Application and Interview Tips and Tricks

How do you make a great job application?

• Firstly – do some research - make sure to thoroughly read over the job description as it gives you all the detail of the day to day role.
• Ensure you read each section properly. As we want to ensure our children and young people are as safe as possible, our application is quite lengthy, so make sure you don’t scan over it!
• Always review your application before submitting, ensuring your contact details are correct and you have included all your past employment/experience.
• If appropriate, a short cover letter detailing the skills you bring and why you’d love the job, always goes down well with Recruiters!
• Once you’ve applied, we will be in touch to confirm we have received your application and you will soon hear from one of our Recruitment Team.

How do I perform at interview?

It all starts before you even arrive for the interview…

Before Interview

• Re-read the job description and person specification to familiarise yourself with the role you are going for.
• Check out our website and socials to see what we have been up to, what we’re all about and so you can think of some questions to ask us – you can never do too much research.
• Go back over your application to make sure you’re prepared for any questions specifically relating to what you have put down.
• Prepare some examples (you can always take notes in with you) that show you have the right skills, personal qualities, behaviours and competencies, that the interviewer wants to see are all in the advert and job description.
• To give you an idea of areas you might be asked about, our five key behaviours are: Respect, Integrity, Motivation, Collaboration and Commitment. It will be helpful to think of some examples where you have demonstrated these in the past.
• If you have a presentation to deliver, practice will go a long way! Don’t forget to time yourself so you don’t over-run.
• Practice answering questions with someone you trust. My poor wife has had to sit through a dress-rehearsal of almost every interview I’ve ever had!
• Always come up with 2-3 questions that you can ask about the role/the company or even the culture – this really demonstrates your enthusiasm.
• Make sure to double check your route to the interview location. Perhaps have a practice run and make sure you have a plan b in case you run into traffic or have public transport delays. There’s nothing better to raise stress levels than rushing to get to an interview!
• Check out who is interviewing you via their LinkedIn profile – it can help with conversation starters to break the ice or build rapport.

What should I do on the Day? – Prior to Interview

• Ensure you dress appropriately, we encourage a smart/casual dress code for most of our roles. You should be dressed smartly for senior positions.
• Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
• Ensure phone is off or on do not disturb – this helps avoid that embarrassing moment when your phone rings in the middle of the interview!
• Take some deep breaths, remember nerves are completely normal and doing some breathing exercises will help. Did you know nerves are just adrenaline in your system? They can actually help you perform better on the day.
• Relax and be yourself - we want to meet and get to know the real you.

What to remember during Interview?

• Remember body language tells us a lot so try and smile and greet the panel with confidence. Keeping your back straight and shoulders back ensures you are open and appear confident.
• Listen to the questions and think before you give your answers – listening can be just as important as the answers you give.
• Ask the interviewer to repeat or explain a question if you didn’t hear or are unsure.
• Try and be positive about your experiences, if you have had difficult ones, discuss what you learned from them.
• Remember to ask the 2-3 questions you’ve prepared for at the end, for example it could be “What opportunities are there for training with the company?” or “Are there many opportunities for progression within the company?”
• Remain polite and friendly from arrival to leaving, you want to leave the best impression you can!

I’m keen to join WG – so how do I search for a role?

• Check out our list of live vacancies here where you can search by keyword or location.
• Can’t find the right role for you, sign up to join our Talent Community for the latest job alerts and sector-leading insights and resources.

We hope you’ve found our interview tips useful – best of luck with your next job application, we hope it’s with us!