The short time you spend at a job interview could have a dramatic effect on your career prospects. It is therefore important you are well prepared and confident when you are being interviewed.

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.

• Preparing for your interview
• Interview Questions to Consider
• Interview mistakes to avoid
• Questions for you to ask in an interview
• Closing your Interview and Beyond

Preparing for your Interview

Preparation is the first essential step towards a successful interview. It’s important to do your own research on the company using resources such as the website, annual reports or company brochures. Make sure you understand the role you have applied for (ask for a position description where possible) and practice the sorts of questions you think you may be asked with a partner or friend. Ensure you can provide good examples of how you’ve handled various situations in your previous workplace. Refresh your memory on the facts and figures of your present and former employers. You will be expected to know about a company that you have previously worked for.

Be confident and warm, and remember the interviewer has high hopes you will be the ‘right’ person for the position. This has been demonstrated by the fact he/she has invited you to meet them. Of course, he/she will be searching for your strong and weak points, evaluating you on your qualifications, skills and intellectual qualities. He/she will probably probe deeply to determine your attitudes, aptitudes, stability, motivation and maturity. However, it’s also important to remember that you are also ‘interviewing’ so you can be sure this is the role for you.

Hints:

1. Dress conservatively and preferably in darker colours, pay attention to all facets of your dress and grooming.
2. Stand when the interviewer enters the room.
3. Shake hands firmly while greeting the interviewer by his/her name. The first 30 seconds are critical. Smile, relax.
4. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer while you talk with him/her.
5. Be confident, look alert and interested at all times. Be a good listener as well as a good talker. Show some enthusiasm!
6. Follow the interviewer’s leads and relate your background and skills to the position.
7. Make sure that your good points get across to the interviewer. Keep in mind that you alone can sell yourself to an interviewer.
8. Make him/her realise the need for you in the organisation.
9. Ensure that by the end of the interview you have gained a fair understanding of all facets of the job and the company, so that you are clear in your mind about everything.
10. Research the company – their history and growth, where their facilities are located, what their products and services are, their philosophy and culture. Make them aware you have done your homework.

Interview Questions to Consider

• How much do you know about our company?
• Why would you like to work for us?
• What style of management gets the best from you?
• What would previous employers say about you?
• Which of your previous jobs did you enjoy the most? Why?
• What is your major weakness? What have you done about it?
• Other than your career, what other facets of your life are your main priorities?
• What has been the most difficult time in your career (life) and how did you handle it?
• What are you looking for in a role?
• What do you really want to do with your life?
• What are your strengths? What are you really good at? (Examples)
• Why did you choose this particular vocation?

Interview mistakes to avoid

Take care to avoid these common mistakes.
Listed below are negative factors frequently evaluated during the course of an interview and those which most often lead to rejection.

• Late arrival, or arriving in the nick of time so that you are rushed and flustered
• Smoking before an interview. Smoking during the interview.
• Overdressing. Under dressing. The job interview is not a date and it is not a casual outing – it is business.
• Overbearing / aggressive / conceited / “superiority complex” / “know -it-all”/ “What can you do for me?” attitude.
• Derogatory remarks about your present or former employers.
• Placing undue emphasis on money. Raising the subject of money too early in the interview. (It is best to leave it to the interviewer to broach the subject of salary.)

Questions for you to ask in an interview

Ensure you are given an opportunity ask questions about the job / company. Here are some suggested questions to ask:

• What will be my major focus in the first three months?
• To help me focus on my most relevant experience, can you please describe the main thrust of the role and the attributes you are looking for in candidates?
• Why has the position become available?
• How would you describe the culture of the company?
• Please describe the induction and training program.
• What sort of people have done well?
• What are your best-selling products or services?
• What is the next step?

Closing your Interview and Beyond

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 wish 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. Don’t 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. If you get the impression that the interview is not going well and that you have already been rejected, don’t let your discouragement 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. Thank the interviewer for his/her time and consideration of you. If you have answered the two questions uppermost in his/her mind: Why are you interested in the job and the company? You have done all you can , smile – relax – be yourself.

After the Interview
Last, and most important, call the consultant who referred you to the position immediately after the interview and discuss 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 client’s reaction is likely to be.