You can never overprepare for an Interview

As a recruiter, I want to give candidates as much information and support as I can before an interview.

In reality, we often haven’t met every stakeholder they’ll be meeting, so there will always be an element of the unknown.

Why interviews are harder than they look

You generally have an hour to:

• Build rapport
• Present with confidence without coming across as arrogant
• Answer questions with enough detail to show your technical depth, without rambling or going so far into the weeds that you appear too junior for the role
• Show energy and passion (a sense of humour is a nice touch, though it can go either way)
• Block out everything else going on in your life at that moment
• Hope it’s a day when the words come out the way your brain intended

All in an hour.

The person across the table has also formed a view of you from your CV before you walk in, and you probably know very little about what that view is.

Back to basics: prepare

Book the interview for a time of day when you know you’re at your best.

Know the company. Read the annual report. Understand its strategy, its challenges and what’s happening in the business right now.

Know the person you’re meeting too. Look at their career background and where they’ve come from. No one likes a name-dropper, but a genuine, shared connection, previous organisation or experience can be a good way to build rapport.

Clarify when you need to

However senior you are, it’s fine to clarify a question. Try:

“Can I just clarify what you mean by…?”

Or, after answering:

“Is that enough detail, or would you like me to go deeper into that?”

Checking in like this is good communication, and interviewers notice it.

What the strongest candidates have in common

The candidates who stand out are prepared, curious and authentic, and they can hold a good conversation. That counts for more than having a perfect answer to every question.

So even if it’s billed as “just coffee”, prepare for an interview. You never really have it in the bag until it’s in the bag.

Preparing for your next HR leadership role?

Get in touch with Geraldine Doyle for a confidential conversation about your next move.