Interview Guide

How you prepare and then present yourself in an interview is crucial in ensuring you have the very best opportunity to secure the job you are applying for and career you aspire to.

The purpose of an interview is to assess your suitability and match to the specific role, team and company as a whole. Thus your interviewers will obviously want to draw out your skill level and work experience whilst also gaining insight into your soft skills; your personality, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, attitude, aptitude, drive and motivation.

The key to a successful interview is PREPARATION!!! The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be and thus the better you will perform!

And remember, it is how you present yourself and the answers you provide that will showcase who you are and thus your suitability! It’s your opportunity to show your interviewer(s) what you are all about!

THE BASICS:

Before the Interview

• Know where you are going!
  • Check to make sure you have the correct address, know how to get there and give yourself plenty of time taking into consideration traffic and parking.
• Get there early!
  • You want to arrive about 5- 10minutes early (no earlier!) and there are no excuses for being late!
• Know who you are there to meet!
  • Make sure you know who you are being interviewed by - full names and titles!
• Do your research on the Company!
  • Know what the company does! It’s a good idea to know some key facts such as their history, market, financial position, mission, competitors, latest news etc
  • Looking up the company’s website is a good place to start to find out this sort of information. You can also do quick internet (Google/Yahoo) searches to find out other interesting things such as news stories etc.
  • Try and do your research a few days in advance if possible so that you come to the interview with the knowledge embedded and with a clear head!
  • Just remember, the better prepared you are, the more knowledgeable and interested you will sound and the interviewers will be impressed!
• Know the position you are interviewing for!
  • Review the job description and requirements of the role you are applying for and prepare for questions as to why you are suitable, where you meet the requirements etc..
  • A good way to do this is to note down the key skills and experience the role needs and then write down examples about your own skills and experience that match these.
• Know your CV!
  • Review your CV and make sure you are prepared to answer questions pertaining to the information and details you have supplied on there.
  • Also, make sure you can supply additional information if required and think about real-life situations that you encountered throughout your different roles (and if possible, ones that specifically relate to the position you are interviewing for) as they will be the best answers!
• Look Smart – Look Professional!
  • First impressions count so always go to an interview looking professional in a smart business suit.

In the Interview

• Greeting the interviewer(s)
  • Greet the/each person by name and with a firm hand shake.
• Follow the interviewers lead
  • Let them set the tone and pace of the interview.
• Your Body Language!
  • Try to remember to sit up straight, smile and try to maintain eye contact throughout the interview.
  • Look interested and be as charismatic as possible as this is your opportunity to showcase your personality and interpersonal skills!
• Listen!
  • Stay focussed and don’t forget to listen to what the interviewer is saying/asking you, let them finish and then respond. Remember, a better listener will give better, more qualified and informative answers!
• Typical Questions you may be asked:
  • The type of questions you will encounter will vary and often cover the basics around your work experience, skills and aspirations to more challenging behavioural (example driven) questions. Some examples are listed below:
  • Standard Questions:
    • How would you describe yourself?
    • Tell me what you know about this company (you are applying for)?
    • Why do you want to join this company?
    • What kind of role are you looking for?
    • Why are you interested in this type of position?
    • Describe your biggest achievement/accomplishment at work so far?
    • What have you learned from some of the roles you have worked in so far?
    • What role/or part of a role have you enjoyed the most so far? And the least?
    • What are your main strengths?
    • What do you feel are your areas of weakness? Where could you benefit from further training and/or development?
    • What motivates you to be successful?
    • What does ‘team work’ mean to you?
    • What style of management gets the best from you?
    • Where do you see yourself/want to be in 3 years / 5 years / 10 years?
      • The key with answering this question is to remember to keep it realistic and in line with the position and company you are applying for/to. Take into consideration the immediate opportunity and what the company can offer you. The last thing you want to do is outline things that either this role or company simply can’t provide.
    • What do you like to do in your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
  • Behavioural (example driven) Questions:
    • Please provide an example of where you have had to work to a tight deadline? Did you encounter any problems in meeting it? How did you work through these? Was the deadline met? If not, why wasn’t it? How did you handle it? What was the impact /end result?
    • Describe a difficult situation you have encountered with a customer/user/peer/manager. How did it come about and how did you handle it? How was it resolved? What did you learn from it?
    • Please describe a time at work where you demonstrated initiative?
  • Your Answers:
    • Try and get your points across in a sincere, factual and succinct way
    • When asked to give examples, try to choose ones that closely align with the position you are interviewing for, thereby demonstrating your suitability to the role!
    • Try not to answer questions with a simple yes or no, explain yourself where possible
    • Try not to use tentative language – i.e. I think, perhaps, maybe etc. – Don’t be evasive.
    • Don’t lie
    • Be careful not to be overly negative or make derogatory remarks about your current or previous employers.
• Your time to ask Questions!
  • Towards the end of the interview, you will often be asked if you have any questions so it’s always good to have a question or two of your own to ask. It demonstrates that you have thought about the role, opportunity and company and you are interested. Some questions you could ask could include:
    • Why has the position become available?
    • How would you best describe the culture of the organisation?
    • Why do you enjoy working here?
    • How does the position fit into the structure of the organisation?
    • How does the company foster its employee’s growth and development /training?
    • Note: Try and avoid asking about salary, holidays and bonus’s etc in the initial interview. Your Inview Consultant can guide you on this in the initial phases.
• Closing the interview:
  • Again, take the lead from the interviewer.
  • Feel free to enquire what the next stage/process is from here?
  • You can also ask for feedback on whether the interviewer feels you are suitable for the role and if there are any areas they would like further clarification on.
  • If you are offered the job on the spot and you want it – accept it! If you would like some time to think it over, talk to a partner, friend etc, then politely say this and work out a time frame with the interviewer(s) to come back with your answer/decision.
  • Don’t be discouraged if the interviewer(s) don’t give anything away or don’t offer you the role straight away, often they will want to discuss it with their co-workers/management before coming back to you (via the agent)
  • Remember to thank the interviewer(s) for their time.
  • * Remember to always sound keen! *
  • Never close the door to an opportunity too soon! Always good to have more offers than just one or none!

After the Interview

• Call your Inview Consultant!
  • Remember to call your Consultant as soon as the interview concludes and provide them with your feedback as they will want to speak to you first before talking to your interviewer(s).

Further Interviews

• More detailed interviewing:
  • These can often be of a technical nature and consist of specific technical questions pertaining to the requirements of the role and your experience. So be prepared! This is all about determining your level and depth of experience/skills to date in conjunction with the demands of the role!
  • Companies may also use additional interviews to drill further into a person’s work history, general experience, personality, attitude, aptitude, motivations etc. to get a more detailed and complete picture of you as a candidate and fit for the opportunity at hand.

Job Offer Stage

• Job Offer!
  • Your Inview Consultant will assist you through the job offer process, negotiating the offer between yourself and the employer.

Finally, to assist you in your preparation please see below for our Interview Checklist:

INTERVIEW CHECKLIST

o Look Smart – Look Professional!

o Know where you are going!

o Know who you are there to meet!

o Do your research on the Company!

o Know the position you are interviewing for!

o Know your CV!

o Organise your thoughts and prepare answers to some standard interview questions.

o Have examples ready detailing your experiences to date (so you are to answer behavioural questions)

o Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer

o Call your Inview Consultant after the interview to give your feedback!

We at Inview Consulting hope that this has been of assistance but if you require any further advice, please don’t hesitate to ask us!