Why is it so important to prep for your interview?

At present the market for tax professionals is extremely buoyant and candidates are in great demand which is good news – but don’t let that lull you into thinking the fundamentals of how to come across well at interview are less important.

Client’s generally like to provide positive feedback after an interview, but every now and then the message is very different for example, “we thought the candidate was rude and arrogant” – the reason being that the candidate clearly had not taken the time to do any research at all before their interview. Surely no one wants to give such an impression to a fellow professional they have just met, and for that reason alone, some research is surely worthwhile.

In fact, there are many important reasons to do your research. By investing some time reviewing a company’s website, its social media output and news items before your interview you will get a great feel for its culture, values, views on inclusivity and whether these align with your own views and interests. The website will also often tell you a lot about important staff and career matters, for example what sort of skills and experience they look for in their employees and how they support and develop their people.

Equally importantly, learning more about the company’s client base, services and particular areas of expertise will not only give you good background information but will almost inevitably make you think of some questions where you  would like to dig deeper at interview.

If you know the names of your interviewer(s) and can find information about them, perhaps via LinkedIn, that is also useful as it ,may tell you about their career path to date and may reveal areas of common interest which may help to establish rapport at the interview.

Most importantly if you have done your research, you will come across as keen, professional, and interested in the company / job opportunity. All key requirements in most candidates.