Preparing for a interview

Student Employability Team- March 2015

Performing well at Interview

Interview= Self Promotion in person!

Agenda:

• Before, during & after

• Answering questions

• Useful resources

• Prepare to ask questions

The perfect candidate selection process could include:

CV, letter, application, online application

Telephone interview

Online tests (aptitude, psychometric)

Assessment day & group task (role

play, case study/scenario, presentation, in-tray exercise, social event)

First interview

Final interview

Interviews & Assessment Centres

Reflect on past experiences you’ve had?

What went well? What was difficult/challenging?

Questions you found easy to answer? Nightmare questions?

Things you felt prepared for? How you coped

with the unexpected?

Interviewers – what are they looking for?

AbilityCan you do the job?

(appropriate qualifications, knowledge, skills, experience?)

WillingnessWill you do the job?

(right motivation, attitude and enthusiasm?)

ManageabilityWill you fit in?

(personality - a pleasure or a pain?)

Selling PointsWhat can you offer over the other

candidates?

Before the interview you should be prepared to know

1. Know yourself – What do you want out of the job

2. The job – What does the job role involve, make sure you read through the job description.

3. The organisation – Research the company/industry, understand the services they offer and their customers

4. The details - Know where you’re going – check date & time, prepare route & method of travel, check how long it will take

5. Relevant experience - think about how well your experience, interests and skills fit the job and the organisation

6. Be positive and be yourself….

1. First impressions

Dress smart

Present Yourself Appropriately

Arrive early

Be organised

A winning Smile

Confident

Be positive

The language you use

Your voice

Facial impressions

55% is visual impact 38% is tone of voice 7% is what you say

Specialist Skills

Specialist

Knowledge

Relevant

Experience

ResponsibilitiesAchievementsInterests

2. You are gaining many skills – Tell and show this

Matching Skills to Requirements – Employers want Evidence

EMPLOYER NEEDS

Communication

Team work

YOUR EVIDENCE

Communicating with work colleagues or

communicating when presenting to your class

friends.

Working with groups of people at university.

EMPLOYER NEEDS YOUR EVIDENCE

Leadership

Time Management

Meeting coursework/project deadlines

Always on time for lectures and seminars

Listening Skills

Listening to your class colleagues when working in a team project

Question time – Matching skills to Requirements

Can you give me an example of when you have demonstrated strong

communication skills?

Presenting a presentation in front of your class

– communicating with the class, e.g. listening

as well as asking the audience questions

Question time – Matching skills to Requirements

The ability to work well with others is a critical skill for this position. Therefore give me an

example of when you’ve worked well as part of a Team?

Team project you’ve worked on at university or

working in a team at work to resolve a

problem.

Question time – Matching skills to Requirements

How do you manage your time and

prioritise tasks?

Setting goals

Breaking tasks down into steps

Prioritising

Using lists

The STAR technique

Using the STAR technique to shine at a job interview

Situation Task Action Resultbriefly

describe

where

were you

working

the job you

were

assigned

discuss

in detail

the

action

you took

the

outcome/result

of those

actions

• Situation – set the context for your story. For example my colleague was suppose

to deliver a presentation in front of 20 external employers, however he did not turn

up.

• Task – what was required of you. For example, It was my responsibility to find an

alternative so it didn't reflect badly on the company and we didn't waste the

opportunity

• Activity – what you actually did. For example, I ended up delivering the

presentation and I spoke to a member of the team, who at a push could step in and

also help.

• Result – how well the situation played out. For example, I explained to the external

employers that my colleague could not make the meeting, however myself and my

colleague presentation went well. As a result we gained some good external

contacts for the university.

Tell me about a time when you came up

with an innovative solution to a challenge

your company/class/organization was

facing.

Think of the STAR technique

3. Common Interview Questions - Examples

Tell me about yourself.

How did you choose your university?

What attracted you to this position?

What do you know about our company?

What interests you about our company?

Who are our major competitors and what differences do you notice?

Why should we employ you?

What can you offer us that others can't?

What have been your main achievements?

What motivates you?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

How would your friends/colleagues describe you?

How do you react under pressure?

When were you involved in confrontation and how did you resolve it?

What contribution would you make as part of a team?

What supervisory/leadership

experience do you have?

What are your career goals and how does this position fit in with those?

Have you any questions you would like to ask us?

Buy Some Time - You can often buy some time to formulate an answer by rephrasing the question, or asking for clarification.

Perhaps add how you may go about getting the answer if need be.

I'm not entirely sure of an answer, but here are a few thoughts of mine.

Don’t panic, Try to stay calm and relax.

4. Not knowing how to answer a question.. What to do next?

Inappropriate appearance

Being late

Appearing disorganised

Poor communication skills

Lack of insight into the

organisation or job

Lack of energy or enthusiasm

A defensive attitude

A tendency to make excuses and

blame others

Lack of confidence

Aggression and rudeness

5. Reasons for Rejection and how to handle rejection

How to handle rejection

Reasons for rejection

What types of training opportunities do you offer?

In what way is performance measured and reviewed?

Is there scope for promotion in the future?

5. Questions you can ask the interviewer ..

Professional development questions

5. Questions you can ask

Team questions

Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?

Which other departments work most closely with this one?

Creating an Elevator Pitch

Identify your goal

Explain what you do/did

Communicate your unique selling point

Put it all together

Practice

6. The 30 second evaluator pitch

30 seconds to

sell yourself

Ask questions

Smile

Look forward to hearing from you

Contact them after the interview via email

Crack a joke..

7. Leaving a good impression

Making an Impact – the graduate job interview

DVD available to watch at the Employability Desk in the Mountbatten Library

Solent University’s online employability resource:

http://careerbox.solent.ac.uk

click on the Site Map

click on Get that job!scroll down to Job Getting Web Links

Interviews: Useful Resources

Watch on the web! http://vimeo.com/user3283496/videos/sort:date

Telephone Interview Advice http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-get-job-through-

phone-interview.html

Book a mock interview with a careers advisor