Pre-interview tips

 We all want to feel relaxed, confident and excited walking into an interview. It takes a little preparation but this is the best way to get your interviewers attention and ensure that you get noticed!

Research the company:
Learn as much as you can about the company you are applying with, so that you can keep up with conversation and impress them with your knowledge. Their website is the first place to look but get ahead of the competition and check out a few more places like:

• Find and read PR about the company. Then you can say at the interview "I saw your press release in the 'xxx' magazine, it was really good", and then ask a question about it.
• Call the company and say "I'm doing some research on your company", and then ask a few questions.

Practice Answers To Possible Tricky Questions:
There are lots of questions that can totally stump you in an interview, but if you think about possible ones beforehand you'll feel so much more comfortable. Have a think about these common tricky questions and what your answers might be:

• What do you think you could do for this company?
• How do you deal with stress or work under pressure?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What are your strengths?
• How do you think you would fit in with the team here?
• How do you deal with conflict or confrontation?
• What are your time management strategies?

Prepare Questions To Ask The Interviewer:
Usually during an interview the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions. It is sometimes hard to think of questions 'off the cuff' so before you go to the interview write down all the things you want to know about the company and the job. When they ask you if you have any questions, go through your list and ask any that have not already been answered during the interview. They will be impressed that you have taken the time to think of questions before the interview. Don't ask anything about salary yet, but do ask things like when the appointment will be made, what opportunities there are for promotion within the company and positive things like that.

Presentation
The key to your presentation is imagining yourself already a part of the company. Think about how the rest of the team there (or specifically in your department) would dress and do your best to look like you would fit right in. If possible, when they call you to arrange the interview time ask them "What should I wear and what should I bring with me?" This way you can get an even clearer idea of what they are expecting.