Hey there, i used to recruit in my previous role and can give you a few pointers here
With the certificates - are they relevant to the job role? If not, take them but keep them in your bag, from a recruitment perspective an interviewer has no requirement to see a GCSE certificate (for example) unless the essential criteria for the role states you need a qualification in xxx
For an interview, its not really appropriate to have loads of things with you as at the end of the day its you as a person they are employing, not a portfolio of paper. Dont take anything other than a handbag - dont take in reams of paperwork, a bag, a note book etc - you will struggle to present yourself and shake hands at the start of the interview - just take what you need in your bag and only take anything out when you need it - you can look 'fiddly' and agitated otherwise.
The interview is likely to be a competancy based interview if its a panel - they have a panel when a fair and consistent measure is required. For competancy based interviews they will ask questions like:
- tell me about a time when you resolved a query for an upset customer
They will follow it up with
- What did you do
- How did you do it
- Why did you take that approach
- What was the outcome
- Would you have done anything differently
These are all very standard competancy based questions and if i can give you 1 tip, please remeber STAR
S - Situation
T - Task
A - Action
R - Results
This will form the basis of your responses to the questions, have a look online at some competancy based questions - you will find loads on recruitment based websites or similar.
Finally, make sure you have prepped your info and knowledge about the company, key info to be aware of is the size of the company & rough staff numbers, how long they have been in business, nature of the business, market leaders or main competitors, annual turnover and any awards like the Times Top 100 companies etc. Chances are they will want to see how interested you are in the company itself so refering back to your notes may look inappropriate, must make sure you memorise the key points and talk through them.
When it comes to your questions at the end, whatever you do, dont ask 'selfish questions' such as salary, days holiday, benefits available etc. You can ask these once the position is offered. Good questions to ask are:
- Do you have an induction and Training programme?
- Do you offer on the job training and further career development within the business?
- Would i receive an annual appraisal and monthly 121's with my manager?
All of these questions give the impression that you are keen on your personal development and wont sound too 'selfish'
Good luck, be bold, be bright and maintain eye contact and im sure you will be fine