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Interviewing Tips
What do interviewers want?
When the interview starts the interviewers will be aware that their organisation is on show and will be trying to give you a good impression of them but don't let this lull you into a false sense of security - they will be observing you very carefully so always be polite, sit up straight in your chair and maintain good eye contact particularly when listening to or responding to questions.
You should also be aware of the interviewers’ non verbal behaviour and do not be afraid to ask if you feel that they have misunderstood a point, interviewers want a true picture of you and will generally appreciate you clarifying something when it is unclear.
An employer is primarily concerned with whether you can do the job or can be trained to, whether you are motivated enough to stay with the job and the organisation, and whether you will you fit into the existing workforce.
Their questions will be designed to elicit this information from you. Sometimes they will use the application form as a framework for the interview (which is why you should be familiar with what you have written) or sometimes they will use a structure of their own.
Always think carefully before answering questions - if you have done your preparation well then you may well have little difficulty in making your responses but you should still show that you are giving careful thought to what you are being asked.
Interviewers are likely to be interested in situations where you took the initiative, worked as part of a team, used communication skills, had to influence others, motivated yourself or others, marshalled your resources effectively to achieve results, designed and executed some form of plan, adapted to change, made a decision or solved a problem.
Before you go into the interview you should have at least two examples of where you did each of these things in your life, as always back up what you say with evidence - ‘When I was working on a project last year with some colleagues I learned the importance of communicating quickly and effectively and really developed my skills in doing so’ is much better than - ‘I have good communication skills’.
A common technique interviewers use is to ask you to explain why you took certain decisions in your life. The rationale behind this is that your life decisions are in fact a post mortem view of your development.
The critical incidents the interviewers will be concerned with are those which you have told them about in your application and they will want to know why you made decisions in the way you did so make sure you do know and can clearly express the reasons why.
- Why did you choose this University?
- Why did you choose this degree subject?
- Why do you want this career?
- Why do you want to work for us?
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
You must at all costs avoid not having an answer to this one or having an answer that is inconsistent with the organisation’s own goals. The answer may well be I haven't a clue but you should demonstrate that you have some ideas about the issues that are involved and have considered them carefully. This is to do with your personal objectives but you should discuss your answer in terms of the organisation’s own goals e.g. ‘With the training I would receive I would hope to be a successful Management Accountant looking for my first managerial position’.In order to place where I see myself in five years time into context I would first briefly like to describe my short and medium term objectives’. This shows that you want to develop personally and professionally, that you want to tie your goals and your success to those of the organisation and that you see the job as means of doing that.
Under no circumstances should you give the impression that you view the job as being just a short term fix until you find something better.
What are your strengths?
You should prepare these beforehand, give no more than three and always back them up with evidence and relate them to how they can satisfy the organisation’s needs. e.g. ‘I enjoy working as part of a team, that was why I took up hockey at University. I did have to work very hard to bring myself up to standards of the other players but once I did we worked really well together. The experience of being the most junior member of the team stood me in good stead in my final year when I took on some responsibility for coaching freshers because I could remember how I felt when I first started.’
What are your weaknesses?
Never try to underplay your answer to this question. Many organisations are now stressing the role of the individual in their own development and they want to see that you can realistically appraise your own development needs. Often what you do about your weaknesses is more important than what they actually are. Donut give standard answers such as ‘Sometimes I work too much at the expense of my social life’ which is an old chestnut that interviewers are tired of hearing. Instead tell the truth, but stress why you think it is a weakness, what steps you have taken to overcome it and what you are learning in the process e.g.
When I am working in a group I sometimes try to do everything myself which gives the impression that I don't trust the other team members which isn't true - it is just because I want to help. When I was working on a joint project last year I worked hard on developing my communication skills so that I didn't try to help unless it was needed and everything ran much more smoothly’. An interviewer may sometimes remain silent so don't talk yourself out of a job, and give no more than two or at the most three weaknesses.
At the conclusion of the interview you will almost certainly be asked if you have any questions. You should have some but it is a good idea to have asked questions as the interview has gone along firstly because the interview is meant to be an interaction but also because it shows you are interested and are paying attention, although you must avoid making the interviewer feel that you are interviewing them.
Do keep a few salient questions until the end, make them relevant and link them to your research e.g. don't say ‘would I get a chance to work in Europe?’ instead say ‘I read that you are expanding into Northern Europe, I've always been interested in working in Europe later in my career, what would be the chances of me having an opportunity to do so?’.
Other Questions
Interviewers will look for inconsistencies in your choices - for instance why you want to do a job different to the one for which you are best qualified, or why you failed to achieve certain things and had to re-adjust as a consequence e.g. changing a course subject half way through a semester.
When you answer these questions don't just give your reasons but also the consequences of the decisions you took and what you gained as a result. For instance ‘Yes, the University I chose was a long way from home but I decided that I wanted to be completely independent and over the last four years I do believe that I have matured and developed my life skills as a result.
I am happy that I made the right decision’. If you have made a poor decision then don't try to hide the fact but emphasise what you learned from it - this can often do you more credit than reeling off a list of good decisions.
Before you enter the selection process you should decide on some clear goals and render them explicit. If you set yourself objectives you will be able to gauge your own success or failure and you will be able to identify a focal point for the organisation of your resources. The fact that you have objectives will demonstrate to a potential employer that you know where you are going, you have a coherent plan to get there and are motivated to succeed.
Do not be afraid to admit to having applied to other organisations that may be in competition with the one interviewing you - it displays motivation, a clear plan, commitment to a course of action and most of all honesty.
Be prepared to discuss your objectives in short, medium and long range terms. Short term goals (6 months or less) may include; getting the job and completing the training or orientation period; a medium term goal (up to two years) might be to put your training into practice, learn how the organisation works, consolidate you knowledge and continue your development; a long term goal (up to five years and often more) might include promotion or specialisation.
When you are asked an open question (one that does not require a simple yes or no answer) remember that because you are the main source of information the interviewer has you should make your answer reasonably detailed. If you do not provide the interviewer with the information they require then they will continue to question you until you do.
You can avoid this problem by first giving a general response and then justifying or elaborating on it as necessary. Do not be afraid to volunteer as much information as you think necessary to answer the question because if you consistently provide too little information then the interviewer may think that you are either unsure of the answer or unsure of yourself.
A good practice technique is to role-play an interview with a friend (or better still not a friend!), if the thought of doing this makes you feel uncomfortable think of how uncomfortable you will feel in an interview when you are struggling to explain why you want the job.
Try to plan for every eventuality - the interview is not the place to find out that you don't know what you have to offer the organisation or that you don't really know what you want to do with your life.