First interview in 8 years please help!

[Findingthisweekhard]

I have an interview on Tuesday for a role I’m really really keen for, it’s a well paid entry level role for a profession I want to pursue.

I haven’t had an interview for 8 years and feel very underprepared. In that time I’ve had a mix of several babies and a degree in a completely unrelated field (think midwifery compared to previously working in accounts) that I never did anything with. I’m anxious how I will explain why I chose the degree I did and my lack of relevant recent experience, although lots of the role is very comparable to my last office job several years ago.

I’ve looked up the recruiter on LinkedIn and read lots about the company, but what exactly should I be looking up? What’s some questions they are likely to ask? How to explain my degree other than I did it on a whim and it was a huge mistake

it’s entry level
what are they expecting from the job spec?

Research and preparation will be key here. You can generally predict the questions they’ll ask from the job description.
Try and turn the degree thing into a positive, maybe by saying that you realised some way into it that you maybe didn’t want to work in that field but didn’t want to not complete it. They may not even ask you about that as sometimes it’s more that you’ve demonstrated academic aptitude to degree level.
Good luck op.

Concentrate on transferable skills. What did you learn from your degree?
People usually want to know about team working or how you solve problems.
If it’s entry level it shouldn’t be too taxing.
Look at the job/ person spec and think about what they might ask you about each one.
Have a couple of questions ready to ask them too.

Well done on getting the interview. They must see something good in your CV that interests them to get that far!

I've has inteeviews after a few years of none and.honestly depending on tje company interviews vary so much these days. I would imagine they'll ask why you want that role as a starter though. Get some examples ready of why you think your previous work matches the job. You're experienced with Word/Excel/working as a team/working independently etc.
Highlight what makes you a good fit.
If you can add in why you like the company values that might get you some points.

Have you looked for them on Glassoor? People often add reviews of their interviews there so can give some example questions as a guide.

Be ready to chat about your C.V. They may not ask about the degree but be honest without being negative. You realised it wasn't the field for you or circumstances changed but finishing it gave you a good understanding of research/teamwork/resiliance... Something that could be relevant to the role.

Also get a couple of questions ready for them. About the team or the role. Ask what the next steps in the interview process are. Show them you are interested.

Preperation is good but try not to overthink. Be calm and be yourself. Good luck!

Have a think about the why - on industry, company and role.
Think about how you'd like to see your career progressing, ie which roles you are interested in being promoted to and why. (Some companies are recruiting for potential and so they want to know you are wanting to develop, rather than tread water in the same role).
Think about your development points, what skills are you lacking/weak on? (it's the old what are your weaknesses question)
Think about how you would go about gaining these skills, don't try to dress this up as a strength, that suggests a lack of awareness, they want to know that you have the ability to recognise what you need to work on so you can overcome your weaknesses and progress. An example would be a struggle with presentations - need more exposure. Or with business development/sales - no experience, keen to watch and learn from colleagues and not afraid to get stuck in.
Think about a time you failed at something but turned it around to learn lessons and develop stronger skills.
Think about what makes a good team player - what does a good team look like, what to do when the team isn't working well, and how you support other team members to achieve great outcomes.
How do you deal with unfamiliar situations?