Four interview myths dispelled so you can prepare confidently

1. Employers are looking for ANY graduate to do the job

Employers spend a lot of time and money recruiting employees. Recruiters are looking for candidates who have the right skills and strengths and can demonstrate their motivation and passion for the job and the sector.

Firing off job applications without tailoring them to the company and role won't get you very far.

What does this mean for you? 

• Analyse the job description or person specification to understand the skills they are looking for and prepare examples to illustrate you have these skills
• Research the sector and organisation: who are their customers and competitors, what are the company's values, what are the latest developments within the company and sector

2. Employers ONLY want to hear about industry-related or paid work experience 

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions we hear. Employers are not expecting you to have industry-related or even paid work experience.

They are interested about any kind of experiences you have, what you have learned from them and how you can use and apply the skills you have developed.

What does this mean for you?

• Think broadly about your experience, for example work shadowing, volunteering, roles within SU societies, part-time jobs or short courses you many have done to showcase how proactive you have been with regards to your personal and professional development. 

3. Employers DON'T value transferable skills

Through your experiences, you will have developed a set of transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. Employers do value these transferable skills and they are often stated as a key competencies.

Don’t just focus on your knowledge and technical skills, employers are keen to hear about everything else you have to offer and how they relate to the job and organisation. 

What does this mean for you?

• Provide plenty of examples of situations where you have demonstrated your skills from your studies, work experience, positions of personal responsibilities or hobbies. Think about how they apply to what you would be doing in the job as listed on the job description or person specification.

4. Employers are looking for the PERFECT candidate

Let us reassure you, the perfect candidate does not exist! And, employers know that.

You may not tick all the boxes on the job description or person specification but you've still been invited to an interview. The interviewers are looking for someone with the right mindset, who has potential and is genuinely interested in the job and the organisation. 

What does this mean for you?

• As long as you can share your experience and demonstrate how it relates to the job and organisation, you will impress them.  

The idea of the interview was so daunting, and I found myself panicking so much about it, but in the end, it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

This was because I was prepared.