Top Tips for Preparing for your Interview

If there’s one thing we in the Secretarial and Business Support Division have seen time and time again, it is that the most important step to landing a job is being prepared for your interviews. By doing some preparation you'll feel more in control, and will appear cool, calm and collected as a result to your prospective employers – qualities always looked for in the perfect candidate.

We’ve all been there, stumped in the interview room when you just can’t think of what you wanted to say or the answer they are looking for and yes we usually put this down to nerves, but in our experience at Sacco Mann… Nerves are usually nothing more than being unprepared. 

In the current market, it is very clear that companies are being more cautious with making the right choice with who they are hiring and unfortunately for you, this means more rigorous interviews and a honing in on interview questions. 

Here at Sacco Mann, we ensure that we are with our candidates every step of the way, providing as much help and preparation as we can. Our Secretarial team have decided to share our knowledge with you, so here’s a few tips on being the STAR interviewee we know you are!

S – Situation, background, set the scene 
T – Task or Target: specifics of what's required, when, where, who
A – Action: what you did, skills used, behaviours, characteristics
R – Result: Outcome, what happened? 

In most interviews, you will be fed competency based questions, the below are a few of the typical ones. 
 

• Name a time when you have had to work under pressure
• Give examples of when you have had to deal with a difficult client/colleague
• Describe a time when you have had to work as part of a team to complete a task 
• Give an example of a time when you have had to go above and beyond

For all of the above, they are looking for ONE specific example for you to outline, set the scene, describe, tell them what part YOU played (avoid saying WE, say I), tell them the (positive) outcome.

Extra preparation for you to do: 
 

• Research the company - brand values, history, current/recent news, areas of law that they cover, geographical areas that they cover
• Do some research on the interviewers via LinkedIn to see how long they have been with the firm for
• Ensure you understand the role
• Try and think of examples to back up the answers you are giving 

Always remember to go smartly dressed and to present yourself well. This will make a great first impression and as the saying goes, it is always better to be over dressed than under dressed. Be confident, be yourself, and know what you’re talking about. Let your personality shine through.

So there you have it – some short and sweet tips and tricks to becoming the STAR Candidate! If you would like to speak to one of our team to get some more advice on handling interviews or applying for your next role then get in touch with us on 0161 831 6890.