It seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel, as tomorrow I have an interview writes James Alexander.

Last week felt quite despairing as it seemed as though I was getting nowhere in my job search.

To be honest, barring this interview, it’s been pretty quiet this week too.

I have a good feeling about this opportunity though – I spoke to the company before submitting my CV and they seemed quite interested in my experience and background.

So now it is all about interview preparation for me.

I’ve made a list of things that I need to do beforehand to give me the best chance possible of getting the job.

The first thing to do is to look at the company’s website, to see who exactly they are and exactly what they do.

I think it’s important for an interviewer to see that you’re interested in working for them and this will show if I can ask questions based on what I’ve researched about the company.

I’m also going to have a good look through their product catalogue – the job is in sales, so I need to show that I’m willing to learn quickly about their line of products, unique selling points and the kind of customers they target.

Sales is a job that is all about knowing your product so that you can ensure your customer gets exactly what they need – it’s not about lying to a customer to get them to buy something they don’t want, it’s about giving them facts so they buy something they do want and will return to buy more.

Finally, I’m going to research their competitors and check out any reviews about the company online.

I think it’s important to know what you’re up against and to be able to ask questions based on this – how the company competes in the marketplace, what their angle is and, more importantly, to see if the company has a bad reputation that may indicate a high turnover of employees.

Stability is a key driver for me and I don’t want to take a job that will only last a few months.

Hopefully, armed with this information, I should be able to make a good impression in the interview to get the job I want.

Photo credit: Alex France on Flickr