Preparing for your interview with us.

There’s no perfect interview scenario, and every interviewer will have different requirements for what they’re looking for, capabilities and skills aside. Here is a checklist of things to remember when going into an interview:

1. Prepare

Research the company, the role, the history, and the leadership team. You can use websites like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Seek, and Indeed to research your potential employer.

Review the organisation’s website and social media channels to familiarise yourself with what they do. Go beyond merely reading the company overview—familiarise yourself with its organisation initiatives, board reports, news articles, and any other information relevant to the role you are applying for.

Ask your Luminary consultant for advice on anything specific you should know and understand in advance. You can also use LinkedIn to research your interviewer and potential team.

Know your resume. You will likely be asked questions based on it, so if you’ve got wins and career highlights, make sure you know the numbers correctly. You don’t want to be caught off-guard without knowing your career experience and history.

Prepare yourself for the obvious questions: “Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in this role? Why do you want to work for this organisation?”

2. Be curious. Ask questions

Be genuinely curious about the role and the organisation. Ask questions that will clarify the position, leadership, culture, structure, and environment where you will work. You will demonstrate your interest and be an active and curious interviewee by asking questions. Here are some starting questions to consider:

• How would you describe the characteristics of someone who would succeed in this role?

• If I were in this position, how would my performance be measured? How often?

• What are some of the challenges someone in this role would face?

• Based on what has been discussed today, do you have any immediate concerns about my capability or competence?

It’s the adage, “You’re interviewing them as well”.

3. Prepare for behavioural-based questions. 

This common interview technique assesses your capabilities based on your past behaviour. Think about questions the interviewer might ask about your prior work experience and prepare examples you can provide them with before the interview. When answering these questions, we recommend following the STAR format:

S – Situation: Describe a specific situation. Don’t be general here or talk about several situations; stick to the one.

T – Task: What was your role?

A – Action: What did you do?

R – Result: What was the outcome?

4. Be yourself

Be yourself as much as you can be. Interviews may present a stressful situation; however, you need to present a consistent image that is true to the person you will be when doing the role. Always be truthful about your skills and experience, including any areas for development  – the last thing you need is to land a role you are not well suited for.

Most importantly, show your personality and how your values align with the organisation.

Remember, prospective employers are looking for value alignment and cultural fit as much as they’re looking for capability and skills. We strive for BESTfit in our hiring practices.

5. Be on time, in fact – get there early

Plan your schedule to be 10 to 15 minutes early—unexpected situations can happen, so allow more travel time to avoid getting stressed right before your interview. It is also worth noting that arriving too early can inconvenience the person you’re meeting with, so arrive ready for the interview 5 to 10 minutes prior, including navigating signing in and clearing reception or security.

Whatever you do, please don’t be late! You'll be flustered and distracted even if you arrive just on time but have been rushing.

You want to put your best foot forward, so being late is a big red flag for hiring managers.

6. Follow-up

Speak to your consultant about the best time to follow up after the interview.

Sending a follow-up email is a good way to reconfirm your interest. The follow-up should typically focus on thanking the person for their time and asking if there’s anything else you need to do to advance in the process.

Your Luminary consultant can advise you on the best way to approach this.

Our team are on hand to support you at every stage of the process. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or changes to your circumstances. We are here to help you achieve your career goals.