Interview Preperation | Microsoft SharePoint Jobs

The job market today is probably the most competitive for decades and it is critical that you do as much preparation as possible before entering into an interview, particularly as you may be up against people who have more relevant work experience than yourself. At Elliott Browne we genuinely believe that if you fail to prepare you prepare to fail and below are a few guidelines that may help.

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression! - What you wear to the interview will have an impact.  Play it safe and wear conservative colours, black or dark blue suits will not offend anyone.  Wear a white shirt, black socks and polished black shoes and try not to be too creative with your ties!

• Time keeping - Make sure you arrive 10-15 minutes before the meeting, don’t be too early or arrive at the last second.  Plan the route and give yourself plenty of time. There are always going to be times when you have planned and something out of your control happens meaning you are going to be late. Don’t panic, simply call us or the company (in plenty of time) and explain the situation, as long as it is genuine the company will understand.  
• Sell yourself - An interview is a sales meeting and as such, it is sell not tell. The interviewer only has limited time and is likely to be seeing a number of other candidates, so let the interviewer know why you should be the person to get the job!
• Brag file – If you have any evidence that back up your achievement it is always worth bringing them to the interview, if you got an award for the top salesman or most improved employee bring that along as it will all help.
• Research the business in detail – Read through their website, case studies, annual report and any trade brochures you can locate.  If possible talk to customers of the business to understand what their opinion is, this proves that you have done the research and have a genuine interest in their company.  
• Match your experience to their requirements - Ensure that you have as much information about the role itself. Wherever possible ask for a role & person specification. Analyse the person specification and identify your strengths and match that up with what the companies are looking for.  Interviewers like to have factual information so try and demonstrate with evidence where your strengths lie and how this will be transferable to their company.  
• Prepare for objections – It is rare that you are going to have an interview without any objections so make sure your prepared, if you are coming from a different industry sector make sure that you research the new sector thoroughly and demonstrate where you have had success in similar situations in the past.
• Know your own CV!  Many interviewers start by asking you to run through your CV.  You shouldn’t have to refer to it constantly.  Plan what you will say beforehand, think about each role you have had, what your responsibilities were and most importantly what you achieved in the role.
• Make the interview 2-way – the opportunity has to be right for you and the company so do not be afraid to ask relevant questions to make sure that at the end of the process you have all the information to make an informed decision. Try to avoid asking how many holidays you get or how many paid sick days you get!
• Close the meeting - It is imperative, particularly when pursuing a sales opportunity to end the meeting with a close. For example: what is the next stage from here? What reservations about me if any do you have?

Remember we are here to help: If there are any questions regarding the company, interview process, hiring managers or anything else you can think of,  please ask your consultant, we are here to help and we will do everything in our power to help you secure the job of you really want.