Taking the time to prepare ahead of an interview is time well-spent as it will help you be more confident in your answers and be ready to face any questions they might ask.

1. Learn about the company

Spend some time researching the company to understand more about what it does and what is happening - use the internet or speak to those who may know or have worked for the company previously. Read up on latest company news and latest happenings on social media.

2. Analyse the job and identify how you can meet their needs

Review the job description and consider what the company is seeking in a candidate.  Make a list of the skills, knowledge, and professional and personal qualities that are required by the employer and critical for success in the job. Based on this, make a list of your key strengths, skills, experience, qualifications, certifications and other assets and match them to the job requirements. Consider how you can showcase or mention these during the interview.  Also, think of examples from past work experiences that show you have these qualities. This way, if the interviewer asks you to describe a time when you demonstrated a particular skill or ability, you will be ready.

3. Anticipate Interview Questions and Practice Answering Questions

No matter how experienced you are with interviews, it is essential to spend time thinking of potential questions you may be asked during the interview.

Take the time to practice answering interview questions you may be asked. This will also help calm your nerves as you would already have an answer in mind when asked.  If you are particularly nervous, you could consider practising answering questions with a friend or family member.

4. Prepare questions to ask

Prepare to ask a few smart questions when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions at the end of the interview. Make sure they’re thoughtful ones that show you have been paying attention and have done your homework when it comes to researching the company and the specific job you’re after.

5. Plan what to wear and bring along

Remember that first impressions count!  When dressing for an interview for a professional position, dress accordingly in business attire. For more casual environments is till important to be neat, tidy, and well-groomed, and to present a positive image to the employer.

Print and bring along copies of your resume, certificates (if relevant), employer forms (if requested by employer) and anything else you may need. Use a file or folder to organise it well so that you won't be rummaging through your bag to find it.

6. Plan how you will get there and leave plenty of time in case you get lost on the way there

Check the directions on how to will get to the interview location and how long it will take you to drive there or Grab there. If you are taking public tranport, check the timings, etc for the day. Give yourself plenty of extra time in case you get lost or there is sudden traffic on the way.  You can consider doing a practice run to the exact location 1-2 days ahead. That way, you'll be sure about where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

With the interview invite, you already have a foot at the door to the job – stay positive, be confident, keep your posture, speak clearly and set yourself to convince the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the role!

1. Listen and ask questions

During a job interview, listening is just as important as answering questions. If you're not paying attention, you're not going to be able to give a good response. It's important to listen to the interviewer, pay attention, and take time, if you need it, to compose an appropriate answer.

2. Stay focused, avoid excessive information - use the STAR framework

• Situation – highlight relevant and preferably more recent situations where your skills/ experience played important roles to bring about the desired outcome
• Task – highlight the tasks required or that you undertook
• Action – highlight the action that you took (was it a result of an out of the box thinking?)
• Results – highlight the impact of the action taken and the possible consequence of failure

Ensure that what you are highlighting is recent (if not current), and relevant to the role that you are applying for.

3. Selling yourself without over-selling

Remember that you do have skills and experiences that may set you apart from other applicants, so it's acceptable and expected for you to acknowledge them to your potential employer. Utilise the skills and experiences that you identified as relevant to this job (as part of your interview preparation) and highlight these where possible (without over-selling of course).

Whatever accomplishments you have, do share them during your interview. Your potential employer wants to know that you'll be the right fit and that you can deliver something to the company, so they need to know all the reasons that you can provide that for them.

Also remember to demonstrate that you have at least checked out the company website and are able to articulate/ identify with the values and how it aligns to you.

If invited, be prepared to discuss possible challenges/ opportunities that the company/ industry is facing and how you may address them if given the opportunity

Assure the interviewer that while you are confident you can value add, you are also prepared to learn/ adapt to new approaches in a new environment.

4. Addressing questions about challenges / resistance faced or failures

When addressing challenges faced, demonstrate responsible behaviour and accountability – avoid blaming others, providing excuses, etc.  Be prepared to share if asked, at least one time when you encountered failure/ resistance and how you managed the situation.

5. Working with younger colleagues

Be prepared to share your experience working along and leading younger colleagues, reporting to a younger lead etc. If you do not have work-related examples, you can share other non-work related examples of how you worked alongside the younger generation.

6. Technical / IT skills

Highlight your technical/ IT skills relevant to the role, and your readiness/ enthusiasm to keep abreast of such skills (if) required for the role

7. Health-related questions

If asked, be honest about your health challenges if any and how you are managing it.

8. Closing

When it's your turn to ask questions, do ask questions about the company, the role, the team or any questions you may have prepared ahead of time.

At the end of the interview, be confident but polite, ask if there are reservations about you that you can address before the interview concludes – respond honestly; if you need time, offer to provide more information via email.  You can also ask when you can expect a response from the employer.

When the interviewer concludes the interview, offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Depart gracefully.

Send a Thank You Note

After your interview, you should prepare to follow up with the employer.  You can follow up with a thank-you note or email reiterating your interest in the job.  Doing so reminds the employer of your conversation, shows them you are genuinely interested in the position.

As part of the thank you note or email - restate why you want the job, what your qualifications are, how you might make significant contributions, and so on.   This thank-you note or email is also the perfect opportunity to discuss anything of importance that your interviewer neglected to ask or that you neglected to answer as thoroughly, or as well, as you would have liked.

Do

• Do maintain good eye contact during the interview.
• Do respond to questions and back up your statements about yourself with specific examples whenever possible
• Do ask for clarification if you don't understand a question
• Do be thorough in your responses, while being concise in your wording (see our STAR framework above)
• Do be honest and be yourself — your best professional self.  Dishonesty gets discovered and is grounds for withdrawing job offers and for firing
• Do treat the interview seriously and show you are truly interested in the employer and the opportunity presented.
• Do exhibit a positive attitude. The interviewer is evaluating you as a potential co-worker. Behave like someone you would want to work with.

Don't

• Don’t speak badly about your present or former employers - the interviewer may question your professionalism
• Don't falsify information - answer questions truthfully and as close to the point as possible.
• Don't talk or text on your mobile phone during the interview.
• Don't allow your cell phone to sound during the interview.
• Don't make excuses. Take responsibility for your past decisions and your actions.
• Don't treat the interview casually, as if you are just shopping around or doing the interview for practice. This is an insult to the interviewer and to the organization.
• Don't give the impression that you are only interested in an organisation because of where it is located, e.g. near your home.
• Don't ask about salary, benefits, leave entitlement, increments, etc. until the subject is brought up by the employer or until job offer negotiations.