Have you taken time out of your career to raise a family? Are you now ready to enter the labor market again? Starting to apply for jobs and worried about the job interview?

Getting back into work can be a scary and exciting prospect for women who have been busy raining a family. For many the idea of facing the job interview can be very intimidating.

But there is no need to feel worried if you are well prepared, know what to expect and practice in advance, you will feel more comfortable and be much more likely to succeed.

Job Interview Tips To Help You Get The Job

In this article I describe some simple steps and I provide guidance to help you prepare for the job interview.

Firstly read the Job Description in detail. Get a copy of the Person Specification and find out as much as you can about the interview format. This will help you get a good idea of what’s required and you can then match your skills and experience accordingly.

Another great job interview tip is to spend time listing the interview questions that may be asked. Don’t forget to include Competency Based and Behavioural questions as they are now used very commonly in large and small organisations. Compile a list of questions that you may want to ask perhaps about the job or about the employer.

Conduct a search of the employer online to see what they do, what their culture, plans and philosophy is and what their recent success have been. This will help you answer questions about the organisation and show how keen you are to work there.

Top Interview Tip: What To Prepare For:

All job interview questions relating to family, children or your personal life and are illegal however be ready for questions asking about your career break.

You may be asked interview questions which examine your reasons for taking a break. Turn these into something affirmative and sell yourself to say how fortunate you were to be able to learn a new set of skills while also having the opportunity to spend time with your children. Talk through these new skills and show how these will be useful to your future employer.

During the interview, give examples that demonstrate your ability to acquire and perfect new skills and complete new tasks. Remember too that raising a family requires a unique set of competencies such as an ability to cope under pressure, to plan and organise and to make quick and effective decision, all of which are essential in any role.

Be prepared to demonstrate any measures you have taken to keep your skills up to date such as training or study. This can be a potential worry for a new employer who may not have the budget for a significant training. Perhaps you have been able to improve your computer skills for example or are in the process of improving a particular skill which is essential for the job. This shows keenness and an ability to develop yourself independently.

Finally, an important interview tip for those returning to work is to raise the subject of child minding arrangements. The employer will almost certainly be interested in the actions you have taken in this regard and will want to make sure that you will not be distracted in any way from the job. This will show that you have taken the initiative and are ready to get back into the work place.

Author Bio: Annette Lewis is an accredited interviewer, job coach and career consultant. She provides free advice for job interview candidates at www.blueskyinterviews.co.uk and was involved in developing the highly successful online interview skills training system InterviewGold

Category: Career
Keywords: interview tips, job interview tips