Blog Img

​6 Effective Ways to Prep for a Job Interview

Back to Blogs

6 Effective Ways to Prep for a Job Interview

Interview Prep

By the time you step into a room for an interview, nothing should come as a surprise. You should be familiar with the company, its strategic goals, the people you’re meeting and your own strengths and weaknesses.

Like an athlete training for game day, the interview is a chance to show all your preparation and let your skills shine. To show up ready, here are six ways to prepare for your interview. 

  • Research the company and interviewers  

Prepare a scouting report for yourself. What positions do the people interviewing you hold? Check their LinkedIn profiles or get information from your contacts about them. Find out which issues the company is grappling with and identify the company’s top strategic objectives. 

  • Bring supporting materials  

Show, don’t just tell. Bring a portfolio of your work, even if you haven’t been asked to. If you are interviewing for a higher level position, perhaps you can also bring a draft of a strategic plan you created. It must outline what you intend to do when hired, and demonstrate to the hiring manager that you are the best candidate. 

  • Prepare answers to common questions 

Some questions are asked by almost every interviewer you'll encounter. Here's how to answer the most common interview questions.  

  • Polish your presentation  

It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it. Pay attention to how you are going to carry your body posture. If you don't display confidence and professionalism during the interview, you will lose a competitive advantage. Practice how you’re going to present eye contact, handshakes and even your listening.  

  • Conduct a mock interview 

Your answers may make sense in your head, but how do they sound when you communicate them? Conduct a mock job interview, and rehearse your answers with a friend, a recruiter, etc. during each step of the interviewing process. 

Preparing for job interviews includes knowing as much as you can about the company, as well as knowing what you have to offer to help it be more successful. Be prepared. Be confident. Be ready. 

Insights

Mpie All Solar Energy Orangewash Cmyk
Ireland Q4 Employment Outlook Report - Just Released

​Irish Tech Companies Return to Optimism in Q4 - +29% Overall Growth in JobsIreland Net Employment Outlook of +29% signals a return to significant growth in jobsIT sector hiring confidence rebounds with a Net Employment Outlook of +39%Hiring optimism is driven by demand for specialist roles like AI specialists, rather than volume hiring for generalistsMore than half of Irish employers reveal they expect AI to create more jobs than it replaces over the next two yearsIreland’s Information Technology sector expects a resurgence in hiring confidence following consecutive quarters of stagnant recruitment, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. The sector’s Net Employment Outlook has increased to +39%, up from +6% last quarter. This marks the highest level of optimism since the post-pandemic hiring boom.Download the ManpowerGroup Ireland Q4 2024 Employment Outlook Report​Despite this, hiring at volume is expected to remain subdued, with high-skilled roles like AI specialists, data engineers, cloud architects, cybersecurity specialists, and developers igniting tech sector hiring. This follows findings that 51% of employers say they expect AI adoption to lead to increased headcounts over the next two years.“Following a period of redundancies and hiring freezes made in response to economic turbulence and post-pandemic over-hiring, the tech sector is now looking to the future with a sense of cautious optimism.” said Jonny Edgar, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup Ireland. “Businesses have restructured with sustainable headcounts, and mounting confidence in the growing economy together with a surge in demand for specialist tech skills is fuelling positive hiring plans.”“Employers feel confident about the potential of AI to create more jobs than it replaces, and there’s a growing appetite for specialists in generative AI and machine learning. However, we know it’s going to be a mixed picture, and it remains to be seen whether businesses’ optimistic attitude is reflected in the reality of hiring trends over the coming years.​The Information Technology sector’s revived confidence is most pronounced in Dublin, home to many of Ireland’s tech multinationals. Here, IT employers report a Net Employment Outlook of +41%, a marked increase on the -20% in Q1 and +10% in Q3 of this year. Employers in Dublin also reported the highest levels of AI adoption at 41%.Large Enterprises, businesses with more than 5000 employees, also report a rebound in hiring optimism, with +38% intending to hire in the fourth quarter. This is an increase of 22 percentage-points on last quarter and up 23 percentage-points year-over-year.​“The stability of a growing economy has given big tech the confidence to plan for growth, and most of that is increasingly concentrated in the capital.” Edgar continues. “Ireland’s GDP is projected to grow by 1.2% in 2024 and 3.6% in 2025– the highest rate of any country in the Eurozone. With inflation cooling and workforce participation increasing, businesses have reason to be optimistic.”The Government, Public Service and Education sector report the highest Net Employment Outlook of any sector at +41%, reflecting an increase in public sector hiring driving job creation compared to prior years. The Transport, Logistics and Automotive sector also reports strong hiring confidence (+39%) followed by Industrials & Materials (+36%).Regionally, Munster leads the pack with a Net Employment Outlook of +41%, up 22 percentage-points on last quarter, followed by Dublin (+30%), Connaught (+26%), Ulster – Cavan, Donegal, and Monahan (+21%), and Leinster (+12%).​“AI adoption across Ireland is sparking change in an already rapidly evolving skills landscape, and we’re seeing positive labour market activity across the economy as a result of growing economic confidence. However, hiring demand is being driven by hard-to-fill roles where demand far outpaces supply, with 90% of businesses in the tech space reporting difficulty filling roles.“As they shift towards growth, businesses should consider a wider pool of candidates who have potential, focusing on a holistic view of past experience, aptitude, and transferable skills. Being prepared to train new hires, rather than relying on a pedigree of existing industry experience, will be key to meeting skills needs.”SourcesManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Q3 2024 https://www.manpowergroup.ie/blog/2024/07/manpowergroup-reports-positive-net-employment-outlook-of-25-percent-for-q3-2024European Commission, May 2024 https://ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/spring-2024-economic-forecast-commission-maintains-its-growth-forecast-ireland-2024-2024-05-15_enManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey 2024 https://www.manpowergroup.ie/blog/2024/02/record-high-of-81-percent-of-irish-companies-are-struggling-to-attract-skilled-talentDownload the ManpowerGroup Ireland Q4 2024 Employment Outlook Report

