Interview preparation: tips to succeed

Preparing for a job interview is crucial if you want to do well and have any chance at landing the role. There are plenty of things you can do to make sure your interview goes smoothly, and they don’t take a large amount of time or effort.

Read our interview preparation tips to make sure you are ready to impress at your next interview.

Prepare your outfit

Make sure you have confirmed with the hiring manager or recruitment team what the dress code is for the interview. Being underdressed for an interview is a sure-fire way to lose out on the job.

Having your outfit picked out the night before, making sure to check for rips or stains, will mean you won’t be stressing in the morning trying to figure out what to wear at your interview.

Depending on the job you may be required to wear clothes more professional than you have in your wardrobe. If that’s the case, there are usually plenty of last season’s fashion at op shops like Lifeline or you could also reach out to an organisation like dress for success to assist you.

Dress for success has branches in the following cities Adelaide | Brisbane | Hobart | Perth | South East Melbourne | Sydney. If you are in another location your placement consultant will be able to help you with finding a local organisation.

Plan how you’ll get there

Preparing your journey beforehand is important to ensure you arrive on time. Being on time means arriving a good 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled time unless you have been directed otherwise.

Plan how you will get there and how much time you will need making sure to give yourself plenty of time should something unforeseen happen on your journey.

It’s worth checking for any important travel updates, road closures or changes to public transport a day or two beforehand.

If you get there too early you could always relax in a nearby park or grab a coffee, whatever helps keep you calm for the interview.

Last-minute study

A job advert is a call out from a business for someone to solve a problem. You need to be that solution. Review the job advert one more time.

Home in on the key skills or important aspects of the role and have a think about what kind of person the business is looking for and how your match their requirements.

It might also be worthwhile checking over the website of the business or their social media pages so that you have some key facts about the business and its story.

Not all interviewers will ask you about their business but for those that do, some quick facts can be easy points in an interview .

Check your tech

Many interviews these days are being held via zoom or teams which can create different problems. Be sure to test your internet to check it is running smoothly and your video devices are functioning.

When you do, have a quick look at the scene your webcam shows and be sure to tidy up if need be.

You can find more tips in our How to prepare for a video interview article.

Roleplay

One of the most important parts of interview preparation is roleplay. Whether with a friend or family member or by yourself in front of a mirror, it is vital to getting you ready for your interview.

Look at a copy of the job advert and try and anticipate what questions the interviewers will ask. Try a few responses until you are confident that your answer aligns with what your resume says you can do and what the job advert is asking for.

If you need a little help with some interview prep questions you can find some helpful articles on What To Say and Not To Say in a Job Interview and 6 types of Unusual interview questions and how to answer them.

Look after yourself

Make sure to take care of yourself the night before too. A bit of physical activity or a session at the gym is a good idea to get rid of some of the nervous energy you may have and it will help you sleep.

Be sure to get a decent meal and a good night’s rest in and you will be ready to wow them at the interview!

For more interview preparation tips you can always reach out to your consultant.