What to Expect from an Interview in 2021

Whether it is your first job, or you have interviewed 10 times before, it can sometimes be hard to know how to prepare for an interview. Take a look at what you should be expecting in your interview in 2021:

Expect to talk about the industry

You should prepare to talk about what is going on in the news, especially if there are specific events within the company or industry you are working in.

If you are interviewing for a large company ensure that you have researched the company just before you go for the interview, this will help you come up with information about them to bring up in the interview.

If they are a smaller business, you could search the industry in general and research key competitors.

In 2021 this information is widely available on Google and LinkedIn, so take advantage of it! The internet can be a great place to get the edge in an interview, so there is no excuse not to use it.

Expect it to be remote

Due to the ongoing pandemic, most employers have taken to interviewing online so you should expect your interview to be remote. To make sure you are fully prepared, take a look at our blog about video interviews.

Expect to do the talking

Your interview is all about you so be ready to do the talking. No matter what type of interview it is, be prepared to give examples of your work experience. Tell the interviewer more about you as a person and what you are looking for in your work culture. You will be asked questions, but you need to prepare to give more than just responses. Take control and make the interview truly about you! This way the interviewer can really get to know you.

Expect to talk about your employment gaps

If you have gaps in your CV, you need to be prepared to talk through these. If you have a few gaps proceed to your interview with a good explanation behind every gap. Whether that be due to childcare or travelling. If you have an explanation that will always be better than no explanation at all. Just be honest!

Expect to describe your work experience

The employer will ask you about your past experiences and work experience, so make sure you have key examples to refer to in your interview. Here you should be relating directly to the job you are interviewing for. If you don’t feel you have these types of examples, think about your transferable skills. For example, if you were asked about teamwork in your interview and you have just finished school, you could refer to an example from that time. Now you know they are coming, prepare these examples way before your interview!

Expect to talk about salary

Whether you are being interviewed through an agency or not, most of the time you will be asked about your salary expectations. You must be prepared for this as this is inevitable. You can ask a recruitment agency or research online on what type of salary you should be paid. There are lots of resources you can use to figure out what you should be asking for.

There is a range of tools out there to help with just that. To do this you could just Google the job you are going for and the salary you should expect. It's as simple as that! There are also so many tools out there on different job boards where you can find out this information.

Expect to ask questions

Always come to an interview prepared with plenty of questions to ask! We always advise bringing 3 or more questions to your interview, just in case any get covered. This will guarantee you don’t have an awkward moment at the end of an interview where you have no questions to ask at all.