that person to get an idea of who they are because you could end up reporting to them. HR and recruiters take personalities into account when recruiting. If they feel you would clash with a Supervisor, they may not hire you.

When you have gained useful information, enter this into your notes.

Yes, this may sound strange, but it is vital.

You need to thoroughly learn the wording on your resume, especially if you have used a professional writer.

Interviewers totally lose faith in a candidate if they ask them about information on their resume and they stumble and falter because they don’t recognise it.

Think of it like this.

When you go into an exam, you don’t get to see the test paper until you sit at the desk so you have no idea what the questions will be based on.

At an interview you already know what they are going to ask you about because you already have the test paper – your resume.

Further, this is also great preparation for the common interview question “walk me through your resume.”

And it's great to bolster your confidence too because it will remind you of all the skills and qualities you have to offer.

Whether you are being interviewed face to face, over Skype or Zoom, on the phone, via video, informally or formally, the chance of these questions, or a variation of them, coming up is extremely high.

Behaviour-based interviewing is an approach that looks at past behaviour as the best predictor of future behaviour.

They typically start with something like this:

Tell me about a time when …

Give me an example when …

When have you had to …

Describe a situation in which...

At first, these may seem too random to prepare for but if you use the guide below, you can easily prepare some great responses, so you don’t get caught out on the day.

It is so important to use some of your interview prep time to compile a list of questions to ask at your interview for when they say "do you have any questions for us?"

Typically, this is asked as a closer so it is really important to get this right as it will form the last impression they have of you.

If you say nothing, it could all go a bit flat and an awkward silence set in. If you say something negative, you could blow the whole thing and ruin what was otherwise a great interview.

Here's a guide to help you prepare.

Even with the best preparation you can still find yourself in an interview without a clue about how to respond to a question.

Next time this happens to you, don’t panic.

Here are 5 things you can do to make this pass without incident and get back on track with the rest of the interview.

Here's a guide to help you prepare.

It is amazing how many people don’t plan their journey before their interview day.

Assuming you roughly know where it is and then being wrong will not be acceptable as a reason to be late for the interview.

It is best to turn up no earlier than 15 mins though unless otherwise requested.

If you turn up too early that can put pressure on the interviewer if they are conducting multiple interviews.

Go to Google maps now and type in the address to see how long it will take you to get there.

Then add on half an hour to that time – just in case.

If there is no journey time because it is over the phone, Skype, Zoom or video, you still need to prepare.

If you are going to take this call at home, make sure the family knows in advance that they need to be out of the way on that date at that time.

You don’t want to be distracted by your baby crying or your dog barking.

We have all seen those hilarious videos of this happening but it won’t be so funny if it messes up your interview.

If you have a phone interview, check that you have paid your bill.

Sometimes we are so busy with life that we miss a payment.

If your services were temporarily suspended on that day it would be a disaster.

Make sure that you know how to use Skype or Zoom or whatever platform they will be using and that it all works OK.

Get a member of your family or a friend to have a conversation with you to ensure you are sitting in a visible and comfortable position and that sound quality is not a problem.

If all this is new to you, it is a good idea to do this a few times, so you are comfortable talking on interview day.

Here’s a guide that will specifically help you with your video interview preparation.

Plan your interview outfit.

We are not talking about making a fashion statement here.

We are talking about wearing clothing that suits the occasion and does not distract your interviewers from their job of interviewing you.

Ensure your clothes are clean and smell good.

If there is a slight stain that hasn’t quite come out the interviewers probably won’t notice but you know it is there and it will lower your confidence.

And don’t have a cigarette just before going in because you will smell, and they will judge.

Even if the interviewers smoke themselves, a candidate reeking of tobacco smoke is less desirable than one who smells good.

Every little bit counts.

The actual clothes themselves will depend on the job, the company, and the climate.

Do you have a contact or friend who works at the company you're interviewing with? If yes, see they can give you some guidance about the dress code.

If not, check out their photos on social media or go to a coffee shop across the street a few days before to get a glimpse at what people are wearing.

Whatever you discover, dress smarter than you normally would – this gives you a psychological boost because it makes you feel more important.

And leave those joke ties at home. You may think it will show some personality, break the ice and you’ll all have a good laugh. They may well laugh – but at you, not with you.

Socks. Same message as above.

Funny t-shirts. Same again.

Revealing clothes. Don’t do it. You want them to concentrate on your skills and not your body.

Tattoos and piercings – we are in a love or hate category here. Minimise their potential impact on the interviewer by removing or hiding.

If you have time, indulge in a little pampering. Whether it is a facial, a massage, a haircut or a new outfit, this is a great time to treat yourself to boost your confidence.

Having the right attitude, the right skills and the right clothing is ruined if you walk in with a plastic carrier bag from your local supermarket.

Make sure your bag or briefcase is clear from junk and big enough to hold the following: