Congratulations! If you have been invited for a personal interview, it means that you have been successful among other applicants and your CV has attracted attention.
If a potential employer gives you the choice beween an in-person and online interview, we recommend that you attend an in-person meeting. By doing so, you will already show more interest and increase your chances of success, and you will also have the opportunity to get a better idea of your future employer (the environment, check out the comuting, see the atmosphere in the company and meet potential colleagues). The interview is an important indicator of whether the position really suits you as well as the employer, and it also gives you the opportunity to answer questions about your future employment that were not mentioned in the job offer – be prepared to ask them. During the interview, your future employer will try to get to know you better, verify the information on your CV, check your competences, experience and motivation.
⇒ It is said that the first 5 minutes of the interview are the most crucial. Be enthusiastic, energetic and thank them for taking the time to interview you on behalf of the company.
Basic tips and tricks:
- Arrive at the interview in advance, ideally 10-15 minutes and use this time to observe what is going on around you, relieve any stress and sort out your thoughts and compose yourself.
- Feel free to bring your CV with you so you don’t forget to mention important information.
- Study up on the industry and the company. It is common to be asked who you think the company’s competitors are or how you perceive the employer brand.
- Study the job description and prepare questions that interest you.
- Think about what your strengths are, what you can use from your previous experience and the reasons why you are interested in the position.
- Prepare to answer the questions by giving examples based on your previous experiences (you should have an example from your experience ready for each point on your CV).
- Present your greatest achievements and abilities, emphasizing your personal and not team achievements (speaking in I and not we person).
- Keep a positive attitude, do not talk negatively about previous experiences nor emploer. Use sentences such as: It was not quite to my liking, but I learnt new competences.
- Watch your body language, handshake, appropriate clothing, tone of voice to appear pleasant and professional.
- Let the interviewer lead the interview, try to answer questions directly and factually, do not stray too far from the topic.
- Have your salary expectations ready, as well as information about possible start day.
⇒ Don’t give up if you are unsuccessful in the interview, ask for feedback and learn from it.
