PROJECT JOB

Job Search Step 5 — Interview

Here's what you need to know when you get to an interview or assessment

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What do you need to know about an interview or assessment?

The next stage will be one or more of the following:

• A face-to-face interview;
• A panel interview;
• A scenario;
• A group exercise;
• Personality testing or
• Numeric and verbal reasoning tests.

You’ll normally get a few days’ notice of what you’ll face, so here’s how to prepare for each type of assessment. I had a weekend to prepare for the interview day I had for my current job, which felt tough but doable.

Any face-to-face assessment

When you’re meeting face-to-face, ensure you follow this advice:

Pre-interview

• If you can, visit the offices to time the commute and observe what employees wear. Visiting will help you understand the culture, environment, and commute if successful;
• Try the commute at the same time as your interview. Traffic and trains can be very variable at different times of the day, so don’t assume they will be the same;
• Find a local coffee shop that will be your office before the interview;
• Aim to arrive on interview day slightly smarter than the people you see there;
• Ensure you research the role, the organization, and the main challenges. If it’s a large company, download its annual report. If it’s a small company, download its accounts from Companies House (UK) or the local government website;
• View some of the employees already at the company on LinkedIn. What do they say?
• Check the job websites in your country that review employers, such as Glassdoor;
• Read their website and, in particular, the press releases. If they’re excited about something, you need to be, too.
• Create a note for your interview with job description…