Ok, so your making progress. It took you a while to get your CV just right but your starting to get bites and you have just been called for an interview in a software house. PHP development is your thing, you are really excited about it and would love to secure this position. What to do now?

First off, in the immortal words on the cover of the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy - Don’t Panic. It is important to prepare for an interview, but it is also important to remeber that an interview is primarily to gauge your fit into an organisation. Your PHP skills have already been verified by your CV and sample of your code. So just be yourself, and that realistically should not be too difficult.

Alright, preparation time;

1. Know the job - understand as much as possible the key requirements of the role. Are they purely looking for a developer or do they require someone with managerial skills etc.
2. Know the company - go on their website, do some research and find out everything you can about the company that wishes to interview you. What is their business? Do they have offices in other countries? Which other countries? What activity has the company been involved in recently? Do they have plans to expand in the near future? How many people do they employ? Also memorize the names of the people you are meeting
3. Know your CV - this one should be pretty obvious
4. Trial run - if you can go to the location of your interview the day before, so you know the route and won’t get lost
5. Make sure you have a clean trouser suit

During the interview;

1. Arrive 10 minutes early - no more, no less
2. Introduce yourself and shake hands firmly
3. Stick to the point - answer the question you have been asked in a clear concise fashion. Be specific. I don’t mean one word answers, but dont ramble
4. If you are asked to talk through your work experience - do not just repeat your CV verbatim. The interviews will have read your CV, that is why you have been called for an interview in the first place. Explain any gaps in the CV and always talk positively about previous employers
5. Always have questions prepared for the interviewers. Make the questions relevant to the role, the team you will be working with, and the company. Make sure they are positive questions
6. If you are interested in the role, make that apparent. Don’t be afraid of showing your interest
7. It is best not to talk about remuneration in the first interview
8. Be cheerful and smile regularly. Always maintain eye contact. If there is more than 1 interviewer, address your answers to everyone present
9. Close the deal. At the end of the interview, if you have not already been told, ask what the next step in the process is

Best of Luck, it takes a few interviews to get into the swing of things so don’t be disheartened if you get rejected a few times. Just make sure the roles you are applying for are relevant to your experience.