Interview Tips

Interview Tips

IMPROVING your interview performance will greatly improve your chances of winning the job that you want! Whilst employers may use many other criteria such as reference checking and skill comparisons, the interview will ALWAYS be the primary selection method.

Your resume and your track record may be good enough to get you an interview, but a good interview performance will significantly increase your chances of success.

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The Purpose of the interview

Having achieved an interview, you can be fairly sure that your education, working skills and experience generally fit the brief for the job.

But your ability to project a sincere, positive, confident, and competent personality will then be tested at an interview. Fundamentally whatever the position, the interviewer will be attempting to ascertain:

• Can you do the job?
• Will you do the job?
• Why do you want the job?
• Will you FIT THE TEAM and the culture of the company?
• What value will you bring to the organisation?

They will also be trying to identify the link between past performance and future potential and this will be achieved by a series of probing questions. Remeber you might be only one of hundreds applying, andYOU MUST ENGAGE & HOLD THEIR ATTENTION & LEAVE THEM WITH A LASTING IMPRESSION.

If a recruiter calls you to arrange a meeting, your interview has already started!

Your presentation must be designed to influence the interviewers decision and win you that job! You will have limited time to present your argument, so punchy, focussed answers delivered with enthusiasm are required.

You must sell the benefits that you can bring to the firm, by relating your relevant experience or professional achievements to this role. Accumulate supporting evidence of your skills / achievements that you can relate to.

Managers from 5224 businesses across the UK were recently polled to name one aspect of candidate interview behaviour they disliked the most:

• 26% disliked improper dress for an interview above all
• 19% cited lateness as their greatest frustration. The survey revealed that 1 in 7 candidates arrived late for an interview
• 15% of interviewers take the greates dislike to a disproportionate interest in salary
• 11% primarily dislike candidates that are cynical about colleagues past or future
• 9% rate a poor handshake as the beginning of the end
• 7% were unimpressed by lack of clear goals or career ambition
• 5% said that lack of eye contact was their pet hate
• 4% said that failure to research the company and its business was a major negative
• 3% cited mumbled answers as a serious turn-off
• The final 1% disliked the “know-it-all” candidate, believing that everybody has something to learn

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Preparation

Preparation for any interview is paramount, and you should prepare the following:

• Get the details right, of the date time and place of the interview, as well as the interviewers name and title.
• Never, never arrive late for an interview.
• Do some research into the organisation or firm so that you are informed about its products, service, market position, and any recent changes. This can be obtained from Internet web sites, and business handbooks, which are often freely available at their reception desks.
• Be totally familiar with your resume, and be prepared to restate your key responsibilities and achievements for your previous employers. Rehearse giving some additional information that reinforces your resume details
• Take time to prepare your answers to the most likely questions, but avoid set responses. Attempt to customise your answers to the organisation and its specific job requirements. Smile frequently, it denotes a happy disposition and a level of comfort with the questions

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First Impressions

First impressions are extremely important and the impact that you make in the first few minutes will set the tone for your presentation. Greet male and female interviewers warmly, with a firm handshake direct eye contact, and in a friendly and professional manner. Many employee decisions are made in the first 2 minutes of an interview. Practice some “ice breaking” conversational topics and avoid “empty silences” Politely refuse offers of refreshments, as they can be major distractions to your required focus, and sipping drinks can sometimes denote nervousness. Establish and hold eye contact immediately and avoid distractions in the room

• Use the interviewers first name, it confirms your confidence and people skills and acknowledges their presence
• Smile!
• Ensure that your personal grooming is of the highest standard, regardless of the circumstances of the interview, and always seek to impart an air of conservative professionalism. ( even with the most relaxed employers)
• Smile!
• Make sure you arrive on time, lateness is inexcusable.
• Body language is also important so ensure that your stature reflects your words. Nervous mannerisms are common but must be controlled. Folding your hands, using small hand gestures and refolding is a method of control
• Smile! Maintain eye contact !
• Speak from experience at every opportunity. And relate your skills and experience to the role required
• Very few people are comfortable when speaking about themselves, but this is precisely is what is required of you.
• Practice your responses and short dissertations before you get to the interview. Your ability to answer the questions concisely and in a clear logical manner will be tested
• Avoid exaggerations of achievements, as these can be quite transparent.
• Practice at home answering questions completely and succinctly, without any unnecessary stories.
• Be a listener as well as a talker, and look like you are listening. Valuable information can often be gained from an interviewer as to what answers are required. In any interview you should be talking for about 70% of the time.
• Be ready for the interviewer to change the subject, or interupt your flow of thought. Be ready to demonstrate your responsiveness
• Smile! Maintain eye contact !

