Interviews can be a daunting experience, but if you know what to expect and have prepared appropriately you are best-placed to shine...

Preparation

Sitting in the hot seat can be an uncomfortable experience. The way to survive and succeed is through preparation.

Some sort of job description will probably have been provided by the recruiter when you first contacted them, electronically or otherwise. This is the basis for thinking about the role, and you should come up with examples of when you have demonstrated the required skills. A second essential document is your completed application form or CV, which has persuaded the recruiter so far. These two documents will help you to consider two points that are likely to figure prominently at interview, namely your qualifications for the post and your reasons for wanting it.

You should also devote some time to researching the employer. Knowledge of a company, going beyond what is on its website, will be taken as an indication of enthusiasm to work there.

Practising is always useful, if necessary to the bathroom mirror but preferably by trying at length to convince a friend of your suitability for the post.

For most interviews the last piece of homework will be devising a question to ask the interviewer. It is also necessary carefully to check travel details for the occasion. It would be a shame to be word perfect but an hour late.

Style guide

Interviews can take many different formats, depending on the company and the type of job being applied for.

They may be conducted on a one-to-one basis, or by a panel. (In the latter case, care should be taken to address your answers to every member of the group, even if one person is not asking any questions.)

Traditionally, an interview would be a discussion of a candidate's CV, in chronological order. Alternatively it may focus on finding evidence of particular competencies or, for some technical positions, the interviewers may also set hypothetical problems to see if you can apply your knowledge in a practical context.

In managerial positions, a case study or in-tray exercise may be set to test business skills, problem-solving and time management. In an in-tray exercise the candidate's ability to prioritise and their awareness of business goals are tested. Logical thinking is also sought, so working the solution through aloud will help the recruiter to understand your approach.

Some interviews include a technical or psychometric test, but you would normally be warned in advance about this.

Presentations are an increasingly common requirement - companies who are specifically looking for strong communication and presentation skills will send you the material to prepare in advance. Others will set a topic, usually relevant to their business, for you research. The talk will not normally be longer than a few minutes, and you are not expected to be a world-class orator - speaking slowly and clearly and keeping visuals and hand-outs brief and relevant will show that you are a personable individual who will represent the company well.

Question time

Sadly, there is no way of knowing what questions are going to come up - one of the central functions of an interview is to see if you can back up that carefully-prepared application form or covering letter, and the element of surprise is key.

This is not to say, however, that it's impossible to prepare for an interview. While you can't pre-prepare answers for the full range of questions that could conceivably arise, thinking about why you want to work for the organisation is a better bet than wondering what animal/alcoholic drink you are most similar to, for example.

General enquiries about your career aspirations are to be expected - why do you want to be in this particular career (you could use your answer to this question to highlight relevant work experience or extracurricular activities from your university days, e.g. 'From doing x I found I enjoyed y').

Interviews for careers which are relevant to your degree might contain questions about particular course modules or projects. If you graduated some time ago the interviewer may want to know how you are keeping up-to-date with developments in the sector or industry, so they may ask you directly how you are doing this (perhaps through professional journals, contacts) or put you on the spot with a question about a specific current issue. 'What do you think are the main challenges facing this industry at the moment?' would be a tough, but not uncommon, question.

Some employers will ask application form-style questions, looking for skills like team-working, problem-solving, lateral thinking and so on. Questions about a candidate's strengths and weaknesses are common, but tough to answer. While it's best to be honest, it's possible to selectively edit your response according to the qualities the employer's ad has said they are looking for. Similarly, listing 'problem with authority' would be a bad idea; it's best to talk about a weakness you have taken steps to resolve.

When it goes wrong

Whatever the result, most interviews proceed as they should; but others are already going off course when the candidate arrives. Weak handshakes, lateness, wrong dress and lack of eye contact were among reasons given for rejecting candidates, in a survey of employers by law firm Peninsula.

Some blunders arise from desperation about the result of the interview. After making in-depth preparations, it can be unsettling to feel the opportunity slipping away. To keep developments in proportion it is worth remembering that interviews are an opportunity to assess the suitability of employers as well as the opposite.