Preparing for an interview – what to do before you go

The day before any interview can be a nerve-wracking experience, so it can be difficult to do anything constructive.  You may think that just because your interview is tomorrow that there is nothing you can do today.  Wrong!

Preparation is the key to any interview and lot’s of people don’t realise this.  You wouldn’t go to pitch a new client without any preparation would you?  Interviewing for a job is just the same.

Here are a few ideas for things you can do to not only prepare for the next day, but also to calm your nerves and allow yourself to be satisfied that you have done everything you can to be ready.

• Check the company website.  Long gone are the days that company information is held in a dusty archive somewhere – get on the Internet and check out their website.  Get familiar with their products and services – their mission statement – their other vacancies even.  These can all be great talking points at the interview and will get your some brownie points!
• Check out company news.  Try something like Google News to search for recent news items about the company – another good talking point for you.
• Get your clothes ready!  Seems simple, but you don’t want to be panicking an hour before the interview because that shirt you were going to were has an unknown stain on it.
• Make notes.  Think about what questions you want answered by the end of the interview.
• Get directions.  Either take a wander to the place of your interview or check out something like Google Maps to plan your route.   Check bus and train times if appropriate as well.  There’s nothing worse than planning a 30 minute journey just for it to take an hour.  And you don’t want to be late!

Good luck!