Blitzing job interviews

It pays to think ahead. Doing a bit of research makes you look both intelligent and keen at an interview. It will also help you decide whether or not you want to work for this company.

What you need to know

What does the company do?
Exactly what services or products do they supply?
How many people work there? Will you be a company drone or a big fish in a small pond?
Is the company well known in the area?
Do they have a good or bad reputation?
What is the company's financial position? Are they very profitable or could they be going down the pan?

Where you can find this out

Go to the yearly 'milk round' meetings that big companies set up at the bigger universities. Chat to their representatives.
Read any information the company has already sent to you.
Ask someone you know who works there for the real dirt.
Telephone the company for a copy of their last annual report.
Look in local papers.
Even take a walk past the premises, so you can get some idea of the scale of the company.
You should also prepare questions you can ask at the end of the interview. This shows the interviewer that you have thought about the job. If your research has left you with some questions, don't be scared to ask the interviewers.

Your careers centre can usually help you with most of the above; they often hold files on local and major companies as well as copies of local papers and real experiences there as written by previous students.

What you might want to ask

More details about the job

Where will you be based?
What office or department will you be working for?
Who will you be working with and who will be your boss?
What will the salary be? If it isn't enough to live on, tell them so politely - they might make a better offer.
When will you hear the results of the interview?

Training

What training will be provided?
If there's no training of any kind, how are you going to improve and add to your work skills?
Who pays for the training course and other expenses?

Future prospects

How will the job change over the next couple of years?
What promotion opportunities are there within the company? (This makes you look ambitious, even if you're the biggest slacker in the world).

Now, go iron a clean shirt, shine your shoes, and make sure you set the alarm clock!