Tips and Advice For Interview

Hi I have an Interview coming up for a Graduate Role. How do I plan and prepare effectively. Whilst utilising my time well. Any tips and advice please? So far I’ve looked into basic questions and answers around the role, I plan to do research on the organisation but do research getting understanding on the specific software the company would require me to use within the job so I not only familiarise myself but it gives an understanding and I can be able to see whether I have a real day example of the use of the software or not. So any tips and advice please on how I can prepare for this interview and how I can overcome nerves including stuttering.

Hey,
Preparing for any interview can feel overwhelming, but you’re already on the right track by researching the role, organisation, and relevant software. These are the couple of things that I feel really help me when I prepare for an interview:
Understand the Role: Beyond the basic questions, review the job description thoroughly. Highlight the key skills and competencies they’re seeking and think of specific examples from your academic, work, or extracurricular experiences that demonstrate these skills. Use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers clearly.
Research the Organisation: Get familiar with the company’s mission, values, projects, and recent news. Be prepared to answer why you want to work there and how your goals align with theirs.
Practice Software Knowledge: Try to gain experience with specific software they mentioned on the job description. You can check for free trials, tutorials, or YouTube walkthroughs. Even a basic understanding can demonstrate your initiative and willingness to learn.
Mock Interviews: Practice answering questions with a friend, family member, or your university’s career service. If you have access to a Careers team like we do at Salford, they might offer mock interviews. Practising out loud helps reduce nerves and builds confidence.
Overcome Nerves and Stuttering: It’s natural to feel nervous, but deep breathing exercises before the interview can help calm you down. Practice pausing before answering questions to give yourself time to think. Remember, it’s okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts, it shows you’re thoughtful. You do not need to rush to answer.
Prepare Questions to Ask Them: Think of thoughtful questions to ask at the end of the interview. For example, you could ask about team culture, growth opportunities, or how success is measured in the role.
Lastly, remember to be kind to yourself! It’s okay to feel nervous, it shows you care about the opportunity. Go in prepared, stay authentic, and focus on presenting the best version of yourself.
Good luck, you’ve got this! 😊
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative

Make a good first impression. Have your outdoor coat off and mobile switched off so you are ready as soon as you are called for interview. Shake hands, if practical. Make sure your belongings are placed neatly if you have to have them by your chair.
Don't rush into answering a question; give yourself a couple of seconds thinking time. If you don't know, say so. Look for any opportunity to show off a bit, but keep it relevant. Have some questions to ask at the end, but not about salary and not on a topic that you can easily find.

Hey,
Preparing for any interview can feel overwhelming, but you’re already on the right track by researching the role, organisation, and relevant software. These are the couple of things that I feel really help me when I prepare for an interview:
Understand the Role: Beyond the basic questions, review the job description thoroughly. Highlight the key skills and competencies they’re seeking and think of specific examples from your academic, work, or extracurricular experiences that demonstrate these skills. Use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers clearly.
Research the Organisation: Get familiar with the company’s mission, values, projects, and recent news. Be prepared to answer why you want to work there and how your goals align with theirs.
Practice Software Knowledge: Try to gain experience with specific software they mentioned on the job description. You can check for free trials, tutorials, or YouTube walkthroughs. Even a basic understanding can demonstrate your initiative and willingness to learn.
Mock Interviews: Practice answering questions with a friend, family member, or your university’s career service. If you have access to a Careers team like we do at Salford, they might offer mock interviews. Practising out loud helps reduce nerves and builds confidence.
Overcome Nerves and Stuttering: It’s natural to feel nervous, but deep breathing exercises before the interview can help calm you down. Practice pausing before answering questions to give yourself time to think. Remember, it’s okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts, it shows you’re thoughtful. You do not need to rush to answer.
Prepare Questions to Ask Them: Think of thoughtful questions to ask at the end of the interview. For example, you could ask about team culture, growth opportunities, or how success is measured in the role.
Lastly, remember to be kind to yourself! It’s okay to feel nervous, it shows you care about the opportunity. Go in prepared, stay authentic, and focus on presenting the best version of yourself.
Good luck, you’ve got this! 😊
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative

Thank you. It’s Microsoft Teams. If saying don’t know does that leave a mixed impression or…

What do you think comes over better; I don't know - though maybe you could suggest something that sounds reasonable - or waffling about absolutely nothing?
I've worked in recruitment and I know which I prefer...

In respect to that I will be onboard with your advice although do you reckon the basic questions covered with a couple of situation based examples of the person they are looking for; excellent communicator, team player, can do attitude and ability to work on your own alongside research of the company is good preparation and my method of practice is just reciting out loud. Trying to see what I can remember in points not exact word for word but whatever easy and memorable.

A good interviewer will always ask for examples, eg "Tell me about a time when you...", and be prepared for dealing with a difficult situation and not what just shows off your best personal points.
Practice in front of someone or film yourself and watch it back objectively; it's good knowing answers, but not if they are robotic, with no expression, no eye contact and not even a smile or bit of humour in there.

"if I let’s say got asked a question where I got asked for the same skill/attribute whilst still giving an example to that question is that okay?"
Sorry, I don't understand what you are asking here.

So let’s say it’s something along the line of a difficult situation let’s say I used a difficult customer as an example is that fine to use?

Depends on what they're asking. You have to understand the context of the question and answer it accordingly, to show if they want to know about your interpersonal skills (customer) or how you work on your own and show initiative (eg time-keeping, prioritising).

So it wouldn’t be wise to let’s say if the question was tell me about a time when you were in a difficult situation is it better to be broad or specific?

That shouldn't be a question as it's too broad. Don't overthink at this stage; get the rest of your prep done and see what happens on the day. Best of luck!

Yeah you’re right. Thank you so much. I’m just practicing aloud and taking recordings of myself if you don’t mind me asking how does that method help? And I’ve prepped for Telling me about myself, Why I want to work in Desktop Support, How I would Handle Multiple People with High Priority Problems and will most likely draft the Why do you want to work for us answer with 2 examples One of Teamwork, Difficult Time/Situation to rehearse and prepare. And just some brief research on the company and some of the software used and how it works and whether I have an everyday use example to it.

If you position the camera opposite you, where an interviewer would sit, and be objective when watching the video back, you can see your body language, eye contact, listen for hesitation or being monotone. It's better if someone can act as an interviewer as they can throw in additional questions based on what you've said. You are preparing answers based on your questions and saying them; it needs some realism to be a practice interview, which is what you probably need.

Let’s say I have no answers to additional questions they throw in then?