Ace Your Interview

The initial excitement of securing an interview can lead to an impending sense of dread as you start to ask yourself, “how can I prepare when I could be asked literally anything!?” This guide should help you to ace any standard interview format.

At Enso Recruitment, our team has helped thousands of IT professionals in Northern Ireland to develop their careers so we know a thing or two about how to prepare effectively for interviews. We are always on hand to help out so for further interview advice, reach out to our team and we will be happy to assist you.

Preparing for Interview

• The clue is in the question: How can you prepare effectively when you could be asked literally anything!? Use the relevant sources of information i.e. The Job Spec, Company Website and your own CV. From this you will know the technical skills they are looking for, their company values and most importantly, what you have said about yourself.

• Who are you meeting: LinkedIn is a fantastic way to check out the interview panel before you meet them. You will gain insight into their career history and expertise and maybe even some shared connections or interests that might just help to build rapport at interview.

• What to wear: Increasingly IT companies are OK with casual dress at interview but make sure you find out the dress code for certain before you attend. Even if they are “cool” with casual, maybe still leave the ripped jeans at home…look smart no matter what.

At the Interview

• Body Language: smile, keep an open posture and remember to make eye contact. It can be so easy to close up under scrutiny so make sure you maintain an affable nature throughout.

• PAR for the Course: The PAR format (Problem, Action, Result) is hands down the best way to structure any answer related to your experience.

• Difficult questions: PAR doesn’t work for every question. Be ready for questions such as “Tell me about yourself,” “why do you want to work here” and of course the money question.

• Ask Questions: having some of your own questions ready at the end helps to show your interest in the role so make sure you have some of your own pre-prepared questions ready.

After the Interview

• Write it all down: try to remember everything you said about yourself in the interview. If you get asked back for another interview it will be a handy resource for preparation and also, it will help to ensure continuity in your answers!

The final and most important tips are to be yourself, be confident in your skills and be enthusiastic about the role you are interviewing for.

The final advice we can offer is to reach out us here at Enso Recruitment. We develop careers and we are always happy to help anyone taking the next step in their career. To find out more about how Enso Recruitment can help you, reach out to our team at the following contact details:

Email: info@ensorecruitment.com

Tel: +44 (0)  2890993445