How to Ace the Interview
How to Ace the Interview www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 1 Introduction Interviews are crucial, pivotal even, in the recruitment process and in your job search. The interview is your chance to shine and it is one step closer to you landing your next job. It’s easy to overlook the importance of an interview and to miss out on the opportunity. If you took the time to prepare thoroughly, you increase the chance of being offered the job. Interviews are intense conversations with a clear purpose. For you it is also a performance. Big performers in any walk of life do not perform every day. They prepare for their big performance. It is the same for you. This ‘How to Ace the Interview’ eBook has been created by the Position Ignition team. The objectives are to guide you to help you ‘win’ your job. It’s not just about how you act in the interview room or how you talk about your CV that will ‘seal the deal’. There is a lot that you can do before, during and after the interview that will help you to move closer to getting that job offer you really want. We will look at: • Knowing the Company and Role • Preparing for Tough Interview Questions • Attending Assessment Centres • Preparing for the Interview • The Day & Night Before the Interview • At the Interview • Questions to Ask • Dealing with Difficult Interviewers • Awkward Questions www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 2 • The Organisational Perspective Why this role is available The process of recruitment Process of selection (the difference) Behind the scenes They will want you to succeed • What if the Interview Starts Going Wrong? • After the Interview • Not Getting the Job • Further Reading www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 3 Knowing the Company and Role Confidence is critical in the selection process. Not misplaced confidence, but confidence that comes from knowing the company and role you’re going for. You will be expected to have researched and done your homework. You can learn about the organization through: The Internet. Make Google your friend. Go to the organisation’s website and read up on it but also look around other sites-like news sites and social networks- for other mentions of the company. What is it known for, what is its reputation, what questions occur to you about why they are doing what they do or where they are heading in the future. If you can, find out who is going to be interviewing you. There is much more in the public domain. The press. Where has the organisation been mentioned, what for and with whom? What are the latest developments in the business and which areas are they focusing in on? Your recruitment agent. If you’ve found this opportunity through a recruitment company, ask them questions: ‐ Who’s interviewing you? What do you know about them? What are their role and their style? ‐ What’s going on in the business at the moment? ‐ What are they looking for specifically? ‐ Why has the agency put you forward for the job? ‐ Have other candidates been sent? How many? Where do I stand? ‐ If so, what happened? What was asked, expected, what went well/wrong? ‐ Is the company hiring in other areas? ‐ Why are they hiring? (Someone left/restructuring/expanding/new role?) www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 4 If the job is in the private sector, Check it out. Companies House – where the business was registered. See who’s running the show and what other bits of information you can find to really get to grips with what this business is about Investor Relations and Sitemap on the company website. When checking online, look at the company website sitemap and also the investor relations section. You’ll be surprised at how much really interesting and useful information you can get your hands on by exploring the whole website page by page, including downloadable documents such as annual reviews and financial reports.. In particular, focus on: • Financial results • Strategic trends • Customers and clients—who are they are and what they buy • Competitors • What the industry regulators think of the company The job spec. Read it thoroughly and read up on your department or function area. What are they really looking for? People in the company. Ring up HR or reception and ask about the company, the role, the department, how the business is going. You’ll be amazed at how much information they have and could be willing to share, starting with something as straightforward as what, from their point of view, it’s like to work there LinkedIn: both individual profiles and company pages. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 5 ‐ Find the profile pages of other people within the business. Find out what they do and if they’re happy to have a chat with you. If so, ask them about their roles, the recruitment process and what’s going on in the business. By this we mean what the organisation’s main priorities are, which areas they’re building, whether they’re expanding or shrinking and so on. ‐ Check out the organisation’s company page. See who does what within the business and if you have any connections there. Get the inside scoop to help fuel your interview conversations and knowledge. For more tips on making LinkedIn work for you in the job search and application process, check out our 125 LinkedIn Job Search Tips eBook. If you do get links or connections, learn about the people you are going to meet at your interview: ‐ What they do? ‐ What their responsibilities are? ‐ Anything relevant in their background? ‐ What projects they lead? ‐ What are they interested in? ‐ Why they need additional resources? ‐ What makes them tick? Google their names. Look for them on LinkedIn. Check the press. Ask around. Finding out what the interviewer is looking for: ‐ What is their need? ‐ What are they really looking for? ‐ What value are they after and what do they have to have? www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 6 These are key questions for you to find answers to through your research. Keep these in mind as you research into the company, what’s going on in the business, which roles they’re hiring for and the person who is doing the hiring. In the interview itself you can also ask what they are looking for and what they need to know. This will help you formulate your responses to match what it is that they say they really need. Preparing for Tough Questions There are many types of tough interview question that may catch you off balance if you’re unprepared. Questions about gaps in your CV, questions about your hobbies and interests and ‘trick questions’. In reality, these questions aren’t really designed to catch you out but to dig deeper into the experiences you’ve had, how you think and who you are as a person. Here are the top 25 challenging questions, what the interviewer is really asking and how to answer them. 1. This TV you sold me is faulty. What are you going to do about it? This kind of ‘role-playing’ question is most common in customer service or sales interviews but may also crop up wherever an interviewer wants to see how you deal with direct confrontation. Keep calm, be polite at all times and take the ‘customer’ through what you’re going to do to resolve the situation, step-by-step. