Craft Focus - December 2020/January 2021 (Issue 82)

97 BUSINESS Tips for interviewing While I’ve never really had that many interviews throughout my life, I’ve certainly overseen a few. There’s no question that interviews are daunting, but everyone can do a bit of preparation to make sure that you can leave a great impression. My first tip is to research the company you’re hoping to work for. This might sound obvious but the more you know about the business, the work it does and its position in the market, the more impressed your employer will be. Put simply, it shows that you’ve done your homework. To get a good idea of how the business is perceived by others, take a look at a number of press articles, look at their social media platforms to get a sense of their tone of voice and customer interaction and try to talk to some of their clients to get a better idea of what they are like to work with. Regardless of what job your interviewing for, take some examples of your work. It shows initiative, confidence in what you’re able to do and a sense of pride in what you’ve previously achieved. Having a portfolio of work, in addition to a few copies of your CV, will also give you something to refer back to and talk about in the interview. Another tip is to have a ‘tell me about yourself’ answer prepared. Lots of companies start an interview with this seemingly straight forward question but what they’re really after is a deeper sense of your achievements, your current role and why you have applied for the job in the first place. Therefore, you need prepare something that fits the bill. What you’re currently doing, what your responsibilities are, a recent highlight followed by a bit more of a delve into your background. For example, why you accepted an interview, how your experience so far will help you in this role, and where you see your career going in the future. An interview provides the perfect opportunity to convince a company that you are the perfect for the job. Therefore, you need to know your worth and be prepared to sell yourself. The company is looking for a candidate to fulfil the job description so use these requirements to demonstrate how you would be perfect for the position. Interviewers almost always ask for what you might consider to be your weakness. Highlight something that you might not have for this role but then defend it with what you can bring to the table instead. Alternatively, you can highlight an area where you’re not as strong and show what steps you are taking to improve. It’s inevitable that you’ll be asked if you have any questions as your interviewer wraps up your meeting. You should always have something prepared because a simple no suggests that you’ve heard everything you need to know, and you’re not interested in finding out anything else. Prepare some interesting questions that make you appear invested, such as what it’s like to work there, what the opportunities are for progression and what challenges the business currently faces. One last tip I have for interview planning is to practice, practice, practice. It’s no question that interviews are stressful but the more preparation you put in, the more at ease you’ll feel. Finally, getting a gauge of someone’s personality and demeanor is a good indicator how they would fit into the business so be friendly, polite and most importantly, be yourself! Having listened to many budding entrepreneurs’ business pitches on television programme Dragon’s Den , Sara Davies has experience on what characteristics make a good business partner and what an employer may be looking for in an employee. Here’s what she has to say… Sara Davies MBE is founder of Crafter’s Companion