Interview stage

After the application stage, a short-list of candidates will be invited to an interview. Sometimes this can be a group interview, where multiple candidates will be interviewed together or will be asked to undertake a series of tasks to assess their group-working skills. More commonly, an interview is conducted with one candidate, and one to three people from the organisation. The interviewers may be the recruiter, an employee from HR, and the prospective manager. 

How to prepare. Put yourselves in the shoes of the employer: what questions are they likely to ask you to find out whether you will be able to do the job well? Write down a list of these questions, and figure out how you would answer them. Write down some examples from your past employment history that demonstrate your skills, team-working abilities, and problem-solving experience. Read over your notes before the interview, but try not to refer to them while the interview is taking place. 

What to wear. It is always better to be overdressed than under-dressed. Most employers will be impressed if a candidate is dressed in a clean, smart and professional outfit. This could be a suit, shirt and trousers, or smart dress.