READ MORE
Mpie All Blue Shirt Woman Group Cmyk 300
Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide

​Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary GuideOur Talent Attraction team is excited to present the Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide. We've compiled this guide using a variety of reliable sources, including Manpower vacancy and placement data, external job boards, and secondary market analysis. This comprehensive approach ensures the most accurate salary guidance within the Irish market.The guide provides valuable insights that can help you:Position yourself competitively against key market players.Determine if your salary or salary offerings align with the Irish market averages.Gain detailed information on hiring insights across various industries in Ireland.At Manpower Ireland, we deliver real-time hiring data to both clients and candidates. We also offer practical staffing solutions and innovative strategies for attracting and retaining talent. Our guide includes industry-specific talent insights, offering a comprehensive overview of different sectors in the Irish market. These insights are gathered through our paid third-party research tools and Global Manpower Market Intelligence, allowing us to provide accurate information from thousands of candidates and employers.For more information on how Manpower Ireland can support your hiring needs, contact us at [email protected] call 01 6455200.​Click the heading below to gain full access to the Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide.Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide​

READ MORE
Mpie All Instructor Man Woman Orangewash Cmyk 300
​Elevate Your Organisation's Performance with an Executive Coaching Program

​Elevate Your Organisation's Performance with an Executive Coaching ProgramExecutive coaching within an organisation can positively impact multiple individuals and teams simultaneously, potentially influencing overall performance and shaping the team's culture. Our Right Management executive coaching programmes are suitable for executive leaders, emerging leaders, middle managers and staff identified as key to the business.Coaching delivers real-time improvement to employee performance through individualised guidance, support and honest feedback. To develop and retain talent while strengthening your leadership pipeline, optimise your talent strategy with coaching.Executive coaching delivers:7 times return on investment98% satisfaction rate amongst coachee'sRobust & immersive coaching experience to drive enterprise level performanceImprovements in both the individual & team performance6 -12 month executive coaching engagements availableIn-person and online sessions with on-demand coaching availableReporting made easy, with trackable ROI and reports customisable to your internal frameworks.Our Right Management personalised coaching programs are designed to create substantial business value and meet your employees’ unique development needs. Find out more about our bespoke executive coaching programmes in our coaching brochure.Download Our Right Management Executive Coaching BrochureContact Right Management Ireland Today

READ MORE
Mpie All Group Millennials Cmyk 300
Webinar Alert - Q4 2024 Hiring Trends & Market Insights Wednesday Nov 13th

Register for our Q4 Hiring Trends & Market Insights Webinar Wednesday Nov 13th​​​In our latest ManpowerGroup Ireland webinar of 2024 we will be exploring the key hiring trends for Q4 2024 and the changing recruitment landscape that will impact on 2024 HR strategies.We are delighted to be joined by one of our HR partner companies The Stepstone Group (Jobs.ie & Irish Jobs) as a guest speaker for the event where they will be providing key insights from their perspective on how talent attraction is changing based on what key insights they are seeing from their jobs platforms .Wednesday November 13th at 12pm. 45 minutes in duration. Interactive with Q & ARegister for our Q4 Hiring & Employment Outlook Webinar​Key Webinar Takeaways from this event will include:Employment Outlook & key hiring trends for Q4 from the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Report.What sectors are doing well and which are less optimisticHow does hiring patterns change by company sizeTalent shortage trends and how companies are adapting to the marketplaceHow the recruitment trends are directly impacting on jobs at the momentInsights and best practice recommendations from Jobs.ieQ& A where we can answer any questions you have regarding your company's hiring trends or recruitment strategies.This is a free webinar and suitable for HR Professionals, Senior Management and Business Executives. Registrations is required and places are limited to 4 attendees per company. Book your place today and you are welcome to invite a colleague who might like to attend.Register for our Q4 Hiring & Employment Outlook Webinar​​​

READ MORE
Humanpower 720x316
HuManpower

​HuManpower is all about Experts Powering Experts. Our recruiters and talent agents drill down into specialties including Skilled Technical, Engineering and Finance. They know the nuances of the market and how to find the people you need to support your business objectives.

