When you’re working with a recruiter, and they ring to tell you that you’ve got an interview, it’s easy to let the excitement (or relief) take over, just write down the details and run off to start your research.

A good recruiter should give you some background information – after all they are going to want you to be successful – but it’s easy to overlook the extra information that they can also provide.

We asked career coach Michelle Baker for her guide to getting the most out of your recruiter…

“Prior to your interview taking place, are you relying on what is just given to you? Are you assuming you have enough information? Maybe you’ve even gone to an interview and realised too late that you weren’t prepared enough? So what can you do about it, what questions should you be asking as part of your interview preparation?

As a Recruiter it was my job to ensure my candidates knew as much as possible prior to an interview. The more information they had, the less stressed they were, the more their confidence grew, the better their interview experience and outcome.

Here’s my checklist to ensure you take control of your interview process and maximise your chances of success:

1. Double confirm time and exact location of the interview – Make a note on your phone/calendar with a reminder a week before to check again and then the day before. Ask the recruiter if they’ve been to the interview location before…maybe you are going to the head office and not the actual location of the job. Can the office be easily found, nearest tube, car park availability etc. Plan your journey and then have a back-up plan in case of traffic or transport delays. And plan to arrive no earlier than 5-10 minutes prior.

2. Company details – What is the company name, website, social media sites? Any details you can get from the Recruiter regarding their knowledge of the size, number of employees, future plans, office layout, company culture and social scene. This will help you research the company and prepare you for the question “So what do you know about our company?”

3. What to wear – Not going for an office job? Ask if there’s any reason not to go suited and booted. Check if you will be asked to complete a task and may need appropriate clothing? If in doubt always go dressed to impress. Ladies think Kate Middleton, guys think Prince William! If you’re going on their casual Friday, then check what would be appropriate to wear, but I would always advise dressing to impress.

4. Job description – Check if you have the latest copy of the job description and confirm what the salary banding is. Ask what else they know about the job from the hiring manager in addition to the job description.

5. Your CV – Ask if any changes have been made to your CV and ask for a copy of your CV if different to your original. Recruiters sometimes make changes to CVs and you need to know what they’ve changed prior to going.

6. Your introduction by the recruiter – Check you are on the same page – how did your recruiter represent you in their introduction regarding your skills, background etc. Check the salary level your recruiter has represented you at. The last thing you’ll want is to get to that question and it’s not what they’ve been told.

7. Interview type – What type of interview will it be? Some examples are: competency, assessment, panel, technical, portfolio, case study. Ensure you know which one it is and research the structure of the interview and prepare accordingly.

8. How many and who – Ask how many people will be interviewing you – one to one or more? What are their names? Will one of them be your point of contact at reception or do you just announce yourself? Google them, look them up on LinkedIn, what’s their career history? Where do they fit in the company structure?

9. Interview process – How long will it last, will there be tests, how many interviews are in the process, is there an assessment day? What’s the interview process? Do they know about any other candidates going… ie are you one of three or in a knock out round?

10. The Golden Nugget Question – Ask if they or their colleagues have ever had candidates on interview there before, maybe even with this manager? What has the feedback been, what nuggets can they share?

The recruiter will want you to succeed, so show some innovative and give your recruiter confidence that you are in charge and know what you are doing. Ask these questions, empower yourself and prepare for success. Good luck.”

Michelle Baker is a career coach who uses her previous experience as a recruiter to help give an insider’s guide to gaining career clarity plus maximising success through the recruitment process. Her business is called Your Career Coach