The quality of the answers that you provide in an interview directly relates to the impression you give the interviewer. It is not enough just to walk into an interview unprepared and waffle. Preparation of structured answers will give you an edge at an interview. Watch the interviewer carefully to ensure you have their interest and attention

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Avoiding Poor Impression Makers

Issues that create poor impressions amongst interviewees are:

• Conveying lack of purpose or direction in your career.
• Lack of knowledge about the firm or the job you are applying for.
• Focussing on salaries & benefits.
• Negative comments of any kind, especially about yourself
• Indecisiveness about your career or personal life
• Irrelevant information
• Inability to present your past achievements.
• Body language or statements that show a lack of enthusiasm for the role.
• Untidy or inappropriate personal appearance.
• Lack of self-confidence or nervous mannerisms.
• Inconsideration towards other people.

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Good Impression Makers

• Take opportunities to use action words such as I “achieved” “won” “initiated” “managed”
• Listen carefully to questions…. Well-prepared responses will engage and hold the interviewers attention. An effectively prepared presentation will convince interviewers that you will be an effective worker.
• Speak always in terms of your benefits to the new organisation.
• Express interest or passion for your career or past responsibilities.
• Speak in terms of the first person. Use “my”, “me” or “I”.
• Always talk in an active voice at interviews, and always frame your answers in context with the job or the firm.
• Speak proudly of your achievements in your professional or personal life.
• As an example it is insufficient to say, “I believe I have excellent communication skills”. It is important that you demonstrate that you have these skills. Provide some demonstrations of good communication, and how you have applied them in your work environment.
• When structuring the answer to any question, remember the “STAR TECHNIQUE”.
  • Situation
  • Task
  • Action taken

Results achieved from the action

• 30% of your impression making ability will be in your resume. They already have that, and you are now being interviewed.
• 20% of your impression making ability is the words you use in your answers.
• 50% of your impression making ability is the tone and attitude that you use in giving answers

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Answering Interview Questions

Rehearse your answers to questions such as these but be prepared to customise your answers to individual situations.

Tell me about your self!

A popular and revealing question with no right answers. Keep this response brief and don’t simply restate what is in your resume. A short 2-minute answer should focus on who you are as a professional and where you are taking your career. Develop and practice a creative opening to this question. (Never attempt humour, it rarely works)

