Career Counseling

Interview Questions & Techniques

General Advice​

Before you go for your interview you need to find out everything you can about the company. Reread your application/CV/covering letter, so that you can think about your skills and qualifications, and also questions that you might be asked.

In order to do well in the interview you need to be able to convince the interviewer that you have the right skills for the job, this will include your motivation towards the job, how well you will fit into the company, along with meeting their academic and skills requirements.

You should dress smartly and appropriately and should leave in plenty of time allowing for possible delays, so that you are not late. Remember first impressions last!

Tips​

It's a good idea to ask for a glass of water, as you will be doing a lot of talking, but its also good to take a sip if you want a few seconds to think about the question asked.

Ensure that you are sitting comfortably in a position where you can address all the interviewers.

Make sure that you remember the names of the interviewers, and take note of their various roles.

First Impressions​

Most people make an initial opinion of a stranger within the first five minutes of meeting them. According to research employers' impressions are made up of the following:

Body Language and image (70%)

Tone of voice (20%)

What you say (10%)

As soon as you enter the building you need to be polite to everyone you meet. You need to remain calm and confident, give a firm handshake, and remember to make eye contact. You need to put both yourself and the interviewer at ease by being down-to-earth whilst remaining business-like, it is often quite a good idea to have a few conversation openers, especially if the interviewer takes you to the interview room, it helps break the silence

The Interview Preparation​

You need to prepare well for the interview, finding out about the history of the company, its structure, market position and management style, along with details such as: how big the company is, how long have they been operating, what are their key income revenues and core areas of business, who are their major competitors, and have they had any major upheavals or successes. The easiest place to start the research is the website, or calling the marketing department and asking for a company profile or press kit. This will not only help you show your enthusiasm to the company but also enable you to be more relaxed about the questions asked. If you are preparing for a specific job interview, you will need to familiarise yourself with the job description, so matching your attributes to their requested skills.

You will also need to prepare information about yourself by building up a personal profile to enable you to answer questions both quickly and accurately. The profile will comprise of both personal and business information. For example:

Personal: 'I am an ambitious, organised and highly-motivated individual who is goal driven and excels at building long-term customer relationships.'

Business: 'I am an experienced sales professional with five years specific experience in the automotive industry'... go into further details.

Be positive, if you are negative the employers will not believe in you. You need to remember that you have been short-listed, and therefore must stand a good chance. It is good to feel a bit nervous before the interview as it shows that you want the job.

Interview Techniques​

The interview is not only a chance for the interviewer to assess if you are the right person for the job, but it is also an opportunity for you to see if the job and the company are suitable for you.

During the interview you need to look for opportunities to be proactive and ask your own questions or try to lead the discussion where appropriate. Questions should reflect your keenness to work for the company. Generally you should limit yourself to just a couple of significant questions such as:

What are the key tasks and responsibilities of the job

What support and guidance is available

What training will be available

Other aspects to talk about are:

Structure of the organisation

Success of the organisation, it's profitability and product portfolio

Future strategies and development

Keep your concentration levels up during the interview and make sure you listen to the responses the interviewer gives you. The worst mistakes happen when people end up asking questions about topics that have already been covered, or don't hear or understand what the interviewer has said.

Key points:

Make sure you give the interviewer your full attention

Wait for them to finish speaking, before you answer the question

Make sure you ask open questions, to ensure you get full answers

Check you understand everything that has been said

At the end of the interview find out what will happen next:

When will I hear from you

How will I be informed

Do you need any more information from me

Candidates can easily find themselves on the defensive, trying to justify themselves, rather than sell their attributes. A good interviewer will often throw all sorts of challenging questions at you, in order to see if you are suitable for the job.

To help you cope with these it is best to know the possible questions that you might get asked, these can be divided up into sections:

Selling yourself (mention your strengths)

What experience do you have to benefit this job?

Can you work well under pressure?

What is your greatest strength?

What interests you most about this job?

Why should I hire you?

Do you have any questions?

Questions could include: what your first assignment would be, what type of training is required or given, requesting to see a job description, and who the company's major competitors are.

Information giving (information on your experience and skills set)

Do you consider yourself to be a natural leader? The interviewer will be interested in your ability to lead when necessary

Tell me about yourself. This is an open question, and is a good opportunity for you to reveal the strengths that you mentioned in your personal profile. This is also your chance to reveal your personality, so just be yourself.

What are your biggest accomplishments? This should be job related, and is a chance to show your competency

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Dealing with objections

How do you handle criticism? Try to portray the attitude that all criticism has a benefit, providing an opportunity for improvement. Also elaborate by giving an example of a poor idea that has been criticised rather than a substandard piece of work.

How will you cope with a change in environment? Talk about how you can adapt and learn quickly.

Turning negatives into positives (change your weaknesses into strengths)

What can you do for us that someone else can't? If you have understood the details of the job then try to answer this with a combination of your skills/experience which others are unlikely to have.

