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Research the job

Before attending any interview it is a good idea to research the organisation and familiarise yourself with the following:

1. Size of organisation, number of employees.
2. History, how long have they been operating – do they have any affiliated organisations or belong to an umbrella group?
3. General information about their services/products/aims etc.
4. Major competitors or other organisations operating in the same field.
5. Job description – understand the skills required for the position.
6. Relationship between the open position and other members of staff - have a sense for the department.
7. Have some well thought-out questions that would help further your understanding of the organisation e.g. How will the organisation be affected by the new legislation on xyz… or How do you see the organisation developing over the next year/three years?
8. Feedback to your consultant how you thought the interview went and tell us whether you would be interested in the job if it were to be offered to you.
9. what is the employer looking for?

Employers use interviews to confirm that an applicant has the required knowledge, skills and willingness to contribute and fit into the organisation’s culture. They also want to see if your career goals are in line with opportunities available with their organisation.

They are looking for the potential in prospective employees to become valued, trusted, productive team members of their organisation. You must try to consider how you can display your skills and experience in a good and honest light and provide employers with the evidence that you are the right person for the job.

Here are some brief points to consider:

1. Are you a self-starter, able to work without constant supervision?
2. Can you be depended upon in critical situations and follow work through to completion?
3. Are you enthusiastic and easy to work with?
4. Can you work under pressure?
5. Recruiters need to know what drives you to want the job and why you want to work for the organisation in particular.
6. Can you manage your time effectively?
7. How do you structure your day’s work?
8. How do you plan your day and week?
9. How did you handle sudden unplanned work or crisis?
10. Can you handle constructive criticism in a productive manner?
11. Are you objective in evaluating yourself and others?
12. Recruiters look for an objective analysis of your abilities. For strengths, recruiters want to know why you think it is strength and where it has been demonstrated. For weaknesses they want to know what steps you could take to improve.
13. You will rarely be working alone so being able to work as part of a team is valuable. Co-operation and ability to work well in a team environment are some the most valued skills in employees.
14. Can you work well with a variety of people?
15. What would you do to help a team of people work together better?

 

Points to consider throughout the interview

1. Be prepared with answers to the traditional interview questions. Rehearse your answers with a friend who will give you honest feedback about the content of your answer and body language.
2. Aim for clarity, brevity and above all, honesty. Give honest answers with a positive tone.
3. Concentrate on the employer’s needs, not yours.
4. Emphasise how you can help the organisation achieve its goals.
5. Describe your past responsibilities and accomplishments.
6. Explain why you approached projects in a certain ways.
7. Explain how the skills you bring will benefit the organisation.
8. Don’t downplay your accomplishments or attribute them to luck.
9. Be specific in your answers. Avoid rambling or getting off on a tangent.
10. Ask for clarification if you are unsure of the question.
11. Ask the employer if they think it would be helpful to add information about skills or experiences that you believe are relevant but which have not been covered during the interview. Take responsibility for communicating your strengths. Don’t rely on the interviewer to pull it out of you.
12. Consider the types of skills and characteristics you think the employer needs in the applicant to be successful in the job for which you are attending an interview, e.g. attention to detail, diplomacy, leadership, persistence, problem solving and planning, stress management, team building, technical.
13. Once you have determined what you think the employer will be looking for, write out examples of situations that showed your skills in those areas. Explain your past successes, the more you can clearly describe the experience, the people involved, the challenge and the solutions, the more you’ll stand out in the interviewer’s mind.

Types of interview

There are several different types or styles of interview that you may come across amongst our clients. It is important that to remember that no two interviews are the same and that you can always improve you interview style and preparation.

There follows some general hints and tips on the most common / frequently used interview techniques that you are likely to encounter through our agency.

Hints

1. You will need to be sure to connect with each person. Be sure to have eye contact with the person asking the questions and to glance at the other team members while answering the question to be sure that you are connecting with each individual.
2. Be sensitive to the dynamics in the team. If they seem to want to control the interview, relax and flow with it, on the other hand be sure to offer information and ask questions.
3. Take responsibility for ensuring that the group understands what you have to offer. The best approach is to be sensitive and adapt your approach to the group. Don’t be overly aggressive and take over, yet do interact and show your enthusiasm.
4. Each person’s opinion can be weighted equally; in some cases, just one team member’s opposition can disqualify a candidate. Sometimes it is unclear what role or position the person holds therefore you need to be respectful of everyone you meet.

