The job interview is probably the most important step you will take in your job search journey - it’s your best chance to show the company and hiring manager that you’re the best person for their job. To help you land your next job, we've arranged our job interview tips based on the interview stage you're in.

How to prepare for a job interview

You never get a second chance to make a great first impression during your job interview, so knowing how to prepare for a job interview and having a well-prepared plan is vitally important to increase your chances of landing that dream job.

Interview preparation is the key to success and a well-polished presentation can give you an edge over others whose credentials might just be better than yours.

Read and review the job description

You’ve received a call for that dream job, so how do you prepare for the interview? The first step in the preparation process should be to go back and review the job description. Most job descriptions follow a similar pattern and are usually categorised by the following points:

Job title/Department

Duties and tasks

Skills required

The job title and department will give you an understanding of the major purpose of the position and where the role fits into the organisation, allowing you to discover who your potential line manager could be.

Read and review the job description very thoroughly and be sure to align your competencies with the skills required for the job. You will consequently ready yourself for questions around your previous experiences, performing similar duties in other organisations.

Research the company

Organisations look to hire people with similar values to those of the company culture. Researching the company before an interview will give you an insight into the organisation's future goals and plans and being able to discuss these points will make you seem like a long-term investment to your future employer. The following interview preparation tips will give you a guide as to which aspect of the company should be researched:

Company financials: Check the company website. Doing a Google search can also uncover the current state of the company. Have they gone through a merger? - or have they expanded recently? LinkedIn is also a good source of information.

Culture: Look at LinkedIn and Facebook or check Google reviews for comments by current or former employees.

Executive team: Look through the company website to research the company hierarchy and find out who the executives are.

Competitors: Find out who the company’s main competitors are and look into the websites of organisations in the same industry.