The Interview ready checklist
You’ve landed an interview and now it’s time to prepare. Use this checklist to help you plan ahead so you don’t have any last minute worries on the day!
Before the interview day:
If you’ve been invited to interview, be sure to confirm the appointment. This allows your potential employer to plan for your arrival and offers you an opportunity to clarify any details/request reasonable adjustments regarding the interview process.
If you're applying for lots of roles and need to re-familiarise yourself with the role, take time to read the job description again ahead of your interview.
Make a plan for your route using the interview details provided. What bus will you need to catch or could you walk there? If you are using public transport, have you checked the bus/train timetables so you know what times to begin your journey?
Consider what you will wear in advance. Do you have smart clothes ready to go or do you need to wash/borrow/buy some?
Think about what you would like to know about the company, shift patterns, etc. Make a list of questions you would like to ask so the interview covers everything you also need to know in order to make an informed decision.
Prepare any documents the interviewer has asked to see so there’s not a frantic search nearer the time. Do you have copies of your qualification certificates to hand or maybe a portfolio of past work if applying for creative roles.
On the interview day:
Time to get ready! Make sure you are up, washed and dressed in good time so all your other plans fall neatly into place.
Set your phone to silent during your interview and put it away in your bag.
Use the STAR (situation, task, action, results) method to evidence your experience.
Remember to ask any questions you prepared earlier so you leave the interview with all the answers you need.
Always thank the person you've interviewed with for their time today.
After the interview day:
Usually the interviewer will give you an idea as to when you may know the outcome of your application. If you don’t hear back within the timeframe discussed, you can send a friendly follow up email to ask for feedback.
Keep applying for jobs you see until you hear otherwise. It's good to keep your options open and if you land the role you interviewed for, you can always politely decline any future invitations to interview.
If you want to talk through any of your interview experience or feedback, reach out to a member of the IAF team for a chat. We can help you to reflect on the answers you gave and share tips that might help you navigate tricky questions in future.