It’s natural to feel nervous about an interview, however there are ways you can manage this feeling. Preparation is key. This will help you feel less nervous or anxious, and allow you to feel more in control of the situation and more confident.
Here are my top tips for interview preparation:
1. Research into the company and industry. Understand who they are, what they do, their history, what their values are and look into how they may be affected by what is currently happening and whether there is any news about them.
2.Thoroughly read through the job description and study your CV and understand where you fit within this role – how much your experience relates to the role. Know your selling points. Identify if there are any gaps and how you will respond to that if a question is asked.
3. Think about the questions you may get asked. Look at the skills required for the role and prepare some questions you may get asked. Have examples ready to share. Some common questions that are asked at an interview are:- What experience do you have that is relevant to this role?- Why do you want to work for our organisation?- Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
4. It is important to also think about questions you would ask the interviewers. This shows your interest for the role and company and it gives a positive outlook if you have a couple of good questions to ask. These could include:-
Please can you describe the culture of the organisation?
Can you tell me more about the team I would be working in?
What would be the top priorities for this role if I were to join?
And how do you determine if the company is as inclusive as they claim? Here are some questions you could ask at your interview to find out:
What are the company’s most important values?
How important is diversity and what value does it bring?
Do the company’s policies and procedures support diversity and inclusion?
Does the company have any diversity programs/events in place?
What does Diversity and Inclusion mean to you?
You could also do your research into the company by researching who their leadership team is and whether that reflects diversity. How active are they with their organisation’s EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) strategy? See if you can find some news about them or their policies to then relate your questions to this.
5. Plan for your interview. Make sure you are organised, prepare your outfit beforehand even if it will be a Zoom interview. Be sure to have your CV/JD so you can review it while you are waiting. Check the date, time and location for the interview and plan your travel if needed.
– Haleema Latif, Inclusive Recruiting
