​In embarking on your job search, you should mentally prepare to constantly rework and refine your approach as you go. Many people interview for three, five or even ten jobs before they secure their dream role!

Whilst this may sound tiring, it can be all a part of the process.

So how can you best position yourself for success no matter the type of interview?

We encourage you to follow this checklist as a guide!

What everyone will tell you – that you need to take onboard!

• Complete thorough research

• You need to understand the history, purpose and current standing of the organisation and also the background of the person you are meeting with.

• Practice your answers to ‘the usual suspects’

• Google ‘most commonly asked interview questions’ and make sure you can you answer these comfortably.

• Practice the ‘STAR’ interview technique of answering questions!

• Become confident with your answers, to ensure you can become comfortable with silence and consideration time from the interviewer.

• Consider your outfit, timing and introduction

• First impressions count. Ensure you factor in your audience, the location and the brand you want to create for yourself in preparing for these things.

• Prepare good questions

• We always suggest one about the company, the interviewer and the role is a good benchmark.

• Be yourself

• We encourage you to use interview processes to show your authentic self and look for an employer that will reciprocally come to the table and want to work with the true you. The best employer / employee relationships are based on trust, authenticity, care, support, professionalism and transparency. Try not to let your nerves hinder showing who you really are as a person. Human connection in an interview process is so important and can be what influences your opportunity to progress from one stage to the next!

What everyone won’t tell you – that we encourage you to consider!

• Do something you enjoy prior to the interview

• Most of us feel good after we have done something that we enjoy! For you that may be going for a run, reading a book or having coffee with a friend. Whatever it may be, see if you can work that into your day pre-interview. We guarantee you will perform better if you are in a calm and positive state of mind.

• Think critically about yourself as an applicant for this job

• Put yourself in the interviewers’ shoes and try to determine what may be most important to them. If you were interviewing yourself, what questions would you ask, what would be your concerns, what would you want to test? Try to ‘reverse prepare’ from this mindset and see what you get from it!

• Consider unconscious bias

• Many of us can be subject to unconscious bias that inhibits our progression. If you believe this could be the case for you, seek advice prior to your meeting (from our team or your professional network) to decide how to best approach the interview. Being aware of this can often help you counter in a way that supplies upside for the potential employer and will build on your self-esteem.

• Consider pushing back on timing if you know it won’t work for you

• Often the pressure can mount to take a particular interview timeslot provided, and we get it. Executives can be very time poor! However, if you know you won’t be your best at 8am in the morning or 6pm at evening, suggest alternatives!

• Know what makes you unique

• What is your value set and what makes you unique? Ensure you get this message across! Being comfortable and confident in who you are and what you have to offer will support a memorability factor and a feeling like the interviewer really got to know you properly. Again, achieving human connection in an interview process is so important and could assist you in landing the job.