How to prepare for an interview at Wincanton

First things first, you need to know what to prepare for.

Aside from giving you an insight into the role and organisation, good interview preparation will also give you some all-important confidence.

But what specific preparation should you carry out? Here are a few key things to cover:

1. Research the company
2. Look up your role
3. Find the address (if in person)
4. Decide on what you will be wearing
5. Think of some potential questions your interviewer might ask
6. Prepare some potential questions you could ask at the end of the interview

Interviewers expect candidates to have an understanding of what their organisation does – meaning your ability to research effectively is essential.

Consider aspects like for example how big the company is, how it’s divided up, who their customers are, and who their main competitors are – as well as any recent developments or plans within the company.

With this knowledge, you’ll be able to add value to the conversation, whilst showing a genuine interest in what they do.

When it comes to interview preparation, the job description is a key source of information.

Not only will a thorough examination of the duties and required personal qualities help you to understand more about what the role involves – it’ll also help you to recognise exactly what the employer is looking for.

Then, you can prepare by coming up with examples for potential questions this will demonstrate you’re the best candidate for the role.

Interviews can take a number of forms – from one-on-one and group interviews, to position-specific tests, role plays, and psychometric questionnaires. And each one will require a different type of preparation.

Often, this will be explained when you’re invited to the interview, but there’s no harm in asking for more information if needed. Researching online to find out how the process has worked for other people in your situation will also help you to figure out what to expect.

Finding out who your interviewer(s) will be and researching their roles within the organisation will additionally help to reduce surprises on the big day. You can look these up on the company website or try finding them on LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, you can’t predict every interview question that’ll come up.

So instead of relying solely on memorised answers, prepare an additional list of your most relevant skills, attributes, and work experience. Each question you address will be an opportunity to provide some of this information to the interviewer.

That way, you can get be sure you’ll get your most suitable qualities across – even if the specific questions you were hoping for don’t come up.

Although you should have the bulk of your preparation done by now – that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to organise the day before.

Here are a few things to do:

• Pick what you’re going to wear and try it on
• Find a map of the location or check that you know where to go for the interview (if in person)
• Do a trial run to check the journey time (if in person)
• If virtual, check you can access the platform being used e.g. Teams, Zoom, and make sure you have a strong internet connection, and your video and microphone work ahead of the interview
• Put important information into a folder (e.g. your CV, portfolio, certificates, or any other examples of your work and/or qualifications)
• Read and review the research you’ve done

Sorting out all of the above in advance will mean less stress on the day of the interview.

You’ll be sure your outfit fits, you’ll know exactly where you’re going, and with all of your important documents to hand – the interviewer will be able to see you’re prepared.

Even if you don’t end up needing examples of your work – they could turn out to be a great way to demonstrate a point or answer a question.

By now, you should feel prepared.

All that’s left to do is get there on time and put your preparation to good use.

Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time (or at least 5 minutes before for virtual) – and if you’re going to be late for any reason, make sure you inform the interviewer as early as possible.

If you’re still feeling nervous – don’t panic.  Remember to relax, breathe and take your time and think of the interview as a conversation, not an interrogation and remember that your interviewers are actually human!

The main thing to remember about keeping calm during an interview is: don’t stress about being stressed, or you’ll just get more stressed.

As long as you’ve done enough interview preparation beforehand, and you follow these simple tips on the day, your irrational interview fears will be a thing of the past.

Good luck!