So you’ve handed over your CV and covering letter and received the phone call requesting you to attend an interview – good work, but the most important stage is still to come. For most people interviews can be a nerve racking experience. Firstly, you’ve normally got to explain your career ambitions and ‘why you want this job’ to one or more people that you’ve never met before. Secondly the interview process is the real make or break stage in you taking another step in your career. You can have a glowing C.V and fantastic references, but if you come across badly in the interview then that could well be end of that.

Here are a few important interview tips:

Preparation is key: Even if you have a wealth of experience in your given field, then it’s important to know at least something about the company you will be working for. Having experience may well make you confident if its relevant to a particular role, but you might find yourself in trouble if you do no preparation and the interviewer asks something like, ‘What skills would you bring to this specific role?’ The best answers would revolve around the skills you would bring and how they would fit into to the prospective company, not just generalised answers about your skills. It shows that you’ve done proper research and illustrates an acute interest in the role offered.

Impressions really matter: This is a really obvious one for most people, but it has to be said. Arrive on time, not early or late. If you do get there to the place of interview early then take a walk around the block or go to a cafe for a while. If you’re in the worst case scenario of running late, then make sure you phone the company to tell them. The interview is nearly always a formal process, so dress appropriately in a suit or something smart.

Be positive: There’s nothing like a bit of enthusiasm to wet an employer’s appetite. Being positive about what you enjoy about your current role and how you can potentially use skills in a new role is a dead cert to impress. It’s okay to explain the reasons why you want to leave your current company (otherwise why would you be at an interview in the first place?) but avoid criticising them. Your interviewers may construe such comments to be overly negative, which is often a stumbling block for candidates. Worst of all, it can make you sound arrogant.

If you’re just starting your job search or you’re just looking for an excellent online resource, then check out Fish4Jobs.co.uk. This website has over 38,000 jobs online to search, and provides further advice on how to take the next step in your career, as does Reed.co.uk, another online job searching website that can put keep you in touch with the latest jobs across the UK.