How to Prepare for an Interview: Expert Tips for Success

Over the years, we’ve interviewed many candidates; some excellent, some not, however this isn’t down to luck. In most cases the difference came down to preparation.

A well prepared candidate will always stand out, so we’ve put together a few simple tips to help you approach your interview with confidence and give yourself the best possible chance to succeed.

The Preparation

Research

Look at the company website to get a gain a good understanding of their products, history and values. Many companies incorporate their core values into interview questions, so familiarity with these can give you an edge. Also look at companies house to understand their financial standing.

Use your Network

The food industry especially is extremely close knit and there is masses of cross over. You’ll more than likely know some who’s worked with X business or individual. Get their perspective and insight.

Media and News

See if there have been any positive news on the company recently and their media presence. We advise searching “ ‘Company name’ News

Understand your Interviewer

If you know who the interviewer is, find them on LinkedIn and research them. Understand their background. Your network can also be supporting you with this.

JD and Person Spec

If you have a copy of these, look through them thoroughly and see where you can link it to your experience. Think of examples you can pull out in the interview. If you don’t have these documents, the job advert would be the next best thing to look through for this information.

Achievements

Reflect on key achievements from your career and recent roles. Prepare tangible examples, focusing on how you achieved these results and the impact they had (e.g., cost savings, efficiency improvements). Pay extra focus to the ones that relate to the JD and Person Spec.

CV Concerns

Have a look at what may be a question mark area for the company. This may be short permanent roles, a large career gap or a step back in responsibility. Have clear reasons for these that you can explain to the company if they question them.

The Site Interview

Arrive early

Aim to arrive at the interview location 15-20 minutes early to demonstrate eagerness. Check traffic conditions and any road closures beforehand and on the day to avoid unexpected delays. Also make sure you take any check in time into account as well.

Distractions

Check your phone is switched off or on silent before going into the interview or any other devices that may make a noise.</p>

Dress the part

Make sure you look professional! We are past the point where you need to be full suited and booted, with this said don’t show up in jeans and t-shirt.

Enthusiasm

Showing genuine interest can set you apart. Explain why you are excited about the role and the company. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask during the interview, which demonstrates your enthusiasm and engagement.

Show Interest – Show and explain why you are interested in the role and company. Make sure you have lots of questions for them too
Get Moving – Don’t go overboard, but not sitting completely still can help you to create a bit of energy to your interview
Watch your tone – Keeping your voice flat is not going to do you any favours. Get excited! If I handed you £1m your voice would indicate your interest!

Body Language

Maintain positive body language throughout the interview. Avoid slouching as it can convey disinterest. Sit up straight, make eye contact, and smile to create a positive impression.

Patience

Allow for any delay and speak clearly. This goes for both delivering a presentation or a standard interview.

Be prepared

Have a copy of your CV to hand, a pen and notepad and also a copy of the role as well. Keeping these close are great for referencing and also keeping you on track.

STAR Answers

Utilise the STAR method when answering questions: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Not only will it stop you from rambling around your answer, but it will also ensure you are delivering your achievements and answers clearly and confidently. Check out this article on Indeed to further understand how to implement this!

What do you need to know?

It is a 2 way street so make sure you think of anything you want to know before the end of the interview. This could be further insight into the operations, the day to day or any question you may have that would prevent you from accepting an offer should you be successful.

The Virtual Interview

Test it

If you are new to the platform this one is a must, but even if you aren’t it is worth doing. Carry out a test call on the day or the day before to make sure that you are fully comfortable with the platform. Doing this also gives you a chance to see if there are any obvious tech issues.

Charged

Make sure your computer is charged up so it doesn’t die halfway through the interview!

Connect early

Make sure that you sign onto the call 5 to 10 minutes before the allocated start time. You can mute your microphone and stop your camera until you are ready to start but connecting early allows you time to rectify any technical issues and also gives you time to relax before the interview starts.

Check your environment

This one is another loaded topic but there is a checklist to go through:

Is your phone on silent?
Have you turned off any other distractions? TV, Radio, emails etc.
What’s the traffic like – Not just outside either, what is around you? If you set up in a busy area of the house or by the front door, you are going to pick all of that background noise up. Equally who are you going to have walking behind you? You don’t want this! Isolate yourself as much as you possibly can.
It’s all on camera – Remember that the camera will pick up more than just you. Seems obvious but just be mindful of what is going on around you. If there is a lot around you, blur your background
Lights, camera, action – Lighting plays a huge part in your visibility. You want to minimise any light shining from behind you and have as much shining towards you. This may mean closing curtains or changing your seating to ensure the best lighting. Doing this will mean that your camera isn’t trying to focus all the time and the interviewer can see you clearly.

Connection

If you are experiencing poor internet on the day, all is not lost. Try using your phone as a hotspot, always a great choice to have up your sleeve. (Try to avoid using the apps on your phone, but if you do, put your phone somewhere secure, nobody wants to feel seasick!

Backup

Make sure you have a backup for if the software or system fails. Send across your mobile number to the interviewer.

Close your browsers

If you’ve got to give a presentation then make sure that any extra browsers are closed. You don’t want to accidentally leave up your last online shopping order!

If you’re still struggling to get it right, our team would be more than happy to have a chat.

Denis O’Driscoll