Questions from you

Try to think of some questions to ask at interview. If you have researched the company well, you will be able to come up with questions concerning the organisation. You may also like to find out more about your responsibilities in the role, the organisation’s long and short term aims, training opportunities, overall organisational structure and what they would hope you achieve in the first six months.

Other things to remember:

1. Find out what happens next with the interview process and express your interest (if it is genuine!)
2. You may consider writing a letter to thank the interviewer for their time and to express your interest again.
3. Let your consultant know your feedback as soon as possible. It is important for us to know what you thought of the organisation, the role, the people who interviewed you and your impression of how you performed in the interview. Please also let us know if you are interested in taking the job if it were to be offered to you.

General Advice

Before you go for your interview you need to find out everything you can about the company. Reread your application/CV/covering letter, so that you can think about your skills and qualifications, and also questions that you might be asked.

In order to do well in the interview you need to be able to convince the interviewer that you have the right skills for the job, this will include your motivation towards the job, how well you will fit into the company, along with meeting their academic and skills requirements.

You should dress smartly and appropriately and should leave in plenty of time allowing for possible delays, so that you are not late. Remember first impressions last!

First Impressions

Although a professional interviewer will strive to get a thorough idea of your skills and personality before making a judgement, the reality is that almost everyone makes an initial opinion of a stranger within the first five minutes of meeting them.

According to research employers' impressions are made up of the following:

• Body Language and image (70%)
• Tone of voice (20%)
• What you say (10%)

From the moment you enter the building, you should think of yourself as a potential employee. Be polite to everyone you meet from the receptionist onwards because it's possible that anyone you meet could be asked whether or not they liked you!

The best advice is to try to remain calm and confident with a firm (but not wrist-crushing) handshake, remembering to make eye contact. Putting the interviewer at ease by being down to earth while remaining businesslike always gets you off to a good start. Sometimes it's a good idea to have a few conversation openers handy, such as commenting favourably on the premises, to help break the silence.

It's a good idea to ask for a glass of water, as you will be doing a lot of talking, but its also good to take a sip if you want a few seconds to think about the question asked. Ensure that you are sitting comfortably in a position where you can address all the interviewers. Make sure that you remember the names of the interviewers, and take note of their various roles.

The Interview Preparation

You need to prepare well for the interview, finding out about the history of the company, its structure, market position and management style, along with details such as: how big the company is, how long have they been operating, what are their key income revenues and core areas of business, who are their major competitors, and have they had any major upheavals or successes.

The easiest place to start the research is the website, or calling the marketing department and asking for a company profile or press kit. This will not only help you show your enthusiasm to the company but also enable you to be more relaxed about the questions asked. If you are preparing for a specific job interview, you will need to familiarise yourself with the job description, so matching your attributes to their requested skills.

You will also need to prepare information about yourself by building up a personal profile to enable you to answer questions both quickly and accurately. The profile will comprise of both personal and business information. For example:

Personal:
'I am an ambitious, organised and highly-motivated individual who is goal driven and excels at building long-term customer relationships.'

Business:
'I am an experienced sales professional with five years specific experience in the automotive industry'... go into further details.

Be positive, if you are negative the employers will not believe in you. You need to remember that you have been short-listed, and therefore must stand a good chance. It is good to feel a bit nervous before the interview as it shows that you want the job.

Interview Techniques

The interview is not only a chance for the interviewer to assess if you are the right person for the job, but it is also an opportunity for you to see if the job and the company are suitable for you. During the interview you need to look for opportunities to be proactive and ask your own questions or try to lead the discussion where appropriate. Questions should reflect your keenness to work for the company.

