Interview skills

Before interview . ..

£ Find out all you can about the company and the job:

What do they do?

Who are their competitors?

What does the job involve?

£ What skills do you have that would be of interest to the company?

£ Keep a copy of your CV and re-read it before the interview.

£ Think about and prepare for the questions that you may be asked.

£ Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer.

On the day…

£ First impressions count. Dress appropriately so that you feel confident and comfortable.

£ Make sure you know where you are going, and allow yourself plenty of time to get there.

£ Get a feel for the company while you are waiting to be interviewed. (Read any literature that is available, chat to any other candidates).

£ Remember the interview starts from the moment you arrive on the company premises – the receptionist/secretary may be asked what she thought of you.

At the interview…

£ A firm, brief handshake if proffered. Avoid sweaty palms and a contest of strength!

£ Sit up straight and look at the interviewer, speak clearly and don’t fidget.

£ Be yourself – the interviewer wants to find out about you!

£ Take a copy of your CV along and use it as a memory jogger.

£ Be friendly, polite and enthusiastic! You need to let the interviewer know that you really want the job!

£ Make sure you get all the points about your skills and what you can offer the company, across in the interview.

£ Show interest and be positive. Never offer negative information about yourself.

£ Establish a two-way communication process. Tag relevant questions on the end of answers to obtain a good conversational flow. Avoid yes/no answers. Don’t waffle.

£ Think before you speak! Momentarily pause before replying to give a well thought through answer.

£ Watch for signals that the interview is coming to an end.

£ Check the time schedule and what the next stage is and thank the interviewer for an enjoyable interview and find out when you are likely to hear from them.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS YOU MAY BE ASKED…

General

£ Tell me about yourself.

£ Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years time?

£ What do you want out of life?

£ How would a friend describe you? (In 3 words?)

£ How flexible are you? (Travel at short notice?)

£ What are your strengths/weaknesses?

£ Give an example of when you got your own way.

£ Give an example of when you have worked as part of a team.

£ Give an example of when you have achieved a personal goal.

£ Give an example of when an idea of yours has been put into action.

Past Experience

£ Why did you choose your ‘old’ position?

£ What was your title?

£ What did you actually do?

£ What did you learn from the experience?

£ What sort of problems did you encounter in your position?

£ What targets and objectives did you work to?

£ What kind of relationship did you have with the other workers?

£ What did you learn about the culture of the company?

£ What did you learn about management roles/ staff tier system?

This Position

£ What interests you about this particular vacancy?

£ What interests you about this company?

£ What parts of your course do you feel are relevant to this position?

£ What new skills do you think you will learn from this job?

£ Do you think you will need any training if it were offered?

£ What do you feel you can contribute to this job/the company? (knowledge, skills, ability)

£ Who do you see as the company’s main competitors? Why?

£ What do you think are the main problems facing the company at the moment/ in the future?

£ Describe what you think your role will include.

Education

£ What were your favourite subjects at school?

£ What influenced your choice of A levels?

£ What influenced your choice of degree scheme?

£ Please describe the course outline.

£ Which were your favourite topics?

£ Which of these topics do you think are relevant to the job? Why?

£ Explain the techniques gained through your project.

£ In hindsight what would you have done differently?

£ What are the strengths/weaknesses of the course?

£ What do you feel you have gained from higher education, both academically and socially?

Extra Mural

£ What extra curricular activities have you taken part in?

£ What has been the depth of your involvement?

£ What posts of responsibility have you held?

£ What skills/abilities have you gained/used?

£ Why did you get involved in these activities?

£ What did you get out of/put into these activities?

After the interview…

If you are offered the job…

Ask yourself are you genuinely excited about the prospect of working for the company for a fixed term?

£ If ‘yes’ – keenly accept – verbally; await the written offer and reply within a few days.

£ If ‘no’ – explain to the interviewer why you feel you cannot accept it. Do not wait several weeks before declining – there may be another student who genuinely wants the job. Remember to be civil and polite – at some stage you may want to go for another interview with them.

If you are not offered the job…

Review your performance objectively with yourself.

£ What interested the interviewer?

£ How could you improve your presentation next time?

£ Did you get all the points across?

£ Did you interrupt the interviewer at all, or fail to complete any questions?

£ Were you positive, aggressive, tense, too laid back, too talkative or taciturn?

£ What questions were difficult or needed further research?