5 Things To Take With You To A Job Interview

5 Things To Take With You To A Job Interview Facebook2TweetLinkedInPinEmailShares2 When it comes to job interviews, theres always a lot to remember. From your perfect rehearsed answers for some of the most common interview questions to knowledge of the company youre interviewing for, youve got  lots of important things swirling around in your head on your way to the interview but on top of all that, did you know theres also some physical things you need to remember to pick up and take with you too? No? Its a good job youve found this blog then! Below youll find a list of the top five things you need to remember to take with you to any interview, regardless of which industry you work in or which company youre interviewing for. 1. A Few Copies Of Your CV: OK, so the interviewer should have already had a look at your CV before they asked you for interview but its still a good idea to bring a few copies (two/three) with you to the interview. Why? 1. It shows youre prepared. 2. The interviewer might not have had chance to print your CV off yet. 3. Youll have your CV to hand which can be handy if the interviewer starts to grill you about your CV and you dont know it inside out yet. 2. Your Notebook: Remember when I mentioned you had to lots to remember mentally when it comes to a job interview? Well you do but theres no harm in having your notebook with you as a backup.  While you should be able to come up with great answers to the simpler questions on the spot, with some of more complex questions (eg. questions about specific projects), theres a lot of detail to remember. Be sure to make a note of these details in your notebook and have it with you at the interview. This way you can refer back to your notebook if you cant quite remember the exact details. Trust me an employer will be more impressed with you referring to your notes than you saying you cant remember and adding awkward silences to the interview. 3. Your List Of Questions For The Interviewer: Regardless of the company youre interviewing for, its always a good idea too go armed with a number of questions for the interviewer. These could relate to how the company works, what their plans are for the future, what their training structure is for their employees or even what specific challenges are involved with the role youre applying for. Its always a good idea to make a note of these in your notebook (which based on the last point youll already have with you!) because this is normally the last section of the interview so theres a chance that 4. Copies Of Your Work/Portfolio: In 99% of job interviews youll be quizzed about what jobs youve had and what projects youve worked on in the past so rather than just citing examples, it can be practical to bring examples with you which can help to illustrate your point. For example, if youre interviewing for a UX design position, you could bring examples of the original designs, your wireframes and the new designs. Or if youre interviewing for a Copywriting job, you could bring in some examples of different types of copy youve created in the past for various clients. When trying to decide what pieces of work to take with you, put yourself in the employers shoes and consider which pieces of work are most relevant to the role and would paint you as the best, most qualified candidate for the role. 5. An Annotated Copy Of The Job Description: Taking an annotated copy of the job description which includes notes on how you fit the person criteria can be really useful particularly if youre the type of person who panics and tends to forget things in a stressful situation. Obviously if you dont need to use this, dont but it can act as a nice security blanket just in case. Similarly, if you have it with you, you can always have a good read over it on the way to/just before your interview this should help to remind you that youre a good fit for this role, which in turn should help you to feel more confident when walking into the interview.