The selection process

CITYside Recruitment

Firstly ask yourself, how well do you know the company? Do you completely understand the nature of the work they do? Is it an organisation you would feel happy to be part of? If it is, then try to find out as much about it as you can before you go. If it isn’t a company you would feel happy working with, don’t waste your time or theirs. Just move on to the next opportunity.

Preparing for the interview
OK, so you’ve applied for a job you really want, and the employer in question has agreed to interview you for the position. Preparing for an interview can be a daunting prospect, but there’s no reason why it should be, providing you follow a few tried and tested steps.

Spend some time researching the employers website. This is where you’ll find all the positive statements and nice things they want the public at large to know about. If they don’t have a website, it doesn’t mean that they’re not a good or professional company.
Try to speak to someone that already works there, but do be diplomatic. Not everyone in the company will feel the same way about it, and it could be the reason there’s a vacancy is because someone may need to be replaced due to poor performance!
If possible, visit the site beforehand, this will not only help plan your travel arrangements, but can also give indications about the sort of people already working there, the general state of the building infrastructure. You can tell a lot about a business by it’s outward appearance, the type of people coming and going. Do they have a crèche? Do they have canteen facilities? Is there a no-smoking policy? etc.
Having researched as well as you can, make sure you have had a good night’s sleep. The worst thing you could do is wake up on the day of the interview with a raging hangover!
Wear appropriate clothing. If you’re going for a job in a corporate law firm, wear a smart business suit. Make sure your shoes are polished and that you are well groomed. Employers do make judgements based on appearance regardless of how well you can do the job. It may not be fashionable to admit it, but it’s a fact! Before you head off, check yourself in the mirror – do you look the part?
Ask yourself, “Why do I want this job?” and be honest. Remember, the worst thing that can happen is – you don’t get the job.
Allow yourself plenty of time to get there. Take into account possible hold-ups on the tube/bus/taxi. If your interview has been arranged by an agency such as CITYside, they will probably want to brief you and go through the job description again to give you the best possible chance of success. If you arrive at the interview with time to spare, you can stop off for a coffee or do some window-shopping. If you arrive late for the interview, you almost certainly won’t get the job. Five-ten minutes early is generally about right, more than that and you risk irritating your potential employer, who after all, has a business to run.