1st Bac - Interview Skills

The most important thing to remember about any interview is that it is a two-way process. It is as much about you finding out whether you want to work for the company as them finding out whether they want you. This means it is important to present yourself as you really are, not pretend to be something you’re not.

Preparing For The Interview
Research the Organisation

Your preparation before the day of the interview needs to be on two main fronts:

Find out as much as you can about the company.

Look at their website, and any information that they have sent you, and see if you can find their mission, objectives, any value statements and the like. It’s helpful to be familiar with the organisation’s guiding principles. Also try to find out how the job that you have applied for fits into the organisation.

Make a list of the questions about the organisation, ideally around work, such as the team you will be working with, or the work that you will be doing on a daily basis. It’s OK to ask about the on-site gym and the holiday allowance, but don’t sound as if you’re only interested in getting away from work!

It’s probably not a great idea to ask whether you’ll be able to work part-time at this stage. Either you should already have done that before applying, or you need to be prepared to work the hours stated.

About you

You need to sit down with the person specification and your application, and develop some new examples of how you meet at least a few of the requirements. It is fine to talk about the examples on your application form or CV/covering letter, but it’s useful to have a few new ones too. Describe the situation in one sentence or less, and focus on your actions, the results that you achieved, and how you knew you were successful.

It’s also helpful to prepare answers for some of the standard icebreakers, such as ‘Tell me a bit about your current job’, or ‘Tell me why you’ve applied for this job’. Your answers should focus on your skills, and how you can use them in the new job, again based around the person specification. Don’t learn them off by heart, but have a good idea of what you want to say.

Do:

• Arrive in good time. The interview panel may be interviewing a lot of candidates so do not keep them waiting.
• Dress appropriately. Some organisations, especially technology companies, have a very casual dress code but, for most, a suit will be appropriate interview wear. Remember that you are being judged on the appearance that you present.
• Act appropriately, which usually means following the interviewer’s lead. If you are offered a hand to shake, then shake it, but don’t offer your own hand if nobody else seems interested. 
• Engage with the interviewers. Smile, make eye contact, and build rapport.
• Answer the questions that are asked, using relevant examples where at all possible.

Don’t:

• Be afraid to blow your own trumpet a bit. After all, nobody else is going to blow it for you; however do not lie or exaggerate. If you want the job, be enthusiastic and positive.
• Be over-familiar or share too much information. For example, the interviewers don’t want to know how you’re going to manage your childcare.