Interview Advice

Interview Preparation – Essential Interview Advice

A key part of interview preparation is research. This includes research on areas such as the potential employer and their industry.

A key part of interview preparation is research. This includes research on areas such as the potential employer and their industry. Most jobseekers ignore one very important area – researching the interview process. It is essential that you find out as much as you possibly can about the interview process as this information will help you focus your preparation. Information is power and this is very true when interviews are concerned.

I often receive calls from jobseekers requesting interview support and most of these jobseekers have limited information about the interview or the process. This is critical information as preparation will vary depending on what you face. It can be difficult to get this information from some employers but you must ask the questions. Important questions to ask include: How many interviews? What type of interview? How many on the interview panel? Who will be interviewing? Will there be psychometric assessment?

You can normally expect a different interview if you are interviewing with HR or Technical personnel. There are considerations to take on board if you are interviewing with a panel of interviewers. If you face psychometric testing you need to know what type of tests you face. It is very important to know what type of interview you face as your preparation will be different. To highlight this I have focused on two types of interviews – traditional and competency interviews.

Competency Interviews - These interviews are increasing in popularity as many employers realise that traditional interviews add very little to successful recruiting. Competencies are groups of behaviours identified by the employer as essential for success in the job. Employers use competency interviews in the belief the best predictor of an applicant future behaviour is their past behaviour. An example of a competency is “persuading and influencing” and an example of a competency question is “tell me about a time when you successfully changed a customers view or opinion?”

Some important points when faced with competency interviews include; It is important to ask what competencies will be assessed. If this information is not forthcoming you must try to work this out yourself. You should then identify a number of specific work examples focusing on these competencies. Practice telling your story or situation using the popular technique “STAR Technique” – Describe the Situation/Task, outline Actions and outline Results. Remember to use the word “I” and not “We” when describing the situation.

Traditional Interviews - Most jobseekers have faced this type of interview. While jobseekers prefer this type of interview over competency I believe that traditional interviews are a more difficult hurdle. Traditional interviews normally lack focus and direction, concentrate on the CV, previous experience and qualifications. They are quite subjective and make it difficult for the interviewer to compare applicants. Therefore it is often the applicant with the best qualifications or “interviewing ability” that gets hired.

Some important points when faced with a traditional interview include; Find out who is interviewing you or how many interviewers. Know your CV especially dates and reasons for leaving. Understand the employer and what they want – the job specification will assist. Highlight all relevant examples about how you meet the job requirements. Identify unique selling points and what you may have over other applicants. Research the company, employer and related industry.

Paul Mullan is Director of Measurability offering career coaching solutions for jobseekers.

CV Writing Service - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/cv-design-service/  
Interview Coaching - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/interview-coaching/  
Career Direction - http://www.measurability.ie/individuals/career-direction/  

Contact details:
paul@measurability.ie  
087 1223308
www.measurability.ie