Interview Tips

How to Prepare for an Interview

As consultants, candidates often ask us what they need to do to prepare for an interview and how to get the best from an interview opportunity. Why this list is not exhaustive, it certainly provides a starting point!

Prepare a list of appropriate questions to ask the interviewer/prospective employer. Here we provide some sample questions to ask:

• Could you describe the role, key duties and responsibilities?
• What are the reporting relationships?
• What is the criterion for measuring success?
• Is there regular performance reviews and how are they conducted?
• What are the long-term career opportunities?
• Is there an induction program and is ongoing training and developmental provided?
• What is the reason that this position has become available?
• What is the culture of the company?
• What resources are available to this role?
• What is the anticipated growth of the organisation?
• Have there been any major changes to influence the direction of the company?
• Any other areas of interest/concern you may have regarding this role.
• What is the interview process from here?

Prepare to answer questions such as:

• Why did you choose this role?
• Why do you want to work for this organisation?
• What skills, strengths and credentials can you offer this role?
• What did you do in your last role?
• Why do you want to leave your current role?
• What did you like best/least about your role?
• How was your performance measured?
• Can you provide a list of your accomplishments?
• Can you describe what you did in a typical day?
• How did you get along with your manager and what style gets the best from you?
• What qualities are you looking for in a manager?
• How would you describe your own management style?
• How would you go about counseling an underperforming staff member?
• Are you able to provide some examples of difficult issues that you encountered? How did you resolve them?
• If you had staff responsibilities, how did you manage them and prioritise their workloads?
• How did you manager others' expectations of you?
• What do you consider your main strength and weaknesses to be?
• What initiatives have your take to address areas for improvement?
• What have you done that shows initiative in your career?
• What cost savings or entrepreneurial activities have you engaged in?
• What are you career objectives and what steps have you taken to achieve them?
• What motivates you?
• How do you manage stress?
• What was your last salary, bonus, etc.?
• If I was speaking to any of your referees, what do you think they would say about you?
• What have you learned from some of the positions you have held?
• What are your hobbies or leisure pursuits?

Most often, interviews will also cover competency based or behavioural type interview questions. These questions ask you to provide answers based on your own experience.

• Tell me about a time when..? What strategies did you use? What was the outcome?
• Describe a situation in which you had to develop a creative or innovative solution to a problem? Explain the steps you took? What was the outcome?
• Tell me about the hardest decision you have had to make at work? Why do you think it was difficult? How did you go about making the decisions? What was the outcome?
• Describe a situation where you have demonstrated..? The interviewer will be looking for answers regarding various competencies, such as:
  • Adaptability
  • Career Ambition
  • Creativity
  • Customer care focus
  • Decision Making
  • Delegation
  • Influencing
  • Initiative
  • Negotiation
  • Planning & Organisation
  • Problem Solving
  • Relationship Building
  • Teamwork
  • Tenacity
  • Working under pressure

Do's, Don'ts & Tips

1. Be prepared -
   • Know the exact location of where the interview is being held
   • Who is interviewing (number of interviewers & their positions)
   • Time & date of interview
   • Important documents to bring
   • Do some research on the company, for e.g: know who their competitors are, recent developments, main products/services, etc.
   • Know your market worth
2. Be prompt - at least 10-15 minutes early is a good guide. If for whatever reason you are late, call ahead to explain. You might be embarrassed being in this situation, but a prospective employer will appreciate your honesty, rather than not showing up at all.
3. Remember: first impressions last!!!
   • Smile, shake hands firmly & make eye contact
   • Consider what impression you are giving (put yourself in the interviewer's shoes)
   • Don't bring excessive baggage
   • Always look professional- generally corporate & conservative
   • Be respectful, not intimidating
   • Be aware of your body language - sit up straight, lean forward slightly and make eye-contact with the interviewer/members of a panel to show your interest
   • Turn off mobile phones!! A ringing phone during an interview is a major no-no
   • Listen carefully to questions - answer questions honestly & directly and don't be evasive
   • Don't make derogatory remarks of previous employers -this will be viewed as extremely unprofessional
   • If you are nervous don't be afraid to admit so. It may have been a long time since you have last been interviewed and this is quite a normal reaction
   • Don't be concerned about long pauses in conversation or answering questions. It shows that you are giving a question some thought
   • Be positive - you are at an interview because you were selected from a large pool of candidates.
   • Recap key strengths
   • It is not unreasonable to request a short period of time to consider an offer before accepting
   • If an offer isn't made don't be discouraged
   • Thank the interviewer for their time
   • After the interview call the referring consultant for your thoughts on how the interview went