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 7 2. What’s your biggest weakness? When asking this, the interviewers are trying to find out if you’re aware of areas you need to work at, and if you’re actually working at them. Tell them about an area you’ve been working towards strengthening. If you’ve been working on your time management skills by assigning specific timeframes to particular tasks in your diary, give examples of what you are doing and how you are doing it . 3. Give me 3 uses for this pen/watch/glass in my hand. How inventive can you be? Just think rationally about what you could use the named object for, based on its shape, size, dexterity and so on. However, this question is also to make sure you can see the obvious. We didn’t say you can’t list writing/telling the time/drinking as a use, did we? 4. What was the worst thing about your last employer? They want to make sure you’re not the type to badmouth your bosses to all and sundry. Turn the focus back on the position you’re applying for. You’re leaving your current job because this new opportunity is so attractive. There were no bad aspects to your relationship with your previous employer and you hope to have just as a productive, enjoyable relationship with this organisation. If they continue to press you on why you left, be honest about the reason but make sure you can tell the story straightforwardly and succinctly. Don’t let on what happened might have upset you. 5. How many people in Liverpool are using Twitter at 12:15pm on a Monday? Sometimes we feel we have to give an exact answer for the sake of it, but employers aren’t always looking for the exact answer from us. What they are always looking for is honesty and the will and ability to do your best. So answer this question truthfully—there is no exact answer because it varies from week to week, but the best you can do is to point out the parameters relevant to the essence of the question—the number of Twitter users who are in Liverpool on Fridays, the number of people in the city who use social media in their lunch breaks etc. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 8 6. Speak about yourself for 5 minutes. This is different to the usual “tell me about yourself” line because it’s asking you to structure and express the thoughts in a coherent way whilst under time pressure. The interviewers will probably stop you as soon as you start demonstrating you can do this so it’s likely you won’t have to speak for the whole 5 minutes, but be prepared to anyway. 7. What would your specialist subject on Mastermind be? This isn’t to check you ‘know things’ but to dig deeper into what drives you and what has influenced you your whole life or at least the past few years. If we had to go on Mastermind, the specialist subject most of us would honestly pick is one we feel a) comfortable with and b) passionate about. So don’t pick some fancy, technical topic just to impress but tune in to what both your heart and mind are saying. 8. Why do you have gaps between jobs on your CV? This is straightforward enough—they want to make sure you have initiative and ambition beyond the readymade routine that employment gives you. Just be authentic and tell the interviewers that the gaps are there because you were made redundant/travelling/having children. 9. What annoys you? They’re not giving you the opportunity to have a rant but to show you focus on the things you can change, not the things you can’t. So instead of saying ‘slow people at the supermarket’, give an example of something about yourself, your life or the world in general that bothers you but that you’re trying to change. For instance, if you volunteer for an age advocacy charity because neglect of an elderly person’s rights bothers you, this is the kind of thing the interviewers want to hear. 10. Explain a complex database to your eight-year-old nephew. Explaining public relations, explaining mortgages, explaining just about anything in terms an eight-year-old can understand shows the interviewer www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 9 you have solid and adaptable understanding of what it is they do. Do your homework, know the industry and be well versed. 11. Tell us a joke. In other words, can you think on your feet whilst keeping within boundaries? The joke doesn’t have to be the funniest ever but it must be appropriate. Simply tell the best joke you know that doesn’t include any swearing, discriminatory slurs, sexual or otherwise offensive content or jibes at celebrities or other real-life people. If you don’t know any jokes like that, look some up on the Internet before leaving for your interview. 12. What would the person who likes you least in the world say about you? Highlight an aspect of your personality that could initially seem negative, but is ultimately a positive. An example? Impatience. Used incorrectly this can be bad in a workplace. But stressing timeliness and always driving home deadlines can build your esteem as a leader. And that's a great thing to show off in an interview. 13. Would Henry VIII have made a good baker? Questions like this, which ask you to relate two seemingly random things to one another, test your ability to see things from a different perspective. It doesn’t matter if you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this example question; what matters is that you back up your argument based on what you know about King Hal and about making stuff like bread. For instance, would he have the patience to daily knead dough and wait for the yeast to rise? 14. Tell me about a time when old solutions didn't work. The interviewer is trying to identify how knowledgeable you are in today’s work place and what new creative ideas you have to solving problems. You may want to explore new technology or methods within your industry to be prepared for. Twitterphobes get tweeting. Stat. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 10 15. Which letter are you? If you’re comfortable talking about yourself in an odd context, you’re likely to be confident and effective as a worker. It doesn’t which letter you say best describes you; if you know yourself well enough to give a reason for your answer, that ease within your own skin will be communicated to whomever you’re talking to. 16. What's the biggest risk you've ever taken? Some roles require a high degree of tenacity and the ability to pick oneself up after getting knocked down. Providing examples of your willingness to take risks shows both your ability to fail and rebound, but also your ability to make risky or controversial moves that succeed. 17. How would you solve global poverty? Some people get overwhelmed by the mere thought of dealing with a huge problem. This question is to make sure you’re not one of those people. Take your time and think practically about individual measures you would take to counter the different factors that contribute to an issue like worldwide poverty, hunger or disease. All problems, no matter how big, appear more manageable when broken down. 18. Have you ever had a supervisor challenge a decision? Interviewers are looking for an answer that shows humility and the ability to take direction. The anecdote should be telling, but it's the lesson learned, not the situation, that could land you the job. 19. What would you do if you inherited a doughnut shop from your aunt? Even with public or third sector jobs, employees have to have a ‘business brain’ to some extent, or at least some of the capabilities we associate with doing business well—the ability to think logically, an analytical mind, mathematical competence and common sense. We all have different strengths but we all should be able to use whatever www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 11 our unique talent and perspective is to come up with a sensible plan for what to do with a doughnut shop, garden allotment or whatever. 20. Describe a time when your team did not agree. Questions pertaining to difficulties in the past are a way for employers to anticipate your future behaviour by understanding how you behaved in the past and what you learned. Clarify the situation succinctly and explain what specific action you took to come to a consensus with the group. Then describe the result of that action. 21. Given the numbers 1 to 1000, what is the minimum number of guesses needed to find a specific number if you are given the hint "higher" or "lower" for each guess you make? This is a ‘trick’ question to see how good a listener you are. To those who aren’t paying attention, it may seem like the question gives information about whatever complicated mathematical equation the answer is. But of course you know that the answer is simply ‘one’. The moral of the story? Always listen to the question the interviewer is asking you. 22. Why are you applying for a job you’re overqualified for? This is straightforward enough and if you’ve done your research, you should already know that you’re overqualified for the position. So whenever you’re applying for a vacancy like this, think about why you’re really applying for it. It can’t just be for the money because you probably will be asked about it in the interview and you will have to give a truthful answer that makes sense and isn’t just based on financial need. 23. Which celebrities are you inviting to your dinner party? The people you admire, are inspired by, are interested in or just enjoy reveal a lot about you as a person. That doesn’t mean you have to pretend to be a saint or a great intellect by going for obvious choices like Mother Theresa, Einstein or Ghandi. Be truthful about who you would invite and why. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 12 24. How many sides does a parallelzoid have? All good employees know when to ask for help. If you don’t ask what a parallelzoid is but instead answer the question pretending you know what it is, the employer will realise you don’t ask for help when you need it. This is because there is no such as a parallelzoid. Never be afraid to ask for clarification of a question in a job interview. 25. Do you believe in God?/ What’s your sexual orientation?/ Do you want to have kids? We’ve bunched these questions together because they’re the kind of questions an employer shouldn’t be asking you. If they do question you on your religious/political views, sexuality or family plans, ask them why they’re asking. They might tell you and, depending on their answer, you can decide whether you want to answer the question or not. Ask friends, family and colleagues what the hardest questions they’ve been asked at interview were. Consider how you’ll draw from your experience and knowledge to reply to them and then practice these answers. Focus on your strengths. What are you best at? Don’t be arrogant but confidence backed up by examples is powerful. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 13 Attending Assessment Centres Sometimes the recruitment process doesn’t just include one or two hour-long interviewers but also an assessment centre where a shortlist of candidates for particular roles with the organisation go to be assessed continuously for a relatively extended period of time, be it half a day or three days. This process revolves around the competencies the employer is looking for in the successful candidates. Therefore a number of methods may be used at an assessment centre to evaluate a group of candidates. These include: • • • • • Psychometric testing (i.e. tests to ascertain the psychological programming of each individual). Group exercises Role plays Giving presentations Panel interviews Even if you’ve never experienced an assessment centre before, there is no need to be afraid of them as a concept. You can anticipate, prepare for and practice most of what any assessment centre will throw at you. Review group exercises that you’ve done with schoolmates, colleagues or as part of your voluntary work or hobby. Think about what worked for you and what you could have improved on. Run through mock interviews and role-plays with friends and relatives. Ask a group of people if you can give them a presentation. You can even practice psychometric tests nowadays, thanks to the Internet. Here are some links to examples tests you can try out for yourself: Institute of Psychometric Coaching: Free Practice Aptitude Tests University of Kent: Programming Aptitude Tests PeopleMaps: Fast Personality Test www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 14 HSBC: Psychometric Test eFinancialCareers: Numerical Tests Most importantly of all, look after