How To Prepare For A Graduate Interview in the best way

Interviews can be nerve wracking. They can feel like walking into the unknown. They can lead to you landing the job of your dreams but how? The secret is in how you’re preparing for your graduate interview.

Landing a graduate job after completing your degree is one of the most rewarding things you will achieve. After years of study, you will take your first step into the world of employment. But first, you have to work out how to prepare for a graduate interview.

Let’s explore some graduation interview preparation strategies that will help you land your dream position.

Check your online profiles

First thing to do is ensure that your online profiles are professional, up to date and if you are using certain social media sites including facebook…. you have privacy settings, If you get stuck with privacy settings try refereeing to our blog for help.

Many companies will use your online presence as a way of deciding if they want to invite you for an interview. Start by ensuring you have a presence on LinkedIn but remember to make it relevant and true to your cv. For more advice with LinkedIn see our blog.

Preparing for the day

The first and most valuable tip we can offer is to try not to feel overwhelmed. This can be easier said than done but it’s important to remember you shouldn’t feel stressed. There is always going to be opportunities to discover graduate roles you want. It’s important to stay calm and try as much as possible to enjoy the interview process. 

There are three main types of graduate job interviews:

Phone Interviews

Video Interviews

Face to Face Interviews 

Best ways to prepare for a phone or video interview:

The first step is to clarify what kind of interview you have. Employers make up their own interview process some offer a preliminary phone or video call interview and the move to face-to-face; others will go straight to a face-to-face interview.  

It’s important to remember that you could do really well and still not make it through. There are a million reasons why this could happen and it doesn’t mean you’re not right for the job role. People with work experiences that are more relevant could have applied or you could have just been unlucky. Keep your head up and move onto the next interview and you will be sitting down face to face with an employer in no time.

If you have a phone/video interview you will need to find a quiet place you can speak where you won’t be disturbed. Ensure the background on your camera is set to blur as it looks more professional than a set scene, check your software in case they need any updates. You don’t want to log on and then find it needs to update for an hour also check your microphone & speakers are working.

For all interviews you will need to ensure you print off your CV and make some notes on points you want to get across. Most importantly, research the company thoroughly.

Thing to research would include:

What the company does – products/services

The industry it operates in

Company standards and values

Objectives and goals

Location

Customers/clients/target audience

History

Projects

To find the answers you can use the company website, their social media platforms and search for reviews of the company on sites like Glassdoor. Try not to lay out a script for you to read from but do make some notes that you can referee to if your asked specific questions like what do you know about the company. They don’t want to know word for word what their website says but a general over view would be lovely. Even things like recent events they have held or awards they have celebrated can be enough.

Face to Face interviews

Ensure you are appearing confident on the outside even if your body is screaming on the outside. Confidence will help you through the process as well as research. You should know who you are meeting on the day so do some research on these people. Look at their online profiles see if you can find out a little more about them. Things like work history, how long have they been with the current company, what does their past history look like, even see if you notice any hobbies that you can relate to. They want to get to know you as well as your abilities so they know if they want to invest in all of you.

You will not only be judged on your ability to do the role but the way you present yourself. Check out our blog for help on what to wear.

Time keeping

Ensure you arrive at least 10-15 mins before your interview begins. If you’re late, the message you’re passing is that you can’t be relied on and don’t follow instructions. Hence, make sure you’re neither too early nor late for the interview so as to impress the panel.

Attention to detail

Ensure you have read your confirmation emails fully and are aware of any documents you are required to bring with you on the day of your appointment. Again, attention to detail is a keen divider between a good candidate and a great candidate.

Offer a handshake

Once you’ve confidently entered the room and said hello, shake the hands of the interviewees by offering firm grips. Ensure that the handshake is neither limp nor too tight. This shows that the level of confidence you have is high and you know what you’re capable of. In case you’re seated when someone comes into the room, extend your hand as you get up to great them.

Show kindness to everyone

Ensure that you are kind to everyone that you come across. In all encounters you make, ensure you make a good first impression since the people on the frontlines may give their perceptions of you with the decision makers in the hiring process.

Show interest

Without showing interest in the interview or the job opportunity itself, you’ll be sending a message that you lack the passion for this line of profession. Your actions should communicate that you’re excited about the potential job despite the fact that you may not be so interested in it.

Don’t be careless with your remarks

The intention of most interviews isn’t to be insensitive or insulting. However, you may find yourself saying something that you’d regret later. Don’t be too casual when starting conversations and never talk about topics that are controversial.

Prepare to talk about yourself and the company

You will always have the conversation about the company you are interviewing for. Don’t appear as though you’re arrogant by acting like a know-it-all kind of person. Do your background research on the interview and have some knowledge about it and pass the information with intelligence if you’re asked to. You need to show that you are happy to do research to ensure you understand situations more thoroughly.

Do body check Before leaving the house

Ensure you’ve taken a quick look of yourself before you leave the house, from your appearance and makeup to all the small things you may not think about. Get rid of loose change from the pocket, ensure your phone is off and don’t carry anything unnecessary to the interview.

Ensure you know the right interviewer’s name

Getting the name of the interview the first time they say it can do more than you think in the way they perceive of you. So, ensure you get it right the first time they tell it to you & make sure you use it throughout, this will show you listen and are keen to form a relationship.

With these tips under your belt, you should be able to get through any interview and make a great impression. By making sure you impress at your interview you have the best chance of being invited back for a second interview or even the job.

Wrapping it up

You should get a chance to ask any questions you may have at the end if they weren’t answered within the interview. If your stuck for things to ask we recommend checking out the following as a guideline.

Contact Us Today

We hope these tips have helped you. If you would like any help or support with finding a Graduate role, then please do contact us and check out our LinkedIn for up to date job posts.