Before every interview it is extremely important to be thoroughly prepared.

Know your CV

• Remember what your main duties were in previous roles
• What you liked about the job
• Why you left the job (this is important to consider, particularly if you had a bad experience in previous roles, remember not to give too much information or to sound too negative)

Prepare your Answers carefully

Think about the questions you may be asked and how you will answer them. Example: if someone asks you what you did in your last job, will you be able to tell them about your duties?

What do you know about the Company?

If you have access to the internet, it is always useful to search for the company where your interview is at and have a look at their website as it could tell you more about them. Most company websites will have an ‘about us’ section that you can click on or a paragraph about them on the front page.

You can print off any information and take it with you to interview.

If you don’t have access to the internet, please contact your Employment Consultant who will be happy to help you.

What job are you applying for?

Always make sure you read the job advertisement or job description (if available) prior to your interview. This might seem like an obvious thing to do but if you have applied for multiple jobs it is easy to get them mixed up.

Do you know how to get to your interview?

Make sure you know the address and how best to get to your interview. Do a practice run the week before so you know the route and can ensure you have enough time planned to get there.

TRY TO ARRIVE 10-15 MINUTES EARLY TO THE INTERVIEW

What to wear to the interview

It is important to make a good impression at interview. Think about the clothes that you might wear.

You would typically be expected to wear smart clothes for an interview, so for males this could be trousers and a shirt. For females a blouse and trousers or a smart skirt and trousers.

An employer would not usually expect a male to turn up to an interview in shorts for instance. Females also need to avoid wearing clothes that are too revealing.

Remember to check your clothes are clean and ironed beforehand.

Your hair should be neat and tidy and you need to be clean and smell nice. If having your hair or beard cut is something you struggle due to sensory challenges then just make an effort to tidy your hair or beard up a little. Ask someone to help you.

Practice interview questions

You can find lots of practice interview questions online, print some out or make some notes about how you might answer certain questions. A key one to think about which employers usually ask is “why did you apply for this role?”

Some final tips on what an employer looking for from you:

• Positive attitude
• Organisational skills
• Approachable
• Honesty
• Ability to work hard
• Focused
• Well presented

Good Luck!

Talk to our team about our one off support to help you with interview practice.