Step 1: Do your research
Author: Chantal Haynes- Curley
Before you prepare for your interview you need to research the organisation you will be interviewing for. Start by searching online- you want to know what they do, what they have been doing, and possibly what they will be doing. You should review the company's website and mission statement, look up the persons who will be interviewing you on LinkedIn, search news articles which mention the organisation via google, together with any relevant sources you can think of.
This is a VERY important part of the interview process –interviewers expect you to be curious and have a genuine interest in working for their organisation- your interview is your golden opportunity to demonstrate how you will be a great fit, not just for the role but for the organisation, its values (illustrated in the mission statement) and its culture. You should be able to confidently discuss what you have learned about the organisation, what interests you about the organisation and ask questions around current undertakings, future ventures, career development opportunities and the company culture.
You should be able to summarise how the organisations operations, culture, values, etc align with your career plan, experience, skills, interests and motivations.
If it is a small company or practice with limited online presence you can use social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Don't be afraid to outline that the information you have been able to access has been limited (which they should understand) before dicsussing what you have learnt and following up with some qualitative questions around the organisation, its practice, areas of