Practical preparation for commercial, technical and leadership interviews across the safety industry. Bring your experience, your examples and a few good questions.
An interview gives both sides a chance to explore the fit. Prepare to explain what you’ve achieved, how you work and why this particular business interests you. Leave room to listen, ask questions and be yourself.
Explore its products, customers, markets and route to market. Does it sell through distributors, manufacturer representatives or directly to end users? Look for the priorities behind the vacancy and connect them to your experience.
Choose a few achievements that matter to the role: growing distributor sales, retaining a key account, launching a product or developing a team. Explain your own contribution and use figures you can support, while respecting previous employers’ confidential information.
The STAR method helps you describe the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. Practise a few examples aloud, keeping the focus on what you did, what changed and what you learned. Aim for a conversation that sounds like you.
Think about the working environment in which you do your best work. Ask how the team collaborates, how decisions are made and what support you can expect. A good match combines relevant experience with a working style that suits the business.
What would success look like in the first six months? Which customers, markets or projects need attention? How will performance be measured? Useful questions help you understand the opportunity and show how you think about delivering results.
Confirm the format, timing and people you’ll meet. For a video call, test your sound, camera and connection. If a presentation is part of the process, check the brief and time limit, then practise explaining your recommendations clearly.
Start with the reasons you explored a move: the work, leadership, development, culture or location. Consider whether a counter offer changes those factors as well as your pay.
Ask for any proposed changes in writing and take time to compare the opportunities on their merits. Talk through practical questions with Stuart, so you can make a decision that fits your priorities and longer-term plans.
Talk through your next career moveWe’ve selected a free learning module and practical guides to help you prepare. These links take you to independent providers’ websites, where you can explore the advice at your own pace.
Work through the interview module from OpenLearn’s Succeed in the Workplace course, covering preparation, question practice and different interview formats. An account may be needed for some learning features.
Explore interview learningLearn how to turn your experience into clear examples using Situation, Task, Action and Result. A useful starting point for questions about achievements, leadership and solving problems.
Practise the STAR methodPrepare for live or recorded video interviews, including your setup, research and answers. Particularly useful when your next conversation is with a team in another region or country.
Prepare for a video interviewFind practical advice on interview presentations, written tasks and other assessment exercises. Use it alongside the employer’s brief so your preparation stays relevant to the role.
Explore presentation preparationHave the role details, a few relevant examples and your own questions ready. If you’re discussing an opportunity with Stuart, ask what to expect from the interview and which parts of your experience to prepare.
Ready to explore a role, or still working out what comes next? Tell Stuart about your experience and ambitions, and start a conversation about where they could take you.
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