United Kingdom - preparing for the interview

Preparing for the interview

Recruiters expect applicants to be available for interview at short notice. They will expect the applicant to be motivated and to have good enough English to enable effective communi­cation (with the exception of some low-skilled jobs, for example fruit picking, where the inter­view may be conducted in the applicant's native language, particularly if it takes place in their own country). Applicants should be polite, punctual, smartly presented and capable of expressing themselves clearly.

Employers and recruiters have a legal require­ment to check the identity of every applicant before they are offered a job. The applicant must bring their original passport or national identity card to the interview to prove that they are an EEA (or Swiss) national or family member.

How early should I arrive for the interview?

You should arrive 15-20 minutes before the interview. Expect the employer to be punctual.