READ MORE
Mpie All Career Coach Two Women Cmyk 300
​Coaching Connect with Manpower

​Coaching Connect with Manpower​​Preparing your executives for the launch of their exciting new careers….Coaching Connect is our New Executive Placement initiative launched by Manpower Ireland and supported by our talent solutions specialist sister brand Right Management. All clients now availing of a Retained Search Recruitment Delivery Model at Manpower will be supported by our Coaching Connect programme which will provide new hires with an individual bespoke executive coaching programme to support their onboarding and integration into their new role with our client company.​How does it work?Coaching Connect is available when a client undertakes a retained search placement programme with Manpower for roles with a starting salary of €40k or more.All placed candidates under this model will be supported with access to executive coach for Two 1-Hour Executive Coaching Sessions to assist their transition into their new role.One session could be post acceptance/prestart to help the new employee prepare for their upcoming role and the second session would usually be after their first 30 days to reflect on progress so far and assist with next steps for their development.Manpower will arrange for delivery of these coaching sessions on behalf of our candidates and manage the relationship directly.What are the Benefits?The programme will help better prepare new employees that are placed through our retained search model integrate in their new role and help them excel with our client companies.Executive coaching can be hugely beneficial to new executives in preparing them for the challenges of their new career and in hitting the ground running.Download our Manpower Coaching Connect Brochure​​​

READ MORE
Mpie All Group Men Medical Orangewash Cmyk 300
Healthy staffing environments are expected in Ireland in Q3 2024

​Healthy staffing environments are expected in Ireland with a Net Employment Outlook of 25%​​In Q3 2024, healthy staffing environments are expected in Ireland with a Net Employment Outlook (NEO) of 25 percentage points. The outlook strengthens by 4 points compared to last quarter, but worsens by 3 points since this time last year. Ireland ranks in the top third of the region for its employment outlook, 5 points above the regional average.Ireland’s employers are benefitting from easing inflation that has improved considerably. Economic growth is still modest but increasing from 2023. However, the many multinational companies headquartered in Ireland are likely still recovering from the falling demand and exports seen last year. Job vacancy rate in Ireland is also still low, although job creation may strengthen in the months ahead. In this context, Irish employers are slightly accelerating their hiring pace.​Download the ManpowerGroup Ireland Q3 2024 Employment Outlook Report​​​Irish employers in 8 of 9 sectors anticipate an increase in staffing levels in the next quarter, while 1 sector is expecting a decrease. Compared to last quarter, staffing climates have strengthened in 6 of 9 sectors and weakened in 3 sectors. Compared to a year ago, staffing climates have weakened in 5 of 9 sectors, strengthened in 3, while seen no change in 1 sector.​​Irish hiring managers in all 5 regions expect an increase in staffing levels from June to September 2024. Since the previous quarter, job markets have strengthened in 4 of 5 regions and weakened in 1 region. Looking back to a year ago, staffing climates have strengthened in 3 of 5 regions and weakened in 2 regions.​​​Irish employers in very large organizations with 1000-4999 employees are the most optimistic with a NEO of 48, rising by 26 percentage points since Q2 2024, and 5 percentage points since this quarter last year. However, micro-organizations with less than 10 employees have seen a NEO drop of 15 points to 0 this since last quarter.​​​​Download the ManpowerGroup Ireland Q3 2024 Employment Outlook Report​​

READ MORE
Mpie All It Tech Man Orangewash Cmyk 300
The State of the Global IT World of Work in 2024

