Introduction

Interviews are the make or break of the job search. No matter how good your career
record is to date, the job interview remains one of the most important steps towards
achieving your career goals. Preparation for the job interview is, therefore, crucial. Before
you begin the interview process you need to:

Know your CV and ideal next career move

Know your potential employer

Know the interview styles that are currently in use

Throughout this section there are opportunities to practise and develop interview
techniques. You may find it useful to be videotaped during a practice interview so that you
can see yourself as an interviewer will. This may be particularly useful if it has been many
years since you have had a formal job interview.
As well as the knowledge and preparation you need to perform well in interviews, there
are some general "DO's and DON'Ts" that should be incorporated in your interview style.
This can be seen in the article below.

Career Transition Management

How to Improve Your Performance at Interviews
The short time you spend at a job interview could have a dramatic effect on your career
prospects. It is, therefore, important that you perform well, because no matter how good
your career record is to date, the employment interview remains an important step
towards achievement of your ambitions.

These hints, combined with the guidance

provided by our consultants, will equip you with valuable information on how to conduct
yourself during interviews with prospective employers.

Preparation For The Interview

Preparation is the essential first step towards a successful interview. Company
interviewers are continually amazed at the number of applicants who drift into their offices
without any apparent preparation and only the vaguest idea of what they are going to say.
It is, therefore, important to:

1. Know the exact place and time of the interview, the interviewers full name and its
correct pronunciation, and his/her title.

2. Find out specific facts about the company: where its offices, plants or stores are
located, what its products and services are, what its growth has been, and what its
growth potential is for the future. There are a number of research publications that
provide this kind of information.

3. Refresh your memory on the facts and figures of your present employer and former
employers. You will be expected to know a lot about a company for which you have
previously worked.

4. Prepare the questions you will ask during the interview. Remember that an interview is
a two-way street. The employer will try to determine through questioning if you have
the qualifications necessary to do the job. You must determine through questioning
whether the company will give you the opportunity for the growth and development you
seek.

5. Probing questions you might ask about ...

(a)

A detailed description of the position

(b)

Reason the position is available

(c)

Culture of the company

(d)

Anticipated induction and training programme

(e)

The sort of people who have done well

(f)

Advanced training programmes available for those who demonstrate

outstanding ability

(g)

Earnings of those successful people in their third to fifth years

(h)

Company growth plans

(i)

Best-selling products or services

(j)

The next step

6. Dress conservatively and preferably in darker colours. Pay attention to all facets of
your dress and grooming.

Negative Factors To Watch For

During the course of an interview, the employer will be evaluating your negative factors as
well as your positive attributes. Listed below are negative factors frequently evaluated
during the course of an interview and those that most often lead to rejection:

Poor personal appearance

Overbearing, aggressive, conceited; superiority complex; know-it-all

Inability to express thoughts clearly; poor diction or grammar

Lack of planning for career - no purpose or goals

Lack of interest and enthusiasm - passive and indifferent

Lack of confidence nervousness

Over-emphasis on money - interested only in remuneration

Evasive - makes excuses for unfavourable factors in record

Lack of tact/maturity/courtesy

Condemnation of past employers

Failure to look interviewer in the eye

Limp handshake

Lack of appreciation of the value of experience

Failure to ask good questions about the job and company (this is most important!)

Persistent attitude of What can you do for me?

Lack of preparation for interview - failure to get information about the company,
resulting in inability to ask intelligent questions

The Interview
You

are

being

interviewed

because

the

interviewer

wants

to

hire

somebody - not because he/she wants to trip you up or embarrass you. Through the
interaction which takes place during the interview, he/she will be searching out your
strong and weak points, evaluating you on your qualifications, skills and intellectual
qualities and he/she will probably probe deeply to determine your attitudes,
aptitudes, stability, motivation and maturity.

Some DOs and DONTs concerning the interview:

DO plan to arrive on time or a few minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is
never excusable

If presented with an application, DO fill it out neatly and completely. If you have a CV,
be sure the person you give it to is the person who will actually do the hiring.
3

DO greet the interviewer by his/her surname if you are sure of the pronunciation. If
you are not, ask him/her to repeat his/her name.

DO shake hands firmly.

DO wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright in your chair. Look alert
and interested at all times. Be a good listener as well as a good talker. Smile.

DONT smoke even if the interviewer smokes and offers you a cigarette.

DO look a prospective employer in the eye while you talk to him/her.

DO follow the interviewers leads but try to get the interviewer to describe the position
and the duties to you early in the interview so that you can relate your background and
skills to the position.

DONT answer questions with a simple yes or no. Explain whenever possible. Tell
them those things about yourself that relate to the position.

DO make sure that your good points get across to the interviewer in a factual, sincere
manner.

Keep in mind that you alone can sell yourself to an interviewer. Make

him/her realise the need for you in his/her organisation. Smile.

DO be prepared to answer typical questions such as:

What kind of job are you looking for?
What are your strengths?
What are you really good at?
What are your weaknesses?
What are you doing about addressing them?
What do you know about our company?
Why did you choose your particular career?
What are your qualifications?