• Why do you want to work for XYZ Co?
  Focus on what you understand of the company’s culture and activities and needs, and how you can make a contribution. Link your past successes to what you might be able to achieve for them and use this to sell your benefits
• Why should we hire you?
  A brief statement of the relevance of your background, knowledge, skills and personal attributes together with a “closer”, such as the special benefit that only you can bring.
• What do you know about our company?
  You can’t know it all so say so and keep it brief. Having done your homework, give an outline of their activities without too much fine detail, but comment on the reputation of the people and the firm in the business community. Demonstrate your research with a few key facts and always project interest. Tell them the source of your information and finish with why you would want to work for such an organisation.
• What are you looking for in a job?
  Simply an opportunity to apply your skills and experience, make a contribution and to be recognised (and recompensed) for your performance. Job enjoyment is acceptable but avoid “boring phrases” like “seeking fresh challenges”.
• What benefits will you bring to XYZ Co?
  Talk about past successes or your abilities in problem solving or creativity and how this can be applied to XYZ Co.
• How quickly can you make a contribution?
  Certainly you expect your experience and skills to take effect after a very short learning curve.
• How long do expect to stay with XYZ Co?
  Whilst you are still contributing and achieving and growing, there will be no need to look elsewhere.
• Do you think you might be overqualified for this position?
  Emphasise your ability to make a contribution quickly with your experience, and offer that your skills will have a broader benefit to the firm. Restate your interest in a long-term career.
• What style of manager are you?
  Communicative, democratic, positive, available, objective, and organised. Make sure this is delivered in a warm and friendly manner. Be sure that you provide one or two examples of these personal styles from your past
• What do your staff think or say about you?
  This will be checked so be honest. Give a real example of exemplary staff management perhaps under difficult circumstances, and recognise the tough choices sometimes made by managers. Always present confidence of their possible responses
• Can you give an example of how you managed a difficult situation?
  Be succinct and brief in describing the circumstance, and focus your answer on calm strategic and mutually satisfying outcomes. ( STAR Technique )
• What sort of staff would you hire on your team?
  Flexible, multi skilled, adaptable, and growing.
• Have you ever cautioned or fired any staff? And how did you accomplish this
  Firmly, carefully, sensitively. Finished with a positive outcome for both. State your desire for a “win-win” solution
• What is a manager’s most difficult task?
  Getting the job done on time on quality and on budget. Always! You use a step by step strategic approach to lengthy tasks. State your ability to delegate and communicate. “managing people” is also another critical issue worth elaborating on.
• What are your weaknesses?
  Don’t say you work too hard, or you are a perfectionist, or that you don’t have any, it is too transparent!
  Admit to not enjoying some aspects, such as repetitive work or staff reprimands etc. Admit a past weakness and how you overcame it.
• Why are you leaving your present employer?
  Be honest, again it will be checked, avoid the impression of just looking for a change.
  Present your case for furthering your skills and career. (Looking to grow personally and with the firm is OK)
  Never criticise your past employers and thank them for the opportunities they offered you.
• How have you increased sales or profits?
  Give clear answers and be specific as to your role in this result.
• What are your biggest achievements?
  Be enthusiastic with your answers, as these are your key selling points and ensure your role is clearly identified.
  Be specific about outcomes. These should be reflected in your resume.
• In your last position what did you enjoy doing most and least?
  Answer with one negative first and then 2 – 3 positives, and again be enthusiastic.
• What do you think of your present firms (or your boss) management style?
  Be positive and never critical. If pressed, point out that you might apply a better management style
• Have you ever been criticised for your work?
  Of course you have and nobody likes it! But it was a learning curve for you at the time.
  Use this opportunity to restate your personal skills in constructive performance analysis.
• What other jobs have you applied for? And why did you not get them?
  Don’t give the impression of marketing yourself randomly. Tell of a job you missed out on but was really beyond your reach One or two others of the same calibre provides an impression of selectivity.
• How do you respond to high pressure situations?
  Pressure is a fact of life in today’s environment but you deal with it by applying planning and strategy.
• Have you ever handled conflict amongst a team?
  Give examples of your communicative style and your ability to bring people together by providing consultative leadership.

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Salary Questions

Discussions about salaries are always a sensitive topic to be handled appropriately as they can influence interview outcomes.

Never at any stage ask about the salary unless the interviewer raises it first. If they are interviewing you then they have already decided that you are within their salary range. Salary “bargaining ”should only be done directly with the employer, and only in the final stages.

Don’t however be shy about taking about money, after all it is why you work! Just be businesslike and practical and practice to avoid nervous answers.

Research here is critical, and you should know the range of salary that is appropriate for your job role. State that you understand that you have a value figure and that various roles have a value that may be happily consistent. However that you have achieved results to date, and that you can offer significant benefits to the organisation. On this basis you feel that a salary in the range of $00 to $00 would be appropriate. Finish with a value statement such as; I feel that I can bring benefits to this organisation commensurate with that salary level.

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Closing the Interview

You may be asked if you have any questions, and you should respond that you have a couple of quick ones

Have some questions mentally prepared such as:

• What are the key objectives, and who will you be working with or reporting to
• What career paths or future career prospects?
• Is the organisation planning any substantial future changes?
• What team structure is in place at present?
• What would my individual key performance indicators be?

Thank the interviewer for the information, and confirm that they have covered all your issues. Restate your knowledge of the firm and the job, and your level of comfort with your ability to perform

Ascertain the next step in the interview process and agree with it willingly.

Take the opportunity of re-affirming your avid interest in the position, and thanking the interviewer warmly for their time. Maintain good eye contact and always leave with a firm handshake, and a friendly goodbye.