| Product: |
Interview Tips & Advice |
| Date: |
25/02/06 (1006 review reads) |
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Advantages: Will hopefully help you get further in interviews
Disadvantages: Very nerve-wracking for nervous people
Ok so my heading was a bit severe. But I hope it got your attention?
I've been working in HR related roles for about 15 years which is most of my working life so I feel that I have some knowledge which will help others in their quest for THAT perfect job and how to go about getting it.
So you've landed an interview for the job that is the one you've been dreaming of for years. You can't believe your luck that you managed to secure an interview as you're sure there were 100s and 100s of applicants. You're over the moon, you tell anyone who'll listen that you've got an interview next Thursday (that's over a week away) at 3.00pm and you just can't wait to show them what a catch you'll be for them.
What do you do? Carry on working/studying/watching TV till your interview next week and wing it? God NO! Make sure you do some preparation before you turn up there all ready to show them your sparkling eyes and wonderful personality. These features/characteristics alone will not win you the job.
Preparation, preparation and yes more PREPARATION! Don't go in to an interview blind. Make sure you do some research on the company itself, find out how long it's been operating, how many staff work there or how many staff work across the UK or even worldwide if it's an international company. How many branches are there? Who started the company? Is it profitable? How does it compare with its competitors? Have they won any awards? Do they have IIP (Investors in People), ISO accreditation? Are they listed on the top 100 firms in their industry, etc?
Once you've done your research, you're better armed to combat some of the questions at the interview itself, as more often than not, an interviewer will ask you "What do you know about the company?" Also try to find out what the job that you've applied for will entail. Ask for a job description prior to attending the interview. Don't be hesitant about asking for this. Any decent employer worth its salt should have job descriptions for all roles within the organisation. I'd be worried about applying for a role there if they didn't have one available prior to the interview. Look at the essential criteria for the role. Do you have the necessary essential skills / experience / qualifications for the role? Do you have at least a few of the other skills required, usually listed as non-essential or preferable? Think about what you've done in the past to match those skills.
Stick to some of these simple things I've noted below and it should improve your overall chances of securing a second interview and/or job offer.
1. Make sure you know how to get to your interview before you leave, don't call them up an hour before you're due to be there and say "can you give me directions to your office please?" You never know who's answering the phone - it could be your interviewer and they'll be wondering why you've left it so late to check the route.
2. Dress smartly! If you're male, wear a suit with a clean shirt and tie. If you can't wear a tie yourself, make sure you get someone to help you; you don't want your interviewer chuckling at you because your tie's all bent out of shape. Make sure your shoes are clean and that you have a shower and smell fresh. Ladies, wear a smart blouse, preferably plain or with a subtle print with a skirt or trouser suit. If you don't own a suit, try to borrow one. It really is important to smell fresh when attending an interview, you might think it's obvious but don't eat garlic the day before an interview as it lingers for a day or so. I've interviewed people who smelt like they hadn't showered in months and people who possibly thought I was a vampire and doused themselves in garlic! It was very off-putting and made me want to finish the interview as soon as possible. One guy had on a 70s style orange and green flower power shirt with huge collars which was very distracting. On the other hand, if you're going for a job in a fashion house, the brighter and more outrageous your outfit, possibly the better!
3. Make sure you turn up at least 15 minutes early to make a good impression - nothing worse than turning up late. If you're early, you'll have to time to park your car or find your bearings, make sure your hair isn't all windswept and check that you haven't got pen marks or anything like that on your face (I interviewed someone with a blue marker pen mark on his nose once and it was really hard to keep my eyes from focusing on his nose!)
4. When you're shown to the interview room wait to be offered a seat, don't just sit down. Make sure you keep a mental note of the interviewer's name. Not good if halfway through the interview you say "Sorry what's your name again?" If you're offered a drink, say no politely. One of the most embarrassing things you can do is spill hot tea or coffee over yourself by accident or worse still spill it over your interviewer. It's best to stay on the safe side. A glass of water should be harmless enough though.
5. Shake hands with your interviewer. If they don't offer their hand first, smile and offer your hand up to shake theirs, sometimes they're checking to see if you have the most basic of manners. If you have a tendency to have clammy or sweaty hands when you're nervous, use the time that you saved by getting there early to use the toilets to wash your hands in cold water and dry them!
6. Don't interrupt the interviewer; let them finish their sentences before you jump in no matter how enthusiastic you are. I've had people butt in whilst I'm speaking to answer a question except it wasn't the question I was about to ask. It's usually fairly embarrassing for both of us, except more so for the interviewee.
7. Ensure you make regular eye-contact with your interviewer(s). It is extremely off-putting during an interview when someone doesn't meet your eyes when you're speaking with them; you'll come across as shifty or uninterested or just plain rude. Don't go to the opposite extreme of staring like a lunatic at the interviewer either; find a happy medium.
8. The interviewer will most likely ask you what you know about the company to see what research you've done before going into a bit more detail themselves about the company. This is a chance for the interviewer to sell the company to you. You're not just there because you want a job; you're also there because they need someone to fill the position. The role may have been vacant for months and they need to impress you too, so by telling you more about the company and the role, they're hoping that the job will sound interesting and challenging to you, so that should they offer you the role, you'll jump at the chance.
