HOW TO PREPARE FOR INTERVIEW

1. before your interview, read through all the job details again because the questions at interview will relate to them
2. have a go at trying to predict some of the questions and practice your answers
3. do some research beforehand if there are gaps in your knowledge - especially so that you understand the job, the role of the section and the role of the council
4. think about any questions that you might want to ask at interview and keep a note of them in case you need to refer to them when you are in the interview
5. arrive a few minutes early so that you have time to compose yourself
6. bring a pen and paper and some notes with you if you want to - the interviewers will not mind if you want to write down part of the question or refer briefly to your notes
   
7. all applicants are nervous in interviews, and your interviewers will make allowances for that
8. some people may talk too much, and others may talk too quickly - if you identify how you react when nervous, then you will be able to address it on the day
9. at the start of the interview, one of the interviewers on the panel will explain the interview structure to you - if anything is unclear, please ask
10. the interviewers will take it in turns to ask you questions - listen carefully to them and if necessary, pause for a few seconds to make sure that you understand exactly what you are being asked before you start to answer
11. remember that it will not reflect badly on you if you ask for the question to be repeated or explained
12. if you have difficulty in answering a question, then the interviewers will try to prompt you - for example, they may ask, “would you like to say a bit more about ….”
    
13. don’t assume that the interviewers know everything about you or your work, even if you have written about it on your application form
14. give details and examples of how you meet the person specification and take every opportunity to sell yourself even if this feels rather artificial
15. don’t worry if you get stuck at any point in the interview and can’t think what to say - ask if you can leave the question for the moment, and come back to it later in the interview