Smile.

DONT lie. Answer questions truthfully, frankly and as much to the point as possible.

DONT ever make derogatory remarks about your present or former employers or
companies.

DONT over-answer questions.

The interviewer may steer the conversation into

politics or economics. Since this can be ticklish, it is best to answer the questions
honestly, trying not to say more than is necessary.

DONT enquire about SALARY, HOLIDAYS, BONUSES etc at the initial interview
unless you are positive the employer is interested in hiring you and raises the issue

first. However, you should know your market value and be prepared to specify your
required salary or range.

DO always conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are
discussing. Never close the door on an opportunity. It is better to be in the position
where you can choose from a number of jobs rather than only one.

Closing The Interview

1. If you are interested in the position, ask for it. Ask for the next interview, if the
situation demands. If he/she offers the position to you, and you want it, accept on the
spot. If you need some time to think it over, be courteous and tactful in asking for that
time. Set a definite date when you can provide an answer.
2. Dont be too discouraged if no definite offer is made or specific salary discussed. The
interviewer will probably want to communicate with his/her office first or interview
more applicants before making a decision.
3. If you get the impression that the interview is not going well and that you have already
been rejected, dont let your disappointment show. Once in a while an interviewer
who is genuinely interested in your possibilities may seem to discourage you in order
to test your reaction.
4. Thank the interviewer for his/her time and consideration of you. You have done all
you can if you have answered the two questions uppermost in his/her mind:
(a) Why are you interested in the job and the company?
(b) What can you offer and can you do the job?

Smile.

After The Interview

Last, and most important, if the interview was arranged by a recruitment consultant, call
him/her immediately after the interview and explain what happened. He/she will want to
talk with you before the interviewer calls him/her back.

If you are interested in

progressing further it will assist if your feelings towards the position are known, together
with your perception of what the clients reaction is likely to be.

2 Know Your CV and Ideal Next Career Move

There are several styles of interviews which will be covered later in the programme.
However, this approach, ie knowing your CV and ideal next career move, requires you to
be prepared to give evidence. In preparation for an interview, knowledge of your CV is the
most important thing. It is your opportunity to set down situations where you have
demonstrated how you added value to an organisation. If you have a firm grasp of your
ideal next job, you will be prepared for ANY interview.
The person interviewing you generally knows little about you except for what is in your
CV. They will generally use the CV as a prompt to find out more about your career and
your abilities.
You should be sufficiently prepared so you are able to tell a story about every point you
make on your CV. Try using the following model to help frame the stories you prepare.
The model we recommend is called SOAR. It is relevant in preparation for and/or during
behavioural and competency-based interviews.
S stands for Scenario. You should begin your story with a brief description of the
scenario you were in. This requires brevity and clarity so the listener has a context for
your story rather than all the detail.
For example, take this question framed from the competency, ability to manage a small
team of professional staff: "Tell me about a time you had staff members in your team not
working well together and you had to intervene."
Answer: "I was managing a team of five marketing staff who generally worked on
separate accounts, but needed to work as a group for a national launch of the company's
major new product. When a critical deadline was not met, I realised that 2 staff members
who were allocated to work together on a key task hadn't spoken to each other for over a
year. This hadn't been realised, and now they were refusing to exchange vital information
and were creating significant tension in the wider group."
O stands for Ownership. This is where you clearly indicate the extent of influence you
have had in the scenario you are describing. Use an appropriate pronoun so the
interviewer is very clear about your role. An example could be: "It was my responsibility to
get the product ready for launch, so I had to do something immediately."

A is for Action. Describe the action you took. Present it sequentially and identify key
steps. Avoid excessive detail. An example could be: "As the revised deadline was only 24
hours away, I called a quick staff meeting and assigned the task to two staff members I
knew worked well together. In the meeting, I gave the staff in conflict separate tasks I
knew they could do without the need for collaboration, in addition to making an
appointment to meet with each of them after the project launch."
R stands for Results. Detail the outcomes of your action. For example: "The critical tasks
were achieved by the next deadline, tension in the group eased, the total launch was a
success and all staff knew that action was going to be taken with the offending team
members."
Each SOAR should take approximately 2 minutes to tell.
3 Know Your Potential Employer
Here we recommend you research the organisation you are being interviewed by, and not
just for knowledge. Use the information you discover to develop questions to ask those
interviewing you. Look for trends, study the financials and ask questions about strategy
and direction.
You can research organisations by reading the business press, reading their annual
reports and prospectuses, talking with your networks and, of course, on the Internet
4 Know The Style Of Interview
Company recruiters and recruitment agencies use a number of different interview styles.
Quite often, a combination of these styles is used. To help yourself prepare for interviews,
learn to recognise these styles. Each requires a different approach by the person being
interviewed. The most common styles are:

Behavioural or competency-based

Preference-based

Ad hoc

These examples will give you the opportunity to explore different kinds of information the
interviewer might be looking for in the CV and in your interview conversation. They will
also indicate the different kinds of questions that you could compare to ask the

interviewer.