The State of the Global IT World of Work in 2024​The reality is that there is a truly dynamic period of change with IT Clients. This was most certainly the case as I attended VivaTech—the largest tech trade show in Europe—a few weeks ago. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was center stage at VivaTech as key leaders including our CEO weighed in on the implications."AI advances hold great promise to boost productivity, offer more meaningful work, and enhance human interactions," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. "To ensure this promise benefits the many, not the few, we must address skills gaps that currently exist and support people to develop in their careers and transition to new roles. Now is the time to prioritize upskilling, reskilling, and job redesign to build a brighter future of work."This impact on the future of work will be particularly relevant for every organization. We are already seeing this in our global research. Each quarter, ManpowerGroup surveys more than 40,000 employers in 42 countries to measure future hiring intentions and future of work trends. We recently asked this same group of employers to share their outlook on the future impact of these technologies on the world of work.​AI Research Key FindingsHiring Expected to Grow: More than half (55%) of employers expect to increase headcount due to AI and machine learning over the next two years, while less than one in four (24%) believe there will be no impact. Just 18% anticipate the technology will lead to staffing decreases.Adoption Accelerates: Nearly half (48%) of companies have already adopted AI, including generative conversational AI, a 13% increase compared to responses one year ago (35%).Optimism Varies by Seniority: Employers reveal that AI optimism varies by seniority, with senior leaders (69%) being the most optimistic and factory floor and frontline workers (57%) being the least optimistic.Anticipated Business Impact: When asked to predict the future impact of AI and machine learning at their organization, more than seven in ten (72%) anticipate AI will enhance overall business performance, with 70% expecting it to facilitate upskilling, reskilling, as well as employee training.Top Adoption Challenges: Respondents cited high costs (33%), concerns about privacy and regulations (31%), and lack of employees with AI skills (31%) as among the top challenges in AI adoption.This is in line with many of the conversations I have recently had with clients in the IT sector. There is optimism about the business impact despite lingering concerns about costs, risk management (e.g., ethical use or government regulation), and skills gaps. We explore this research in more detail in a new Experis report about building a people-first strategy for AI workforce productivity.However, I also believe it is very important now for IT business leaders to look beyond the current hype surrounding AI and remember there are many other innovations which will impact the future of work in IT.Historic legislation in the U.S. and Europe is powering a dramatic transformation of the semiconductor industry as countries try to reduce dependence on production in Asia. Advances in quantum computing and increasing cloud adoption offer the potential to unlock incredible capabilities for businesses at the same time they elevate already unprecedented cybersecurity threats around the world. At the same time, we are only beginning to apply these innovations to massive global challenges such as green business transformation and the future of medicine.We examine the impact of trends such as these in our new 2024 IT World of Work Outlook report. Keep in mind this is all happening as 76% of IT employers around the world say they are still struggling to find the skilled talent they need. My personal takeaway is that these complex times might require a “back to basics” approach within the IT sector. I believe the following opportunities we identified in this research do a good job of pointing to some immediately actionable opportunities for employers.  opportunities for employers.Top IT Workforce Opportunities in 2024Skills-Based Hiring: The growing importance of in-demand tech skills is increasing the popularity of skills-based hiring and creating opportunities for a greater share of the workforce to transition into more skilled technical roles.Building Better: As the cliché goes, necessity is the mother of all invention. IT leaders know talent scarcity is the new normal and efforts to rapidly upskill and reskill a greater share of the workforce are accelerating.AI Assistance: It is important to remember we are still in the early days of AI and ML adoption. As adoption grows, so do opportunities for workers to use these powerful tools to make their jobs easier.Governments Go All In: Governments around the world are making significant investments in building up their local tech industries, creating new opportunities for skilled talent around the world as industry leaders build more resilient supply chains. Now is the time for employers to capitalize on this momentum.Accelerating Innovation: What can this unprecedented computing power do for the future of medicine, mobility, sustainability, space exploration, and business? If government and business leaders can overcome the ethical challenges to responsibly harness the power of this technology, IT will remain at the cutting edge of a brighter future.Despite these significant opportunities, I work with clients in this sector closely enough to acknowledge it’s not an easy business environment out there and the challenges—particularly for IT— are not going away anytime soon. This is why I believe it’s so critically important to maintain a realist’s perspective of controlling what you can control, focusing on your people, and finding the right business partners to help you mitigate the risks which will always come as a natural consequence of working in the business of IT innovation.​

READ MORE
Mpie All Group Collaboration Outdoor Restaurant Bluewash Cmyk 300
Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide

​Our Talent Attraction team is excited to present the Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide. We've compiled this guide using a variety of reliable sources, including Manpower vacancy and placement data, external job boards, and secondary market analysis. This comprehensive approach ensures the most accurate salary guidance within the Irish market.The guide provides valuable insights that can help you:Position yourself competitively against key market players.Determine if your salary or salary offerings align with the Irish market averages.Gain detailed information on hiring insights across various industries in Ireland.At Manpower Ireland, we deliver real-time hiring data to both clients and candidates. We also offer practical staffing solutions and innovative strategies for attracting and retaining talent. Our guide includes industry-specific talent insights, offering a comprehensive overview of different sectors in the Irish market. These insights are gathered through our paid third-party research tools and Global Manpower Market Intelligence, allowing us to provide accurate information from thousands of candidates and employers.For more information on how Manpower Ireland can support your hiring needs, contact us [email protected] call 01 6455200.​Click the button below to gain full access to the Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide.Manpower Ireland 2024 Salary Guide

READ MORE