Although a personality and skills match is essential, dont forget preparation before the interview can be make or break.
Practical things
Know where you are going, who you are seeing and what time
Talk to your specialist consultant
Ask lots of questions about the brief, the company and who you are seeing
What are the core skills required?
Is it a new position, if so why?
Are you taking over from someone else, if so why did they leave?
What clients do they have?
What is the company culture like?
Who are their competitors?
Do the consultant know anything about the person who will be interviewing you?
What benefits do they offer eg training, health, pensions?
What do they think the long term career prospects are like?
Talk to people you know and respect
What is their overall view on the company, what have they heard?
Why do they think that you might be good for the job?
Do they think the company and/or job will help you meet your long term career goals?
Test yourself
You may know your CV back to front but the interviewer doesnt. What skills or experience do you have that matches the client's expectations? Think of examples and run through on a step by step basis the projects you have worked on
Questions
Write some down before you go into the interview. Be prepared for questions such as:
What is it about the company that attracts you?
Why do you think you would be suitable for the job?
What have you got to offer them?
What are your short/long term career objectives?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What has been your most challenging experience to date? This could be career or otherwise
What do you see as your biggest achievement?
Tell me about a problem you may have had in the past and how you overcame it?
How would you and your friends describe you?
Practise your interview
Think of the bigger picture
What do you think the current market trends are and what do you think might happen in the future?
What do you think is a really good insight and why? This could be something you have worked on or something you have come across
What brands do you like and why? Understanding brands shows an ability to think laterally and understand consumers