Generally you should limit yourself to just a couple of significant questions such as:

1. What are the key tasks and responsibilities of the job
2. What support and guidance is available
3. What training will be available

Other aspects to talk about are:

1. Structure of the organisation
2. Success of the organisation, it's profitability and product portfolio
3. Future strategies and development

Keep your concentration levels up during the interview and make sure you listen to the responses the interviewer gives you. The worst mistakes happen when people end up asking questions about topics that have already been covered, or don't hear or understand what the interviewer has said.

Key points:

1. Make sure you give the interviewer your full attention
2. Wait for them to finish speaking, before you answer the question
3. Make sure you ask open questions, to ensure you get full answers
4. Check you understand everything that has been said

At the end of the interview find out what will happen next:

1. When will I hear from you
2. How will I be informed
3. Do you need any more information from me

Candidates can easily find themselves on the defensive, trying to justify themselves, rather than sell their attributes. A good interviewer will often throw all sorts of challenging questions at you, in order to see if you are suitable for the job.

To help you cope with these it is best to know the possible questions that you might get asked, these can be divided up into sections:

• Selling yourself (mention your strengths)
  • What experience do you have to benefit this job?
  • Can you work well under pressure?
  • What is your greatest strength?
  • What interests you most about this job?
  • Why should I hire you?
  • Do you have any questions?
    Questions could include: what your first assignment would be, what type of training is required or given, requesting to see a job description, and who the company's major competitors are.

 

• Information giving (information on your experience and skills set)

• Do you consider yourself to be a natural leader? The interviewer will be interested in your ability to lead when necessary
• Tell me about yourself. This is an open question, and is a good opportunity for you to reveal the strengths that you mentioned in your personal profile. This is also your chance to reveal your personality, so just be yourself.
• What are your biggest accomplishments? This should be job related, and is a chance to show your competency
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Dealing with objections

1. How do you handle criticism? Try to portray the attitude that all criticism has a benefit, providing an opportunity for improvement. Also elaborate by giving an example of a poor idea that has been criticised rather than a substandard piece of work.
2. How will you cope with a change in environment? Talk about how you can adapt and learn quickly.
3. Turning negatives into positives (change your weaknesses into strengths)
4. What can you do for us that someone else can't? If you have understood the details of the job then try to answer this with a combination of your skills/experience which others are unlikely to have.
5. Describe a difficult problem you've had to deal with. Clearly explain how you have approached a problem, the result and how the difficult outcome was averted. This will show that you have a positive attitude to all challenges, and you were not discouraged or intimidated by the situation.
6. What is your greatest weakness? This is your chance to show that you have identified and are working on reducing your weaknesses. Turn your weakness into strength.
7. How do you handle tension/stress? Explain how you avoid stressful situations, and if not how you deal with it, for example: exercising and going to the gym.
8. How do you take direction? Show by giving examples of how you can be briefed and finish the task without unnecessary disagreements/complications
9. Do you prefer working with others or alone? Explain how you can work well in both situations.
10. How do you handle rejection? Much of today's business is commercially orientated, therefore a good answer would tend to be that you move on but take on board what has happened and use it to benefit you in the future.
11. Always speak clearly in a controlled range of tones. Do not speak in monotone and always pause before speaking, this avoids instinctively reacting and saying the wrong thing.

Points you need to remember:

1. Smiling is a good positive signal, as it reaffirms your good nature
2. Maintain eye contact
3. Relax do not rush or fidget
4. Mirror the interviewers techniques, if they laugh, laugh with them
5. Maintain an alert position, sit up straight, don't slump, but be comfortable
6. Always have a confident and honest attitude.

Do's And Don'ts During The Interview

1. Always adopt a professional and business-like manner
2. Listen intently
3. Use strong positive language
4. Ask the relevant questions
5. Wear a smile at all times
6. Never indicate that you're desperate for a job
7. Don't get into discussions about your personal life, and decline any bait to mention secrets of your present employer, the interviewer should respect your trustworthiness and integrity
8. Ensure that you don't smell of any strong odours, e.g. alcohol, garlic or even perfume
9. Don't fidget or play with your hair, clothing, items in your pockets etc
10. Avoid negative phrases such as: 'I don't know'. I'm not sure'
11. Be persuasive, speak in terms of what benefit you can bring to the company, rather
    than the other way around
12. Remain calm and don't rush your answers