Develop your Career: Interview Techniques
Tips for Interview Planning
Prior to the interview:
Once you’ve been invited to the interview, plan your time carefully
Understand what is required from you – is it an interview only or are
other selection methods being used?
Research the organisation
Prepare your case well. Think carefully of likely questions you’ll be asked, and prepare answers
Practise saying these to yourself
Prepare five or six main points, relevant to the job. Think STAR* (Skills – Thinking – Attitudes – Relevant to the job)
Remember to think about how you’ll respond to questions on your weaknesses
Think of questions that you can ask the interviewers if invited to do so
Whenever possible, discuss the interview with people who can assistyou. Rehearse parts of it if you can
Practice controlling nervous habits (e.g.) pulling your ear, scratchingyour nose, fiddling with your tie, rattling loose change in your pocketwhilst making a presentation
Presentation preparation:
Understand the time given for your presentation, your target audienceand the equipment available to you. (Be prepared in case the equipment fails!)
Give yourself time to produce, practise, revise, practise … until you arehappy with the presentation and the timing is perfect
Keep it in concise chunks (with beginning, middle and end)
Keep it simple
Rehearse in front of friends and family where possible
Try and use equipment that you feel comfortable with
Psychological preparation:
Be kind to yourself. Set realistic targets. Identify your own valuablequalities, and be positive about yourself
If you feel nervous, acknowledge it. This is not unusual. Use practical techniques to overcome nerves. Remember: you may feel nervous, butyou can still do your best
Remember that support from other people can be of great help
Practise, practise, practise
Clothes:
The clothes you choose can help you to feel positive. Make sure they’re clean and ready well ahead of time
Make sure you feel comfortable in your ‘interview outfit’
Avoid strong perfume or aftershave
Before the day:
Check you know where to go
How will you travel?
Check timetables/parking
Get everything you need ready in advance
Questions and answers:
Write down every question you think you might be asked
Think of suitable answers, including some examples of your work
Take care to consider questions you don’t want to be asked
Write a list of questions you can ask at the end of the interview
On the day:
- Walk into the room with confidence
- Give a firm handshake
- Maintain good eye contact, but avoid staring or holding direct eye contact for too long.
- Where there is a panel of interviewers addressyour answer initially to the person posing the question, but then moveeye contact along the remaining panel to make them feel included
- Sit facing your interviewer in an open position; avoid crossing your armsor shifting around
- Listen to the language being used by the interviewer and try and use
similar response phases
- Watch the tone and volume of your voice
Further tips and hints for interviews
Interviews are a two-way process. They are for the interviewers to
find out more about you. Interviews are also for you to find out more
about the job, organisation and the environment. This is your chance to
identify if this job is suitable for you.
Remember the interviewers may be nervous too. Making the interviewer
feel comfortable may help you get the job.
Be prepared to talk about your qualifications in a positive way and show
how they are relevant to the job.
Pick examples from your work experience that interviewers can readily
understand and show their relevance to the job.
Remember interviewers are looking for personal qualities too.
Be ready to give views about your experience. Remember facts alone
will not tell interviewers enough about you as a person and your
suitability for the job.
Talk directly about your own personal experiences and mention briefly,
how your job fitted in with the whole enterprise.
Try to talk about a positive aspect of those areas that interviewers
may judge as your weak points.
Do not feel trapped by hypothetical questions. Use the past to talk
about the future.
Be ready to give reasons, define terms, and compare different
experiences in a way that shows you have thought about them.
Try to work out what the interviewers are looking for in their line of
questioning.
Recognise the hidden purpose behind indirect questions about your
home, family and lifestyle. You could refuse, politely, to answer such
questions if interviewers cannot explain their relevance and their fairness to all the candidates.
July 2014 Page 1