THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

In this guide we will be going through some key steps that will help ensure that you:

• Identify the key requirements of the position that you're interviewing for.
• Familiarize yourself with questions that will possibly come up in the interview.
• Develop answers for interview questions even if you have not planned for them.
• Highlight the keys to making an interview a successful interview.

THE POSITION

The first bit of information that you most probably are likely to have is the description laid out in the advert. This ad or "Job Specification" gives you the key factors that the interviewer will be looking for in the interview. The wording is not there by accident! Too often people make the mistake of overlooking this. The first step is to make sure that you match what the company is looking for. You have to remember that it is highly unlikely that a company will hire you if you do not have the type of experience that they are looking for, so look at what THEY want and break the job down into segments. They are normally broken up into headings like.

• Position or Roll
• Qualifications and experience required
• The Duties or responsibilities
• The personal attributes

THE APPLICATION

This is the first hurdle that you will have to overcome, it is the interviewers first "screening" or appraisal of your competency relating to the position, so whether you are making a telephonic application or submitting your CV make sure that you are prepared for the possible questions that they are most lightly to ask. These are most often the key competencies/requirements laid down in the job advert.

Prepare yourself for the questions and write down a few notes on these competencies and how they relate to you or the job you are currently doing. If you are going to make an electronic application, make sure that these competencies appear in your CV! Upload a photo of yourself to give ‘personality’ to your CV. The interviewer is going to have no other information about you initially, and adding a photo of yourself transforms your CV to a personal profile.

You could include a cover letter to personalise your CV even more. In my experience these letters are often overlooked initially and only gone back to once your CV has interested the recruiter. A badly composed cover letter, containing spelling mistakes and bad syntax, can nullify even the best CV – so be careful when writing one!

Be prepared as you can’t control when a consultant is going to call you. Having the notes on hand, preferably with a copy of the job ad is the best preparation you can have.

Speak clearly! Your voice is the only other information that they have about you besides your CV.

Should the interviewee research the company?

What a question, a very common question is the "What do you know about our company?" And believe it or not some companies place a huge amount of weight on your answer. Think about it, the person who knows the company has either been in the industry or had the diligence to prepare and do some research before applying for the position. Who would you hire, the person who has the knowledge about your company or the one who has not?

And even if you're not asked that question, showing your knowledge of the company to the interviewer displays interest in the company.

The most effective way to narrow what interviewers will be looking for in the interview is to break down the ads or the job spec's KSA's (knowledge, skills and abilities) required for the position.

An example:
A company requires a self-motivated and dynamic credit controller, with experience on Pastel and Excel, the successful candidate will be a self starter and have the ability to work in a team, good communication skills, and both written and verbal will be an advantage.

The Questions

Before any questions get asked, this is the interview remember, and it has in fact begun from the moment that you first make eye contact! A great candidate will look the interviewer in the eyes, Shake hands firmly and introduce themselves in a confident manor. A smile at this point can go a long way. Studies have actually shown that in most interviews the interviewer has made up his/ her mind within the first five or so minutes. Small things like a smile, positive body language and punctuality go a long way. A clear confident tone and a clean well presented appearance can sometimes get you the rest of the way.

Now that you have determined what the key factors influencing the possible questions asked from your list of KSA's you can start to formulate a list of possible questions that you are likely to be asked. In the case above, self-motivation, credit control, pastel, excel, team work and communication skills. It is also advisable to think of examples in each case as most interviewers will at some point ask for this.

Possible questions here might be:

• Tell me about a time when you had to use your verbal or presentation skills to influence someone's opinion. (communication skills)
• How do you ensure that you remain motivated and Give me an example of a time when you motivated others? (self motivation)
• Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete. (communication)
• Give me an example of a time when you set a goal as a team, some of the problems that you encountered and whether or not you were able to achieve it. (Team work)

Does this make sense? I hope so because this is the general format that the interview will most likely follow!

The Answers

Most of the questions asked by experienced interviewers today are competency based questions. Interviewers use behavioural questions to evaluate your experiences and behaviours so they can determine your potential for success. Basically what it boils down to is that the interviewer will probe a point or an answer that you might have said or given

Some of the characteristics which interviewers might find desirable are: analysis, assertiveness, communication (oral), communication (written), decision-making, independence, management, planning and organizing, and teamwork..

These questions usually start with "give me an example of" or "tell me about a time when" some examples

Examples:

1. If appointed, part of your job would be to deal with unhappy customers. What is your typical
   way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example (negotiation/ resilience/ listening).
2. Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead (initiative).
3. Describe a specific problem you solved. How did you approach the problem? What role did
   others play? What was the outcome? (analysis/ problem-solving)
4. Can you work under pressure and do you have the time management skills to meet deadlines?
5. Give me an example of a time in your life when you had to make an important decision. How did you go about making that decision and how does it affect you today? (decision-making)
6. Please give me an example of a task that you had to accomplish as part of a team. (teamwork)
7. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
8. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested your coping skills. What did you do?
9. How well do you work with people? Do you prefer working alone or in teams?
10. What do you do when people disagree with your ideas? Describe a situation.
11. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?
12. Do you consider yourself to be a leader? What are the attributes of a good leader? Give me an example of when you had to show good leadership.
13. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's
    opinion.
14. Can you tell me about an important written document you were required to complete

These types of questions can lead to a whole lot more on the same topic! And more often than not an interviewer will pick up whether or not a candidate is answering truthfully there is a technique available however called the " STAR" technique. It is well recognized as being the most focused way of dealing with these questions and in general you will find that your answers have more structure.