- INTERVIEW STYLES Behavioural or Competency-Based

The basis of behavioural interviewing or "targeted recruitment" is "past behaviour is a
predictor of future behaviour". Questions asked of you will relate specifically to your
experience. Expect questions like:
"Tell me about a project you have managed from beginning to end."
"Describe a problem you have solved. What was your approach and what was the
outcome?"
When confronted with a behavioural interview, you will be glad you practised your SOAR
stories. If, during a behavioural interview, you find yourself beginning answers with, "Well,
what I would do...", stop. Think about a specific example and begin an answer with, "Well,
what I did was...". If you have detailed information about the role you are being
interviewed for, you can do some very specific preparation by aligning your experiences
with the job's key competencies.
- INTERVIEW STYLES - Preference-Based
The preference-based interview is, in reality, the preference-based "part" of an interview.
You will probably encounter this style when being interviewed by a recruitment agency
consultant.
This method is used to find out what individuals really want out of a career. It is based on
a theory, for example, that a recruiter could be interviewing an accountant who would love
to be a HR manager.
Don't be thrown by questions (at the beginning of an interview) like:

What are you looking for in the future?

What sort of company would you like to work for?

Which industry preferences do you have?

Where do you want to live?

Why are you exploring other options?

Who had the greatest impact on your life?

8

Describe your past mentors.

- INTERVIEW STYLES - Ad hoc

If a line manager in an organisation is interviewing you, there is a good chance that no
pre-ordained method or model will be followed.
It is still very important in this situation to know your CV and the organisation. You will
need to develop answers so that you are prepared for the following questions:

Why did you choose this particular role? What do you really want to do in your next
career move?

Why would you like to work for our organisation?

What do you want to be doing in your career, five years from now?

What was your last salary and bonus?

What style of management gets the best from you?

What interests you about our products and services?

Can you get references from your previous employers? What would they say about
you?

What have you learnt from some of the jobs you have had? Which did you most
enjoy?

What have you done that's shown initiative?

What is your major weakness? What are you doing about it?

What do you think determines a person's progress in a good company?

Are you willing to relocate?

How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies?

What does teamwork mean to you?

What type of books do you read?

What are your strengths?

What can you bring to this role?

Answers to some of these questions will call on self-knowledge from two sources: the
assessment of your ideal next career move and your CV. Whenever possible, use SOAR
to demonstrate your achievements in answers to these questions. However, other
questions can only be well answered if you have anticipated them and prepared an
answer beforehand, for example, questions about salary.

It is important in an ad hoc interview to be prepared to answer questions about

weaknesses or areas of development. It is important to acknowledge that you have
weaknesses but it is equally important to state your intent to do something about these,
for example:
Q: What are your weaknesses? A: I have an energetic marketing orientation. I enjoy
meeting people and am pro-active towards my customers. However, I don't always followup paperwork so I guess that is something I need to work on...
Two commonly asked questions at the start and end of interviews provide you with the
opportunity to give an impression summary to the interviewer:
"Why are you here?" and later, maybe last, in the interview: "Do you have any questions
for me?"
5 Summary
Now you're ready to go through a typical interview. This example includes the three styles
we have outlined and indicates the category a question falls into.

1.

Why are you here? (Preference/General)

2.

What type of position are you looking for? (Dont be too general. Refer to
job titles, responsibilities and why). (Preference)

3.

Describe your ideal company. (Refer to size, industry, culture, growth etc
and why). (Preference)

4.

What are your career aspirations? (Be honest but flexible). (Preference)

5.

What salary/package are you looking for? (Discuss your previous package
and perhaps quote a desired range - be flexible). (Preference)

6.

Why did you leave your last employer? (Keep it short, factual, to the point
and positive). (Preference/General)

7.

Provide an overview of your career

(Be structured, but not necessarily

chronological, focus on skill sets). (Preference/General)

8.

What are your key strengths? (Need 4 or 5 and identify a good example for
each, in SOAR format). (Behavioural/Preference)

10

9.

What are your liimitations/weaknesses? (Need 1 or 2 and highlight what you

are doing about them or preferably describe what was once a weakness and,
after feedback, you worked on it and turned it into a strength). (Preference)

10.

What have been your major career achievements? (Need 4 or 5 and give
examples in SOAR format). (Preference)

11.

What do you bring to a new employer? (Refer to type of experience, industry

knowledge, unique skills, personal characteristics etc - consider using a
SOAR example). (Behavioural/Preference)

12.

Describe your management/leadership style.

statements, describe

(Dont

use

general

how you go about it and use examples in SOAR

format). (Behavioural/Preference)
13.

Tell me about a project that you initiated/managed/completed. (Behavioural)

14.

Tell me about a difficult people issue that you had to resolve. (Behavioural)

15.

Tell me about a time you managed a change process. (Behavioural)

16.

Do you have any questions? (General)

11