9. When the interviewer asks you to tell them about what you've been doing, don't just recite your whole CV to them parrot fashion. They will have already read your CV (if they're a good interviewer) so they'll know at least the basics of where you've worked or studied. Tell them your achievements at your last/current job, how you made a difference to the team/department/company, how you increased profitability, etc. Don't ramble on for hours, stick to the main points, don't make out as if you ran the company single-handed, they won't believe you.
10. If they ask you to name your strengths and weaknesses make sure you're prepared in advance but again don't recite these off parrot-fashion. Think about what your best friend or family members would say are your strengths or even your current or last boss or colleagues. Don't say you haven't any weaknesses, rather use weaknesses which could be interpreted as strengths. You could mention an area that you might need training in and that you're willing to improve this at your own expense by taking evening or weekend classes - this will show the interviewer that you believe in personal development and who knows, they might even offer to send you on a training course to address your weakness should you get the job.
11. When they ask why you want to leave your current job or why you left your last job, don't use this as an opportunity to slate your boss or the company. You'll be perceived as disloyal and any employer will think you'll talk about them the same way. You could mention that you've progressed about far as you can in your current role and there's no scope for promotion unless someone else leaves or retires and you feel you're ready to make a change now as you're looking for a new challenge.
12. If you've been looking for a while (for example you're currently out of work) you can explain this by saying you were doing voluntary work until the right job came along. You didn't want to take a job for the sake of just working; rather you want a job which will be a career for you.
13. If you're asked how you feel about following procedures don't say you hate them and they're a lot of unnecessary paperwork created by office bureaucrats who don't know anything about the real world! You could say that you understand that they are necessary to ensure that we fulfill the requirements of our job role and company contracts and if you felt that a procedure was incorrect you would pass on constructive feedback to the relevant person(s) who could affect the necessary changes.
14. A big mistake people make at interviews (mostly due to nerves) is the use of "ummmmmm" or "uhhhhhhh" every few seconds. Practice a mock interview with someone you trust to give you honest feedback and see how many times you use the above sounds! Believe me when I say that people who do this a lot at interviews start to sound very irritating and it actually detracts attention from what you're trying to say.
15. Don't eat sweets or chew gum during an interview, no matter how nervous you are. I arranged an interview for a candidate years ago who had to do a presentation to a panel of interviewers (which he was aware of prior to the interview) and the feedback I got was that he chewed sweets all the way through the presentation and one sweet actually fell out of his mouth! Not a pretty sight!
16. Don't price yourself out of the job! It's a common mistake that people make when attending interview to ask for more than they're worth or for more than the company is willing to pay. I've used agencies before and advised them that the maximum salary for a particular role is say £18,000 and they've sent people along who state that they're not interested in anything less than £25,000. This is very annoying as this is a huge difference to what's on offer. Both you and the interviewer will have wasted their time! Make sure you know a rough figure of what's on offer and if there is no salary stated. Do your research beforehand to see what this type of role pays elsewhere. You can always say "I'm looking for about £30,000 but I'd be willing to take slightly less as there's training and progression available." By saying this you're showing you're flexible and willing to learn new skills and that you're also ambitious and want to progress.
17. When the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, whatever you do, don't say "No, I think you've covered it all." This is about the worst way to end an interview, as the interviewer will think a) you haven't prepared well enough for the interview or b) you don't care enough about the job to ask any questions. Prepare a list of 6-8 questions beforehand. If a few of them are covered during the interview at least you have a few backup questions, but just make sure you ask some sensible questions. Don't ask questions like "When will I get a payrise", use questions like "What is the staff turnover like here?" or "What sort of training would the successful candidate receive initially to perform the role?" or "What are the company's plans for the future?" or "How does this position fit into the overall structure of the company?"
I know some of the things I've mentioned may seem obvious but it's amazing how many people make some or many of the mistakes I've mentioned and think it's perfectly acceptable behaviour during an interview.
Examples of no-no's during an interview:
* Taking mobile calls, then babbling into your phone "I'm in an interview, call me back later" (or worse still actually taking the call and making the interviewer wait).
* Eating a sandwich as you didn't have time for lunch.
* Reading your star signs in the paper you bought with you as you knew you were going to be early.
* Making jokes (unless you're applying for a job as a comedian)!
* Asking the interviewer for their personal phone number so you can call them up for a date
* Asking if there are any hot babes or guys working there
* Asking the interviewer if they're qualified to carry out interviews
* Telling the interviewer you want their job (unless of course you're applying for their job as they're leaving or being promoted)
* Telling the interviewer you were sacked from your last 4 jobs because
- of your poor attendance record
- you hit the boss
- you stole money
- you lost the company major business
If you follow at least a few of the above suggestions it will hopefully give you a better chance to impress at the interview. I would also add that it doesn't hurt to follow up in writing after attending an interview. This should be done very soon after the interview so you don't miss the boat as the interviewer may have 7 or 8 interviews scheduled over 2 or 3 days. Drop the interviewer a line by email or fax or by post to thank them for taking the time to see you and that you really enjoyed the experience, that you really see yourself working for such a professional organisation, and even a bullet pointed list of why you're right for the job. Believe me, it can only do you good, not harm in the interviewers eyes.
I hope the above is of some use to you and if it helps at least one person get a job, I'll be over the moon!
Good luck.
Summary: Prepare well for that interview and you might end up with your dream job
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