Unless you are completely exceptional, there is no graduate job out there that will not involve some sort of assessment that goes beyond the application form. This can take the form of a classical interview - usually in an office environment where you face questions from one or more interviewers. Alternatively, more companies are turning to the assessment centre as their selection strategy. These methods often test your core competencies and can involve a number of case studies and group exercises.

Preparation Below is some advice on how best to prepare in the days and hours running up to your interview. Know your company. Apart from the obvious (finding out where you're going to be interviewed, arranging how to get there in ample time), try and find out who is going to be assessing you and/or what the assessment will be on. The company who you have applied to will generally provide you with some information in advance, but this tends to be a little vague so it is worth taking the time to do your research. If you have any names, try doing an internet search - particularly useful for research/academic institutions where you can often find out what your interviewers research interests are.

If your assessment involves any sort of aptitude test, these too can be looked up on the internet. There is plethora of resources on the web, although some do incur a charge. If you are at a university with a good general library/catalogue library, it is worth checking to see if there are samples of the tests available. Your careers service will often stock sample tests as well.

Make sure your dress is appropriate for the position you're applying to - generally wearing a suit is the best idea though for some creative companies, this is no longer expected. In any event looking smart and tidy is the order of the day.

Men should avoid: short sleeved shirts, gimmicky socks, excessive aftershave/deodorant, radical hair styles and alternative dress.

Women should avoid: short skirts, excessive make-up/perfume, inappropriate jewellery, radical hair styles, alternative dress.

If you have submitted your CV then make sure you read over it and become familiar with everything you have written on it. Most people tweak their CVs to make them slightly more tailored to the job they are applying for. If you have made any changes/additions - make sure you are aware of them!

If you did not need to write a CV, and have not got one, a good way to prepare would be to make notes on all the academic/social/work experiences you have had. You'd be hard pressed to find an interviewer who would not question you on these areas!

Ask yourself a few questions in your preparation - why do you want this job, why should you be selected, what have you gained from your studies etc. Try and fit these answers to possible questions you might be asked.

Make sure you have a few examples to back up any important characteristics you feel the job requires. It is quite common to be asked, for example, 'do you work well under pressure?'. Such a question demands not just a 'yes' in response, but also an example. Here you could talk about how you have juggled course work and exam deadlines, organised an event etc.

Other key skills that you should think of examples for include communication, time management, problem solving, creativity, self-motivation, ability to work in a team, ability to work alone, using initiative, leadership.

Commercial Awareness

Whatever the business of your prospective employer, it is important to be familiar with their industry so that you are comfortable with discussing this in interview. Some business terms are rather clumsy, so make yourself comfortable with saying them.

Be aware of current affairs - read a few newspapers and if your employer has been in the news recently, for whatever reason, make sure you know about it. Most firms and companies have a "recent press releases" section on their website which is an easy way of finding this out.

The Interview Don't Panic! Absolutely everyone has nerves before an interview or some level of self-doubt. Unless specifically stated, you are not likely to be in direct competition with the people having interviews on the same day as you. Take comfort in the fact that the company invited you to be there, and they would love nothing better than for you to do amazingly well - they'd have a fantastic prospective employee on their hands!

Even if you are nervous, don't forget to introduce yourself, smile and shake the interviewer's hand.

Body Language

Generally, looking calm and confident is the best way to act. Don't worry if you think you are coming across as being nervous and unconfident - you're probably coming across much better than you think and some anxiety is inevitable.

The two things that people get overly worked up about are eye contact and the handshake. Shake your friends hand and see what they think and follow their advice on how your grip should change, if at all. Start the interview with a lot of eye contact and then as you and the interviewer become more comfortable, reduce your eye contact slightly to reflect this.

Their Questions to you

Predicting questions and preparing answers can work both ways. Preparation does reduce the risk of you freezing up and blabbering out a silly answer. Over preparation will make you sound like a parrot with no spontaneity or flare - this will not impress at all!

It certainly does not hurt to have a look at some of the questions you are likely to be asked. It's even better to think of the questions you fear you might be asked, and then come up with examples from your life/experience that will provide for a great answer - don't just concentrate on the questions you know you can answer!

If you are completely stuck for what to say, a good technique is to stall answering the questions by asking for clarification. This can often result in the parameters of the question changing slightly - if you get really lucky the worst bit of the question might be lost in the clarification!

Your Questions to them

Towards the end of the interview you will invariably be asked if you have any questions. There is some disagreement on whether or not to ask questions to your employer. Some people believe that asking questions makes the candidate look ill- prepared, others believe that unless a candidate asks a number of questions they are portrayed as lacking enthusiasm or interest for their job/role.

We believe that the best advice is to ask questions but ensure they cannot be answered in any information source readily available and that the questions are sensible. Stay away from questions regarding salary - if it isn't published then chances are it is in someway negotiable, but only after you have an offer!

Even if you do not feel that the interview has gone well, or have developed a dislike of the interviewer, make sure you end it on a positive note as this may well be there lasting impression of you. For example, 'It was nice to meet you', 'I look forward to hearing from you' or 'Thank you for your time', a smile, and a handshake is a good way to go.

After the Interview Avoid chasing up the result unless you have been waiting for a very long time, or the time/date when you were told you would be informed has passed. It is sometimes a nice gesture to email your interviewer expressing how you enjoyed meeting them and finding out about the company. Only do this if you feel comfortable with it, but in the reverse, you'd probably enjoy receiving such a complimentary email.

Getting an offer If this is your dream job, then getting a call with an offer is bound to be pretty exciting. Try to retain some calm, however, as important specifics regarding your offer may well be provided in this conversation that you won't receive in written confirmation for a few days or even weeks! Accepting: You will be given a little while to make your decision. An acceptance or decline should usually be provided in a written form so that it arrives with your prospective employer by the deadline.

Whether you will accept or decline can often depend on timing - you may get an offer from someone before an interview for the company you most want to work for. In this instance the decision can be very hard - the best thing to do is talk with your friends and family, it's a decision that should not be rushed. It is perfectly acceptable to thank a potential employer for the opportunity they are offering, but say that it is a big decision for you and so you will get back to them with an answer in a day or two. It will actually be in the employer's best interest that you make an informed decision - if you accept and then leave 6 months into the job this is a wasted investment for them.

Declining:

If, after your interview, you have realised that it is not the environment you wish to work in, then it may be possible to decline over the phone. Avoid this unless you are completely sure, have a few days to think about it, then decline in writing.

Getting a Rejection

If you were not successful in your interview, it can be upsetting and certainly hurt one's pride. The best thing to do is treat it as a learning experience. Ask for some feedback to discover where you went wrong and what the positives were from your selection day.

By addressing these issues, your success rate the next time round is greatly improved! Only a small percentage of people receive an offer from there first job interview, - like they say 'practice makes perfect'!