Skip to content
05 The interview

Be prepared. Still be yourself.

An interview is a two-way conversation, even when it does not feel like one. They are working out whether you can do the job. You are working out whether you would want to.

Nobody expects a perfect performance. Clear, honest and interested goes a long way.

During the conversation

  • Answer the question asked

    Then stop. Long answers tend to bury the good part. If they want more, they will ask.

  • Use real examples

    What the situation was, what you did, what happened. Specific beats general every time.

  • Be honest about gaps

    If you have not done something, say so and say how you would approach it. Overstating experience only moves the problem to your first month.

  • Ask your questions

    Not to look engaged, but because you need the answers to make a decision.

  • Notice the environment

    How people speak to each other, how the space feels, whether the person interviewing you seems glad to be there. It tells you a lot.

You are assessing them as much as they are assessing you.

Accepting a role you had doubts about at interview rarely ends well. If something did not sit right, it is worth naming, to yourself and to us.

Fair questions to ask

Choose two or three rather than working through a list.

  • The work

    What does a normal week look like, and what would the first few months focus on?

  • The team

    Who would you be working with most closely, and how does the team divide things up?

  • Success

    What would make them pleased they had made this appointment six months in?

  • The process

    What the next stage is and roughly when they expect to decide.

Speak to us

Tell us how it went while it is fresh. That is where the next step comes from.