PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

After you receive the invitation to attend for an interview, it is a good idea for you to contact the department that informed you to confirm that you will be in attendance.

Do a little Company research. This is a very useful exercise to enable you to gain a little background into the Company. Some of the things you could try to find out about are:

How many employees the company has
How long the firm has been in business
Have they had any disputes or strikes
How do they treat their employees.

Above all, what you must avoid is turning up for the interview drenched in sweat and panic, I have often seen people in this state at an interview, simply because they did not plan for the event. If you do attend an interview in this state, then it is downhill all the way.

Plan your route to the interview venue. How long will it take? Do you need to catch one bus or two? If you need to change buses, make sure that you know the time of the connection, do not assume you will catch one straight away.

If you are driving, allow time for traffic hold-ups and parking, and make sure that you have change for the parking ticket machine..

What to wear? Just dress sensibly, you don't need to dress as if you were going to a formal presentation, you just need to be neat, tidy and clean.

Don't go out for a jolly night with the boys/girls on the eve of the interview, you need to keep a clear head for the meeting. However, if you are successful in securing the position, then you can let your hair down with your friends if you wish with a good celebratory knees-up.

Get your material ready such as the interview invite, any communication that you sent to the company (you may want to use these letters as a prompt during the interview), and any qualifications that you have achieved. If you have a passport or/and driving license take them too, just in case proof of identity is required.

Try to arrive at the interview at least ten minutes early. This will allow you time to get acclimatised, this is a good time to look and listen. By doing this you can sometimes get the feel of the place and get an idea of what it is like to work there.

AT THE INTERVIEW

Only shake hands with the interviewer if they offer to shake hands with you and only sit down when invited to do so, this is common courtesy. Don't slouch in the chair or sit on the very edge of it, just sit comfortably. Don't sit with arms folded, and don't

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