The Interview – The first few minutes
What to expect
Interviews come in many forms - panel interviews, one to one interviews, group interviews etc. Ask your consultancy what form of interview it will be beforehand. You may be asked to take a test before the interview, depending on the type of organisation. These might consist of psychometric or aptitude tests.
There are many different interview styles and each interviewer will have their own personal style. Some interviewers will fire questions at you while others will start off with an open question such as "tell me about yourself" leaving you to do most of the talking. The majority of interviews will be somewhere between the two. Be prepared for any style of interview.
Two-way communication
Make sure the employer knows the benefits of employing you. It is important to sell yourself by telling the employer details of your relevant skills and experience that you have to contribute to the organization.
Try not to monopolize the meeting - let your interviewer talk.
Find out what the key parts of the candidate specification are so you can show how you meet them. Ask how the job contributes to the success, efficiency and profitability of the organization. Show that you have done some research.
Don't give negative information or bad news if you are not asked for it and don't criticize previous employers or jobs. The key is to turn negative information into positive information.
Top Interview Tips at the start
- Practice a strong positive handshake and plan your greeting.
- Remember to smile and be polite to all the staff you meet,
- Unless you feel particularly comfortable, do not accept tea or coffee at the interview as it can get in the way.
- If you are taking papers to the interview, carry them in a suitable case or folder.
Those first questions
They say that an interview can be about the first 10 seconds, not strictly true but how you come across in those first 5 minutes do leave an impression and set the agenda.
Get the firm handshake out of the way, settle into to your chair, get any papers or presentation material in the place where you want it. If you are using a laptop make sure it’s powered up and ask permission to have it ready to use on standby mode.
At this point I like to thank the interviewer for allowing me the “opportunity to present myself” and it can be worthwhile explaining the preparation work you have done.
Now over to them, the questions begin. Classic openers:
- "Tell us about yourself". Prepare for the worst - a classic opener that can really throw you. Plan ahead by having a presentation statement to cover this.
- "Why did you apply for this job?" - The candidate should be careful not to mention a desire for promotion or money. They should really focus on the actual content of the job, referring to the possibility of learning, new challenges, or the prospect of putting their previous experience to work in a new role. They should always provide examples with their answer, rather than just simply stating 'I'm ready for the next step.'
- "Why do you want to work for us?" - Explain why you see the company as an attractive employer. Financial package should never be given as a reason, but think about things like the company culture, training program, company structure, the ability to cross-train into different technologies, or the company's ethic. Obviously these need to be relevant and well-researched.
So these are questions they might ask you early in the interview, but what questions could you ask them. Remember the interview should be a two way communication NOT them asking all the questions and then asking you at the end “do you have any questions”.
- If you are asked about why you applied or where you see yourself this response enables a questioned to be asked as well - In organizations with flatter structures, be careful when asking about promotion. A better way to tackle this would be 'how can you see the role developing?' Other questions to ask are: 'what circumstances have led you to be recruiting?' and 'how long do people stay in the role?'
- Great response to why did you apply –“Well I have ….
1. I’ve read the job description; can you expand what I will be doing?
2. What type of training is provided?
3. How do you see me in the role?
4. Do you have performance targets?
5. How will I know that I am doing well?
6. What are team members achieving?
- Again a response to why did you apply to work for us – well I have heard you have xyz management style which I found very positive – so what can you share with me: 'What can you tell me about my boss?' and 'Can you tell me about the management/leadership style within the business?' should give you an idea of whether the organization’s values and the way it operates will suit you. It's important that candidates inform themselves about what they're letting themselves in for. Often people will see a job advertised, and think I'd love to work for that company, without knowing what the reality of life inside that company is like.
Your now into the interview and in Part 3 of this series we cover all the different types of questions you might get asked but also look at the questions you should be asking of the interviewer.
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