6 top tips for interviews

Tips provided by Apprenticeships in Scotland.

1. Dress smart – A freshly ironed shirt and polished pair of shoes will go a long way to making a good first impression on your future employer. Take pride in your appearance and don’t forget to smile!

2. Do a background check – when in your interview, there is a high chance you will be asked a question about the company you’re trying to get a job with. When this happens, you don’t want to be clueless so it’s best to swot up and arrive at the interview prepared with prior knowledge of the company.

3. Practice your answers – in interviews there will be several questions that will come up such as “what experience do you have” or “what attracted you to this position”. If you prepare for these types of questions in advance, you will not have to think of an answer on the spot and be able to confidently express why you are the perfect candidate for the job!

4. Prepare questions – During the interview you might be asked if you have any questions; at this point if you have any questions prepared this could really impress the interviewer and show that you’re keen to find out more about both the role and the company.

5. Check your route – the one thing you don’t want to do is to be late for your important interview! This will leave you feeling rushed, stressed and also impact the first impression you are giving your interviewer.

If you are invited to a virtual interview do a check that your technology will work before the interview. Ensure that your background is tidy or use a standard background filter. Make sure that you face is not in shadow - use lighting to remedy this. Dressing smartly also applies.

6. Know your strengths and weaknesses – It can be a difficult question to address on the spot when someone asks what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you think of these in advance when you are preparing your answers this will be a big help in the interview.