Graduate Job-Hunting Advice—Martin Archer
Coaching Experience
w/e Friday 7th June 2013
This week I saw a candidate who had a first interview. This is a scary prospect and this candidate, like others, didn’t really know how to prepare. She had done some basic research, she had printed the job basics and the company basics, but it wasnot enough at all. She is not the only candidate I have seen like this! When you are approaching an interview you should:
Make sure you have the job specification and the basic details of the company (from the About Us and Vision and Values pages) Think about what you like about the job – what are your requirements when looking for a job. Think about your best achievements, times you have failed, what you are good at and what you struggle at. You should think about all the main events in your life (especially since university started i.e. when you had to start making decisions more independently). Also, be prepared to answer questions about why you did all these things. An interviewer wants to get to know you in a very short amount of time. It is a bit like speed dating. If you are not ready you will end up saying silly things and spending too much time saying things like, “er… I think… basically… well…” and a lot of other superfluous language. Which of these ways of behaving is going to make you look most attractive?