• Be fully familiar with the position that you are being interviewed for. Obtain, where available, a current job description for the role.
  
• Research both the company and its industry sector to familiarise yourself with the operating environment. Your degree of preparation speaks volumes about your interest level and conscientiousness. In addition to increasing your confidence, solid preparation will help you to give articulate answers and ask pertinent questions.
  
• Obtain details in relation to the Interviewers and their positions within their organisation. If possible, any information on their professional/career background would be beneficial.
  
• Ensure that you are familiar with your C.V. and your academic and career achievements. Give some thought into how these can be tailored for the particular position that you are being interviewed for.
  
• Ensure that you are clear in relation to the time and exact location of the Interview.
  
• It is natural to feel nervous before an interview. Your goal is to eliminate unnecessary nervousness by being well prepared.

The Interview

• At the outset, it is important to develop a friendly yet, professional rapport with whomever you meet in the organisation. This can be achieved through a firm handshake, sustained eye contact, a warm smile, good posture, and introducing yourself in a relaxed and confident manner.
  
• A few basics about superficial presentation bear repeating. A well- groomed, professional appearance is essential. Anything else will detract from the best possible presentation you can make.
  
• While the format will be primarily determined by the Interviewers, it is important that you highlight, during the course of the interview, your specific skills, attributes and achievements that are relevant to the role and the organisation. In addition, an interview is a brief period of time in which to make an impression. You want yours to be a positive one. Present the highs and not the lows
  
• If you are being interviewed by more than one person, be sure to address all of the people in the room when you are answering questions. Even if one person is doing most of the talking, or if interviewers are alternating questions, it is polite and professional to maintain eye contact with each person.
  
• Communicating information about yourself is your responsibility. It is not up to the interviewer to drag it out of you. Find opportunities in the interview to highlight points that will highlight your attributes that are relevant to the position.
  
• Listed at the end of this section are examples of common questions. You will note that some are simply variations on a theme. If you spend some time considering how you would answer the ones on this list, you will be able to respond to any question more smoothly and with greater confidence.

Post-Interview

• On successful completion of the interview, contact your consultant in Accreate and they will take you through the next stage - whether this is an offer or a second round interview.
  
• As soon as possible, take notes about what happened. If you are going to another interview in the same day, this is particularly important, because you don't want to confuse any details. This information will become crucial if you are invited back for a second interview.

Sample Questions that an Interviewer Might Ask

Each interview is unique and questions will vary in each occasion. Therefore there cannot be an exhaustive list of question that may be asked. However by considering some frequently asked questions, set-out below, it will assist you in your preparation and interview success

• Tell me about yourself.
  
• How would your contemporaries describe you?
  
• What makes you different from the other candidates for this position?
  
• Describe the accomplishment of which you are the most proud.
  
• Why should we hire you?
  
• What strengths and attributes could you bring to this position?
  
• Why did you choose Accountancy/Finance/Law etc?
  
• How did you become involved in your extracurricular activities?
  
• Describe the job or the activity which has had the greatest impact on your career goals.
  
• What are your career goals?
  
• What would you like to be doing five/ten years from now?
  
• What interests/impresses you about this company?
  
• What do you believe are the key issues and problems in our industry today?
  
• What do you think it takes to be successful in this field?
  
• In what kind of work environment do you do your best work?
  
• With what kind of people do you like to work?
  
• What kinds of tasks and responsibilities motivate you the most?
  
• What is your ideal job?
  
• Tell me about what you learned from your previous jobs.
  
• What did you dislike most about your last job?
  
• What is your greatest weakness?
  
• What has been your greatest challenge?
  
• What do you enjoy doing outside of work-in your free time?
  
• If you had six months ahead with no obligations and no financial constraints, what would you do?

Sample Questions that an Interviewee Might Ask

The type of questions you will ask at an interview will vary depending on the specific circumstances. However we have set out some generic which may be useful to you.

• Does the company have plans to expand internationally?
  
• How successful has the company's business in Latin America been thus far?
  
• Can you tell me which new markets the company is currently considering entering?
  
• What will be the impact of the new tax law on this business?
  
• I'm interested in learning more about the company's new technology that was mentioned in Business & Finance last week.
  
• I understand that you have just introduced a new product. How has it been received thus far?
  
• How is the finance department structured?
  
• What are the potential career paths that might be available to me.

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