- When you arrive remember how important first impressions are and think about your body language and how that may be perceived
- Always maintain good eye contact without staring. This shows that you are interested and attentive.
- Give a firm hand shake. This is a sign of confidence which is an important trait to possess throughout the interview.
- Do not cross your arms or slouch. This will show that you lack interest in the position and the latter can even give the impression that you are careless in your work.
- Do not fidget, play with your hair, check the time or let your eyes wander around the room. This is distracting and can indicate that you are a nervous person or that you are simply in a rush to leave.
- Smile!!
- Follow the interviewer’s direction on where to be seated.
- Ensure you arrive 5 minutes early for the interview. This will give you some time to relax, gather your thoughts and fill in any paper work the client may require. However, do not arrive any earlier than 10 minutes prior to the start of your interview as your interviewer is not going to be ready for you.
- Make sure your cell phone is turned off.
- Be honest.
- Be confident. You would never have been selected for the interview if the organisation did not think that you could be the best person for the position.
At the Interview
- An interview is a two way discussion. You are trying to find out as much about the company and the position as possible. At the same time the interviewer is trying to find out as much about your personality, skills and experience so as to gauge how you would fit into the organisation.
- If an interviewer doesn’t have a formal structure he/she may want to break the ice by asking: “Tell me about yourself”. If faced with such an open question, ask “where would you like me to start?” in order to get a more definite starting point.
- Don’t answer questions with a simple “yes” or “no”. Always use examples wherever possible and distinguish clearly what part you played versus the collective “we”.
- Typical questions that you may be asked during the interview include:
Why did you apply for this particular position?
This is where your research into the company will stand out. Explain how your career accomplishments and future goals fit with the mission and vision of the company. Give an example/s with reference to something specific about the company.
What interests you the most about this position?
You want to focus on the specific duties outlined in the job description and/or what your understanding of typical tasks for this kind of job would be. Cover the kinds of skills, interests or knowledge from previous study or work that you would bring to the position. . Remember to show enthusiasm!
What do you know about this organisation?
This is also a good chance to demonstrate your research and preparation into the company. Keep an open mind, use a suggestive approach, e.g. “If I understand correctly…” as opposed to a ‘know-it-all attitude.
Where do you see yourself in five years time/Where would you like your career to be at in the next two to five years?
Make sure you connect your answer to the company you are interviewing with. You want to appear ambitious, enthusiastic and goal-oriented but also realistic.
What are your greatest strengths?
Determine which strengths would fit best with the position for which you are applying and try to highlight three or four that seem the most appropriate. Remember everyone says they are honest, hardworking and reliable. Try and think of other adjectives to describe yourself and then back them up with examples.
What are your weaknesses?
This is often considered one of the hardest questions and it doesn’t have to be. Use an example of an area that you are looking to improve on or a skill that you have only recently acquired and are looking to develop.
Why did you leave/are leaving your job?
Be honest but be careful not to sound too bitter or angry. It’s extremely important not to bad mouth or talk negatively about your last employer, focus on the positives where possible.
When are you available to start if you are successful?
You should be aware of what your notice period is, if in doubt check your employment contract.
What kind of salary are you looking for?
Ideally you will already know what the salary range for the position is and be happy to confirm that this is in line with your requirements. If you are not aware, make sure you answer with a realistic figure that you would accept if offered. Asking for too much with a view that you can negotiate later may work sometimes but it is a risk and may lead to you missing out on a second interview.
What management style do you prefer?
This is often a difficult question to answer, as most of us don’t know many different management styles, apart from styles we’ve particularly enjoyed or particularly disliked. If in doubt approach the question like this: The manager I enjoyed working for the most was ‘X’ and he or she operated like ‘X’.
What has been your greatest achievement/s to date?
Be honest and proud of what you have accomplished. Try to answer with an achievement/s that have some relevance to the company in which you are interviewing with in terms of skills and competencies you used that are also listed as requirements for this position.
What do you feel you can bring to the position/organisation?
Give examples of your past accomplishments and relate them to what you could potentially achieve in the future. Try to correlate your goals to the goals of the organisation so that the interviewer becomes aware that you have done your research and have the skills and drive to fit in with the company.
- Potential employers are also going to want to know how you have dealt with particular situations. They are trying to form judgements about your past behaviours as a way to predict how you may perform in the future. Questions they could ask to uncover these behaviours include:
- Describe a situation in which you showed your initiative?
- Describe a situation in which you were faced with a difficult situation/customer?
- Tell us about an instance where you were a part of team. What was your role?
- Tell us about a time in which you implemented your decision making skills?
- Tell us about a time where you have had to take leadership of a situation?
- Give us an example of a time in which you felt you provided outstanding customer service?
- What is an example of a goal that you set yourself in a previous position? How did you go about achieving this goal?
- Explain a situation in which you have had to work to a tight deadline?
To answer the above questions make sure you clearly state how you approached the situation, the particular behaviour or action you took to control the situation and what the outcome was.
- Ask intelligent questions. The interviewer will give you the opportunity to ask questions towards the end of the meeting. Asking questions will demonstrate that you have done your research, possess information finding skills and have a general enthusiasm towards the position. Examples of questions are as follows:
- What is the vision of the organisation? What is the company’s plan for the next 2 – 5 years?
- What is the culture of the organisation?
- Why did the previous person leave?
- How large is the team I will be working with?
- What is the nature of the induction and training programs?
- Will there be a chance of ongoing personal and professional development?
