Interview technique

Kathryn McFarlane, Careers Adviser.

Careers course

• Career Management Skills

• CV writing

• Application forms and covering letters

• Interviews

Interviews - outline

• Before - preparation

• During - how to perform effectively

• Afterwards - how to learn from it.

Preparation

• How did you prepare for previous interviews?

• What preparation do you think is useful?

Targeting your applications

Your skills, experience

and qualifications

Their criteria

The overlap

Preparation

• Research the company

• Research yourself

• Research the ‘match’

• Prepare answers to likely questions

• Practise your answers

• Prepare a list of questions

• Check out your wardrobe!

Interviews

• What happened during your previous interviews?

• What helped you to do well?

• What hindered you from doing well?

• What do you think are the hardest questions?

During

• Arrive early / on time

• Use appropriate body language - smile, eye contact, posture, voice

• Be pleasant with all staff

• Look at all interviewers (spinning plates)

During - answering questions

• Listen for ‘open’ questions - use your preparation.• Check you understand each question.• Ask for clarification if needed• Pause - take time to think before you answer• Use three points; answer fully but don’t ramble• Use summaries where appropriate• Focus on the positive, not ‘skeletons’

• Avoid clichés - what do you mean?

Afterwards

• What did you do well?

• What did you do badly?

• What questions were you asked?

• How can you improve next time?

• Get some feedback from them.

The five Rs of interviews

• Research

• Rehearse

• Relax

• Respond

• Record

Comments from a recruiter

What sort of preparation do you expect candidates to do, before an interview?

• Know the firm and the environment in which we operate.

• Visit the website

• Have some prepared questions.

Comments from a recruiter

What sort of techniques do you use during the interview process?

• Our policy is one of ‘no trick questions’. We simply want to find out about the applicant and to assess their suitability.

• Relaxed.

Any other advice?• Try to smile!