Example:

THE INTERVIEW DAY

OK, so it’s the big day, you have prepared yourself for the questions that are most lightly going to be asked using your list of KSA's, hopefully you have a few examples of the times that you displayed this trait or had that responsibility memorized, you have introduced yourself well with a handshake making sure that you were maintaining eye contact and that your smile was not to cheesy! Where to from here?

Well interviews should normally follow a three step process,

• Connection or rapport
• Information
• Closing

Connection

Connect, it is imperative! You have to establish some type of relationship with the interviewer, and I know that I have mentioned this before but you have to remember that most interviews are over after thirty seconds or so, so these few moments are the most important. You are there because they like the KSA's that you have put down on your CV
So this is a checking stage, to see that you have actually got what they are looking for and if you will be a good culture fit for the company.

The first few questions probably won’t be too tough either! But it's never a bad thing to be prepared for the interviewer who likes to go straight in to the technical bits. Just remember that it's more about your body language, physical presentation and attitude.

Information

The employer will be asking you questions and then matching your answers against their essential success factors. You will get two differing kinds, closed questions like “Do you have a Matric?” that are for the most part yes or no answers.

And then we have the open, more behavioural type mentioned in Stage Four, for example: Why should we hire you? What you should be avoiding here is the closed answer response, the more information the better, remember and use the STAR technique and it should all go smoothly. Even if you believe that you have done well in the first crucial part of the interview this stage is where you can add to the interviewer’s confidence in you and persuade him/ her into wanting to make you an offer ASAP.

NEVER complain about something or someone for extended periods of time, all you will be doing it telling the employer that you that you might be a difficult person to get along with. It often happens that a candidate performs wonders in the interview almost certainly going to the next step and then out off the blue starts ranting and raving about how they were treated unfairly at their last place of work. Some things are better left unsaid if at all possible don't you think?

If the money question is asked, this is normally a good sign of the interviewer seriously considering your application. How do you answer this? Well the fact is that no matter what you say you will have been too low or too high. So don't answer the question with specifics, until given no other choice. Ask what the salary range is or, my personal favourite, I am willing to consider your best offer.

TOP 10 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND HOW TO ANSWER THEM

There are some common interview questions and you should prepare your answers before-hand. The key thing to remember when responding to interview questions is to keep your answers brief and to the point.  If you are faced with a difficult question, make sure you stay calm, don't get defensive, and take a moment to think about your response before you answer.

Remember, the responses below are only suggestions. Try to personalise your response as much as possible.

Question: Tell me about yourself.

Answer: Identify some of your main attributes and memorise them. Describe your qualifications, career history and range of skills, emphasising those skills relevant to the job on offer.

Q: What have your achievements been to date?

A. Select an achievement that is work-related and fairly recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit it had to the company. For example, 'my greatest achievement has been to design and implement a new sales ledger system, bringing it in ahead of time and improving our debtors' position significantly, saving the company £50,000 a month in interest'.

Q: Are you happy with your career-to-date?

A: This question is really about your self-esteem, confidence and career aspirations. The answer must be 'yes', followed by a brief explanation as to what it is about your career so far that's made you happy. If you have hit a career plateau, or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must qualify your answer.

Q: What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it?

A: The purpose of this question is to find out what your definition of difficult is and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving. In order to show yourself in a positive light, select a difficult work situation which was not caused by you and which can be quickly explained in a few sentences. Explain how you defined the problem, what the options were, why you selected the one you did and what the outcome was. Always end on a positive note.

Q: What do you like about your present job?

A: This is a straightforward question. All you have to do is make sure that your 'likes' correspond to the skills required for the job on offer. Be enthusiastic; describe your job as interesting and diverse but do not overdo it - after all, you are looking to leave.

Q: What do you dislike about your present job?

A: Be cautious with this answer. Do not be too specific as you may draw attention to weaknesses that will leave you open to further problems. One approach is to choose a characteristic of your present company, such as its size or slow decision-making processes etc. Give your answer with the air of someone who takes problems and frustrations in your stride as part of the job.

Q: What are your strengths?

A: This is one question that you know you are going to get so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four proficiencies e.g. your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. You may be asked to give examples of the above so be prepared.

Q: What is your greatest weakness?

A: Do not say you have none - this will lead to further problems. You have two options - use a professed weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) on your part in an area that is not vital for the job. The second option is to describe a personal or professional weakness that could also be considered to be strength and the steps you have taken to combat it. An example would be: "I know my team think I'm too demanding at times - I tend to drive them pretty hard but I'm getting much better at using the carrot and not the stick".

Q: Why do you want to leave your current employer?

A: State how you are looking for a new challenge, more responsibility, experience and a change of environment. Do not be negative in your reasons for leaving. It is rarely appropriate to cite salary as your primary motivator.

Q: Why have you applied for this particular job?

A: The employer is looking for evidence that the job suits you, fits in with your general aptitudes, coincides with your long-term goals and involves doing things you enjoy.  Make sure you have a good understanding of the role and the organisation, and describe the attributes of the organisation that interest you most.