Describe a difficult problem you've had to deal with. Clearly explain how you have approached a problem, the result and how the difficult outcome was averted. This will show that you have a positive attitude to all challenges, and you were not discouraged or intimidated by the situation.

What is your greatest weakness? This is your chance to show that you have identified and are working on reducing your weaknesses. Turn your weakness into strength.

How do you handle tension/stress? Explain how you avoid stressful situations, and if not how you deal with it, for example: exercising and going to the gym.

How do you take direction? Show by giving examples of how you can be briefed and finish the task without unnecessary disagreements/complications

Do you prefer working with others or alone? Explain how you can work well in both situations.

How do you handle rejection? Much of today's business is commercially orientated, therefore a good answer would tend to be that you move on but take on board what has happened and use it to benefit you in the future.

Always speak clearly in a controlled range of tones. Do not speak in monotone and always pause before speaking, this avoids instinctively reacting and saying the wrong thing.

Points you need to remember:

Smiling is a good positive signal, as it reaffirms your good nature

Maintain eye contact

Relax do not rush or fidget

Mirror the interviewers techniques, if they laugh, laugh with them

Maintain an alert position, sit up straight, don't slump, but be comfortable

Always have a confident and honest attitude.

Do's And Don'ts During The Interview​

Always adopt a professional and business-like manner

Listen intently

Use strong positive language

Ask the relevant questions

Wear a smile at all times

Never indicate that you're desperate for a job

Don't get into discussions about your personal life, and decline any bait to mention secrets of your present employer, the interviewer should respect your trustworthiness and integrity

Ensure that you don't smell of any strong odours, e.g. alcohol, garlic or even perfume

Don't fidget or play with your hair, clothing, items in your pockets etc

Avoid negative phrases such as: 'I don't know'. I'm not sure'

Be persuasive, speak in terms of what benefit you can bring to the company, rather

than the other way around

Remain calm and don't rush your answers

Psychometric Tests​

Psychometric means tools for measuring the mind. There are two types of test:
Aptitude test: assess your abilities 

Personality questionnaires: which build up a profile of your characteristics
Many employers believe that such tests give a good idea of whether you are able to do the job, and if your personality is suited to that of the job and the company.
Aptitude Tests: These test your critical reasoning skills under timed conditions. A typical test may have three sections each testing a different ability, such as verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning. The test would normally be about 30 minutes long for 30 questions.
Personality Tests: Questions tend to focus on; how you relate to other people, your work style, your ability to deal with emotions (your own and others); your motivations; determination and general outlook and your ability to handle stressful situations. There are no right or wrong answers, just be yourself.

                                             Overview - Ten-Minute Guide​

Your aim is to convince the interviewer that:

You would be able to do the job
You can bring benefits to the company
You are the best candidate on both counts

Preparation:

You need to do a mini self-assessment of your profile, for example your work experience so far, the qualifications you have gained, and where you want your career to go. Consider your strengths and weaknesses, so that you have an idea of what to say in the interview. Some points to consider are:

Leadership
Self-confidence
Commitment and determination
Enthusiasm and Stamina
Competitiveness
Good judgement and decision making
Responsibility
Initiative and creativity
Organisation

Ask yourself:

Which areas could I improve
What are the tasks and situations that I have had the most problems with
In which instances did my colleagues react negatively towards me

Questions:​

Why do you want this job? Talk about the positive aspects of the job, not that it's the only one you have had an interview for.

What qualities do you think will be required for this job? Talk about points that were in the job description but also other qualities such as: communications, interpersonal skills etc

What can you contribute? Your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements in previous positions or at University etc

Why do you want to work for this company? Talk about why you like the company, mission statement, ethics, international etc

What do you know about this company? Give a run down of their products/services, sales figures, accomplishments etc

What interest you about our product/service? This can link to the previous question

How would you describe yourself? Pick your best attributes

What has been your greatest success? How did you achieve it? Pick an achievement related to the companies/jobs needs

What has been your biggest failure? Pick something that you were able to correct or that wasn't that important

How could you improve yourself? Pick on positive aspects of your personality or a strength/weakness scenario where you are improving

How do you handle criticism? Say that you take on board criticism and that it is part of your development so that you can improve certain areas.

Do you work well with others? Give examples of a good working relationship

Are you self motivated? Give an example of where you have been pro-active

Can you act on your own initiative? This can link into the previous question

What motivates you? Opportunities to learn new skills

Do you work well under pressure? Answer positively

What are your career goals?

Questions To Ask​

What will be my responsibilities?
Who will I report to?
Who are you customers?
What will my salary/expenses be?
What training will you provide?

Prior to your interview, it is important that you have read the job description. Go through each aspect and think about how and why you match the requirements. You should not just stipulate that you have good communication skills or strong organisation skills, you must give examples of where you have proven such skills and where they have been of good use. You must also re-read your CV, covering letter and/or application form, as the interviewers may use these as a form of reference and ask you questions related to these.


Remember:

Make sure you dress smartly

Beware of clammy hands for first handshake

Be polite, make polite conversation

Speak in a confident tone and manner

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