yourself and wellbeing when preparing for an assessment centre. Give yourself plenty of time before the process starts to do your preparation well so you don’t feel rushed or hassled as the date approaches. Otherwise the whole process can be very stressful for you before you even get to the venue. If you have a medical condition or are in a situation that precludes you from attending an assessment centre, explain this to the employer or agency that invited you to the centre. Even if you have to produce paperwork or some other evidence detailing the particular preclusion(s), it’s worth being upfront about it as any organisation worth working for will understand and arrange alternative means by which you can be assessed. It may be that you are able to attend assessment centres but just the thought of it brings you out in a cold sweat. If you get really nervous at the idea or believe you’ll be overwhelmed with nervousness once you get to the assessment centre, keep these tips handy: 1. The more prepared you are prior to the occasion, the less nervous you’ll feel. Ask the organisation for all the information you can get on the assessment process. Get input from your school or university careers service, or your career coach or guide. 2. If you’re sat at home by yourself the evening before a selection centre, obsessing over what may and may not happen, of course you’re going to be nervous. Take your mind off it by doing something relaxing with a group of friends or your family instead—just be sure to be home in time to get plenty of sleep. 3. Wear something smart but comfortable. The outfits you wear at an AC aren’t the be all and end all, but if you wear something smart but ill-fitting, you’ll spend the whole day stressing you’re going to bust out of your shirt or that your skirt will ride up. Wear something too casual and you’ll worry you don’t look the part. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 15 4. Take opportunities to regularly get fresh air throughout the day. Leave the venue once in a while to go outside and take some air so you don’t get cabin fever or start feeling panicky. 5. Avoid competing with the other candidates there. Don’t be intimated by the ‘competition’ around you— assessment centres actually mark according to their pre-determined selection criteria, not against the other hopefuls. 6. For some people, having notes with you can be a source of comfort and security. If necessary, make some notes beforehand and quickly read through them just before you go in for a panel interview or give your presentation. 7. Whatever happens in each of the tasks or stages, try not to feel that you’re a failure. Just because you believe you’ve said or done something wrong doesn’t mean it’ll determine your fate. Assessors are looking at the whole picture, not picking out minor, isolated mistakes. 8. Don’t get distracted by outside influences that make you vulnerable to added stress. Instead of constantly checking your voicemail and reading texts or tweets from friends, focus on being really there with the assessors and your fellow candidates. 9. Focus on your strengths. Be encouraged that you’ve gotten this far in the recruitment process because the decision-makers have obviously seen something in you that they want. Use your skills set and natural qualities to stand out in a selection centre. 10. Be there to learn as well as impress. Feeling like you’re being observed or judged for a prolonged period of time can be draining and nerve-wracking, so see this experience as more than that. It’s an opportunity to learn about the company as much as it is to perform for whoever’s watching. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 16 Preparing for the Interview In the days and weeks leading up to your interview, preparation is crucial. There are a quite a few things you can to both ease your nerves and get you ready for your moment. 1. Do your research. Make sure you actually want this job before you go to the interview. If, after a little digging, the job isn’t what it you thought it was when you first applied, cancel the interview so you don’t waste your time or others’. 2. Read interview question books. There are specific books you can get that list examples of the kind of questions you can expect to be asked. The best of these books include: • • • • • Answering Tough Interview Questions for Dummies by Rob Yeung The Interview Question & Answer Book by James Innes Telephone Interview Questions and Answers by Richard McMunn 7 Interview Questions You Must Get Right by Russell Tuckerton The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Interview Questions and Answers by Sharon McDonnell 3. Talk to people who’ve recently been for an interview and can tell you what kind of questions were asked, how many interviewers there were and other details that are useful to know. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 17 4. Prepare answers in advance. Once you get a sense of the sort of thing you’ll be asked, you can think up answers to the most predictable questions so you’re not caught off-guard on the day. 5. Think up examples of your skills. Reflect on which of your talents its most relevant for to highlight in relation to the role you’re going for and then think up of examples of times when you’ve showcased these talents. 6. Be clear about what you want. Interviews aren’t just about employers finding out if they want to hire you or not but also about you finding out if you want to work for them or not. Therefore, in order to get the most out of the conversation, get clear beforehand on what it is you want out of your new job. 7. To help yourself get clear, draw up a list of things to look out for in the interview that signify this is the organisation you want to work for. It’s up to you what you put on this list. You might want to consider dress code, the location and accessibility of the building and the time-keeping of the interviewers. 8. Know your boundaries. Being clear depends a lot on knowing what offer or package you’re looking for and what you’re willing to accept and compromise on. 9. Run through practice interviews by role-playing with your friends, family or a career guide. Work with the feedback they give you by taking manageable steps towards improving on the areas they highlight. 10. Think about what you make of yourself if you met/heard you. To help yourself out with this, practice sitting and talking in front of a mirror or record your voice on a Dictaphone and play it back. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 18 The Day Before the Interview What to Wear When going in for an interview, first impressions are really important. The way you look and what you choose as a suitable interview outfit says a lot about your personal brand and how you choose to present yourself, both aesthetically and as a professional. The more professional you look, the more people will be convinced your brand is a professional one. The initial visual experience you give the interviewer in terms of how you look is like an introduction to your brand as a whole package. To find out more about what a personal brand is and how to create yours, check out our Personal Branding and Selling Yourself with Confidence ebooks. In preparation for your meeting think about the following: • Find out what people normally wear – is it a suit, is it jeans and a t-shirt, do they wear neck ties? • Choose your suit / shirt/ skirt / trousers / dress so it’s clean, comfortable, professional and suitable for the type of role and environment you are being interviewed for. Is your suit/outfit back from the dry cleaners? • Have you ironed your shirt? • Are your shoes clean? • Will you feel comfortable in this set of clothes? • Do you need a coat / jacket? • Are your accessories appropriate – not OTT? Is your bag ready to go? Check that it has: o wallet o Oyster Card www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 19 o o o o o o keys notes on the company CV Map/directions Umbrella Deodorant spray (if hot) For women: ‐ Which pair of earrings are you wearing? ‐ Do you need to take out any other piercings you have? ‐ Have you chosen your handbag? ‐ How much make-up are you putting on? For men: -If you have piercings in your ears, or anywhere else, do you need to take them out? -Are you going to take a bag with you? If so, what type? www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 20 Planning the Journey To save potential stress on the day, it’s good to plan a few things in relation to the journey before your interview date. Here are some tips to think about: ‐ Do you know how to get there and exactly where the organisation is located? ‐ How are you getting there? – What’s your route, are there likely to be any delays/disruptions that day? ‐ Print off a map or set up your phone to show you directions to make sure you don’t get lost ‐ If traveling by: o Car – have you enough petrol? o Bus/underground – is your oyster card topped up? o Train – do you know the train times? What happens if you miss one? ‐ How long is the journey? Give yourself plenty of time to get there ‐ Plan to arrive early so that you can get used to the surroundings, relax,, have a drink of water (being hydrated is very important in stressful situations) and calm your nerves ‐ Check the weather forecast that day. Make sure that you have the right equipment with you so that you look your best. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 21 The Night Before Before this important day you need to be well rested. You need your energy and to be alert when you are being interviewed. Here are a few pointers to consider: 1. Eat early and eat light. The evening before the interview, if you have a light dinner early it will be easier physiologically for your body to handle and you are more likely to have a good night’s rest 2. Go easy on the alcohol. Any late night parties or binge drinking activities might be better saved for another occasion. Turning up smelling of alcohol or making your body work harder than it needs to overnight will impact on your performance the next day 3. Do you need to wash your hair? If you want to look good then show up tomorrow looking your best 4. Get an early night. It may sound dull and boring but if you give yourself plenty of time to get to sleep, you will wake up feeling fresh and ready to go in the morning 5. Stay away from caffeine - No coffee, tea or fizzy drinks this evening. Try herbal teas instead to calm your nervous system before sleeping 6. Read a good non-work book before going to bed. You don’t want the last thing you’ve been doing before sleeping to be reading up on the company or preparing for any more tough interview questions. Your mind will continue to think about it and it might keep you up all night. So instead, find a good book to take your mind off it, relax and give yourself a bit of time rest. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 22 7. Set your alarm clock. Make sure that you have lots of time in the morning to get up, get ready and to make your journey. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 23 At the Interview You’ve made it on time and you’re ready to do your best. Keep these things in mind to make sure the meeting goes as well as it possibly can. What to Say 1. We all know which questions are likely to come up when we go to an interview, but it can be still tricky to answer them when we’re feeling under pressure in a strange environment. Keep in your mind these most common of interview questions and how to answer them: o Why are you interested in this job? Be honest and tell the interviewer what it is about the position that you believe will allow you to explore your passions and contribute value to the organisation. o Why do you want to work for this organisation? You’ll have your own personal reasons for being attracted to the business, but they could include the fact that its values are aligned with yours; your admiration of its work culture; perhaps its flexible and accommodating attitude towards parents or part-time students; or your interest in the business areas its currently developing or expanding into. o How are you suited to this position? If you’ve researched the role and thought about how it matches up to your strengths, this is your opportunity to tell the interviewers about these strengths. Don’t just list them-back it up with examples of how you’ve used these skills and qualities in previous positions, whilst you were in education, or whilst spending time on your hobbies. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 24 o What’s the biggest achievement of your life? Of course, when interviewers ask you this type of question, they don’t want you to just say what you think your greatest achievement is and then shut up. They will want you to expand on it, to explain how you came about achieving the particular goal. o What are your weaknesses? We all have weaknesses, but it’s what we’re doing about them that counts. The interviewers don’t want you to focus on your actual weaknesses, per se, but to tell them what you’re doing to improve in areas you feel weak in. For example, if you’re not confident about speaking in public, but you’ve been practicing giving presentations at your book club or local history group, tell the interviewers this. Perhaps you are good at delegating your weaker areas to people with strengths. That can be a powerful response. o When have you had to overcome a major obstacle? You can not only give an example from your current or previous work, but could also alternatively refer back to an obstacle you came across when you were studying, participating in a sports competition, or spending time on a hobby. For example, we know of successful interviewees who have used examples such as having to finish an academic dissertation in a shorter period of time than expected. Overcoming obstacles is often a matter of discipline and strengths over weakness. o What’s the key to successful teamwork? Understanding the task and taking responsibility for your elements of the tasks. The interviewers want to see if you understand not only the importance of teamwork, but how to work in a team. If you’ve worked successfully in a team before, you’ll know the key elements include communication (listening as well as talking), making sure everyone’s opinions get heard, learning from mistakes together instead of passing the buck, and allowing all membersincluding yourself-to be individuals as well as a team. Recognising and appreciating differences within a team are also important. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 25 o You’ve worked in a number of different sectors; how will that help you in this role? If your CV shows you’ve already had several different careers, interviewers may well ask you about this. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to sell yourself on the fact that you know how to do “all sorts” of work. Interviewers will be looking for candidates who’ve specifically targeted the role in question and are therefore enthusiastic and committed to the position. Instead, talk about what value you can bring to the job and what you perceive the organisation actually needs and what the post requires. Match up these requirements with relevant aspects of your experience. o Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? There are a number of potential answers to this question. Perhaps you see yourself leading the team or department you’re being interviewed for right now, or moving to a different department within the organisation, or helping the company expand into brand new business areas. If you’re feeling cheeky, you can even say to the interviewer, “I see myself in your role”. However, there are also a few things you should definitely not say. These include, “I don’t like to make plans”, “I don’t know”, and “Oh, I’ll probably have worked for several other different companies by then”. 2. Put your ideas forward. When it seems as if someone else is controlling or leading a conversation, it can appear difficult to put your own ideas forward, but you must remember that a job interview is a conversation after all and you’re there to express and showcase yourself. Represent yourself and your views assertively, without coming across as too cocky. In addition: o Prior to the interview, write down the main points you plan to get across and re-read them several times before reaching the venue. This will give you more confidence in expressing your opinion and message. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 26 o Doing your research thoroughly will also give you extra confidence. If you want to make a point about something in particular, research the specific issue or theory prior to the big day. o Practice on your friends. When running through role-plays of a job interview, as we suggested earlier, test out some of the things you’re planning to say to see what reaction you get. 3. Be prepared for different interview scenarios. No matter how well you anticipate certain questions and prepare and practice your script, an infinite amount of variables can turn a run-of-the-mill job interview into a scenario you weren’t expecting at all. Here’s what to say in some of the most common interview scenarios to take people by surprise: o If you’re running late, the first thing to do is to phone ahead and be honest about why you’re running late. Once you’ve arrived, apologize sincerely to the interviewers, explaining again the (genuine) reason for the delay. o The employer asked you to bring certain documents with you to the interview—be they your CV, covering letter or a blueprint—but you forgot to grab the file when you left your house. Simply ask the interviewer if you can use your USB stick to access and print the documents from their computer or if you can use their computer to access the documents from an online file storage system such as Dropbox. If you don’t have your computer files already backed up either on an external hardware device or online, do so now. o You have a wardrobe malfunction in the interview. If something goes wrong with your outfit and it’s noticeable to the interviewers, ask to be excused, go to the bathroom and repair the damage as best you can. This is why it’s always a good idea to carry spare safety pins with you. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 27 o If you forget the name of one of your interviewers, there’s no point in faking it—explain to them straight out that you’re bad with names and ask to be reminded of theirs. They’ll respect you for your honesty. 4. Present yourself well. Your words are a powerful thing in that they can both convey you as a confident, informed individual or as completely ignorant. In order to avoid the latter and ensure the former, use your words with the respect they deserve. Think about the type of language needed to create a true rapport with your interviewer, without coming across as too familiar. A few pointers: o Be sure of the job requirements before you even step into the interview. This will give you the upper hand of knowing what the employer is looking for in your answers and the words you use. o Talk about your achievements in quantifiable terms. Say how many people are in the team you currently lead, how big the budget you manage is, how many sales you make a week. o People often hire people who are like them, so try and pick up on the personality type of your interviewer and frame your answers with language that suggests you operate in a similar way to them. For example, if they seem very friendly, talk about how ‘approachable’, ‘warm’ and ‘open’ you are in work relationships. o If you’re being interviewed for a technical role, use language to emphasize your use of logic, reasoning, attention to detail, planning, strategizing, quantifying, clearly defined aims and methods, checking, reports and analysis. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 28 o Accentuate the positive. Even when answering questions on your weaknesses, failures or work relationships gone sour, find something positive to say about the experience or situation. Questions to Ask You’ll inevitably be asked at the end of the interview if you have any questions you want to ask. This is not only your chance to find out more about the organisation and if it’s the type of place you want to work but also to demonstrate that you’ve already done your research on the business and that you are different to the rest of the candidates. Some interesting questions to ask include: 1. What opportunities are there for career development? This shows you’re ambitious without you saying something like, “So when will I get my first pay rise?” 2. Why did you join this organisation? Asking the interviewer directly about themselves, but in the context of work, helps you to forge a connection with them whilst keeping things professional and keeping the focus on why you’re here. 3. You mentioned that analysis/communication/social media is an important part of the role. Please could you expand on this a little? This shows you were listening when the interviewers were telling you about the role and organisation. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 29 4. Which business areas have you recently made new hires in? Demonstrate an awareness of and an interest in what’s going on in the business right now. Show you understand that organisations are fluid entities where evolution and continual progress are key. 5. What direction is the organisation moving in? What are its long-term aims? Which are the most recent initiatives?-This demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in the organisation as a whole, not just your specific role. You’re not just going to turn up for eight hours a day, then take the money and go home. 6. What criteria does the company use to measure and evaluate success? You’ll not only find out what will be expected of you if hired and what areas you’ll need to be strong in but you’ll also demonstrate you understand that your performance will be monitored and analysed regularly. 7. Please can you tell me about how the team/department operates? Here, you’re acknowledging that you will be part of a team and showing that teamwork is important to you. 8. What will working for this company teach me? Ask this to show you know the learning process never stops and you’re eager to learn as an employee of an organisation. 9. Would you be interested in hearing about my experience in giving PowerPoint presentations/my language skills/my organisational qualities? This is a good way of communicating why you believe you’ll be of value to the employer, if you feel you haven’t been given enough of a chance during the interview. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 30 10. What is the next stage of the recruitment process? Sometimes we leave an interview not knowing what’s going to happen next, which can be frustrating. So before you leave, make sure you know when you can be expected to be contacted and what the next stage will involve if you get through this one. Dealing with Difficult Interviewers Like the rest of us, interviewers are human beings and although we’d always expect a job interviewer to be professional and to ask the right questions, sometimes they’ll be having a bad day or just won’t be trained to conduct interviews. So what do you do if the person interviewing you isn’t respectful or polite or isn’t taking you seriously? What if they’re intimidating, aggressive? Here are some tactics you can use to improve the situation: 1. Remember the interviewer may deliberately be trying to antagonise you to see how you perform under pressure. This isn’t really a fair interview technique, but it does happen so try not to take it personally. Take a deep breath to calm yourself down before giving an answer if necessary. 2. Finding out in advance if the organisation goes in for this type of ‘bully interviewing’ can take the edge off the shock once you get there, so use your contacts within the company and Google its HR department, employee surveys and recruitment processes to get to the truth of how they usually conduct interviews. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 31 3. Defend yourself in a respectful and polite manner. If you start raising your voice, making personal comments or aggressively contesting moot points, this can be seen as arguing back, which is a big nono regardless of how badly the other person is behaving. Instead, root your answers in facts and logic and use polite language and an even tone of voice. 4. Look at this as an opportunity to stand out from the other candidates. If the interviewer is being difficult with you, they’re probably behaving this way in all the other interviews too, so just remind yourself that by being on your best behaviour you may well be outperforming other applicants who’ve crumbled under the pressure. 5. At the end of the interview, look the interviewer straight in the eye, give them a firm handshake and say ‘thank you’. This shows them that they didn’t get to you and you’re able to show someone respect and civility even if you’ve come into conflict with them. Awkward Questions Certain questions about your past and your experiences can seem particularly awkward and challenging, but not if you prepare well for the interview and use common sense in answering this questions. Example of questions you might be asked include: • Your application says you took a long career break to be a mum/dad. Why should we take the risk of being the first organisation to hire you after such a big hiatus? Point out that parenthood is in itself www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 32 a full-time job where you’re learning new skills, multi-tasking and taking complete responsibility for another human being who is totally reliant on you. If your parenting experiences don’t make you a valuable asset to an employer, nothing does. • You were made redundant from your last role; tell us about that. Explain that you weren’t made redundant because you were bad at your job but because the organisation had to cut costs in this organisational climate or it’s outsourcing more of its work or it offered you voluntary redundancy or whatever the real reason was. Also talk about how the time away from work has enabled you to reevaluate yourself and your priorities, get your finances in order and generally refresh and revitalise yourself. • You’ve been out of work for ages. What makes you employable now? You probably haven’t been lying in bed the whole time you’ve been unemployed, which is why you’re in this job interview in the first place. Speak about the skills you’ve used in your job hunt such as networking, research and planning. Describe what else you’ve been doing to fill your time and increase your employability, like volunteering, work shadowing or adult learning. • The business you ran went bust. What happened? Remember that just because your business didn’t succeed doesn’t mean you don’t have a good business brain or can’t excel as an employee. Be honest about the real reasons why the business didn’t work, remembering not to put all the blame on yourself. There will have been other factors at play, especially considering the current state of the economy so explain these thoroughly. Showing you have a good understanding of what went wrong will prove you actually do understand business and things like market forces and supply and demand. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 33 • Why do you change careers so often/why are you changing career direction? Here the interview is kind of setting a trap to see if you plan to keep changing careers, because if you do you obviously won’t be fully committed to the role the interview is for. Explain that in the past, for whatever reason, you haven’t been able to find the career that’s right for you but now you know that this is the career—and role—you really want long-term. Describe how you’ve reached this conclusion, be it by working with a career guide, doing unpaid work in this career area or by doing a full ‘audit’ of your life, history, strengths and preferences. • Why have you had so many jobs? The answer may well be because you’ve been sacked from several positions or because you’ve been unable to hold down jobs in the past. There’s no getting around this—tell the truth but also explain what steps you’ve been taking to break the pattern. If a quick temper was the reason you kept getting sacked, explain that you’re now taking anger management courses and finding more productive ways to channel sudden surges of emotion. If a medical condition or too many other responsibilities has precluded you from being able to hold down a role long-term, describe the treatment you’re having or the ways in which you’re delegating some of your home tasks to people you trust. Further tips and advice Here are some more pointers for performing well at job interviews in general: 1. When you first arrive, don’t forget to report to reception so the interviewers know you have arrived. Do this even if you’re early, as they themselves might be running ahead of time and will call for you early. 2. Go to the restroom before you go in for the interview. This will help you to settle. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 34 3. If you’re feeling nervous, take a few deep breaths and remember to put things in perspective. This is a job interview, not a fight to the death. Do the best you can. If you don’t get this role, perhaps it’s because it wasn’t the right position for you. 4. Remember to turn your mobile phone off before you meet the interviewers. That means off – don’t risk it. What’s the point? You shouldn’t be answering your phone during an interview anyway. It’s a matter of courtesy and respect. 5. Once you’re in the interview room or area, be confident and friendly. Make eye contact with the interviewers, smile and shake their hands firmly. 6. When you smile, make sure it reaches your eyes. Just smiling with our mouths makes us look fake and phony. 7. Be conscious of other aspects of your body language as well. Something as simple as you walking in with good posture and not slouching can boost your interviewer’s confidence in your capability, whilst crossing your arms may seem defensive. Overall, avoid fidgeting and try to use your body language to show that you are both attentive and eager: lean towards the interviewer, and don’t close yourself off. 8. Consciously slow down your body movements. In stressful or alien situations we have a tendency to move too quickly, which can betray how nervy we’re feeling. 9. Mimic the body language of the job interviewer. For example, when they lean forward, you lean forward. This is a great way of building a rapport with them. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 35 10. Listen to the questions. Even though you’ll have prepared some answers to common or difficult questions you expect to come up, you still have to listen carefully to what the interviewers are actually saying. Tailor your answers to the wording and style of question, instead of just regurgitating a response you’ve learnt word-for-word. 11. Remember to take enough air in as you breath in. This will help your tone of voice to remain even and clear every time you speak. 12. When giving examples of times when you’ve used your attributes and capabilities, use stories and metaphors as this provides the listener with a far richer and more memorable experience. 13. Demonstrate your natural energy, passion, and strengths. Just because this is a formal interview doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to show any positive emotion or that you have to look miserable throughout. Show that you’re enthusiastic about the role, because that’s what interviewers want to see in a candidate. 14. Even if you’re not one for “enthusiastic behaviour”, at least avoid showing a lack of interest. Don’t clock watch. Don’t be looking around the room when the interviewers are talking to you. Don’t fidget i.e. play around with your jewellery. 15. Don’t ramble on. It matters what you say, not how much you say. An interview is a conversation with a purpose and the interviewers are there to talk with you, not to be talked at. 16. Don’t give one word answers. Just as you shouldn’t say too much, you shouldn’t say too little either. Do not respond to questions with just “yes” or “no”. Interviewers will find it very hard to evaluate any candidate www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 36 who hardly tells them anything. Interviewers will, sometimes, through being ill prepared, ask you closed (yes/no) questions. If you sense they are asking for more – clarify their question and give them more. 17. Don’t be offensive. As informal as the interview might appear, now is not the time for swearing, discriminating remarks, or any type of abuse or insults. 18. A good way to stand out in a job interview is to go in there really understanding the interviewer. Find out everything you can on the person interviewing beforehand by Googling them, checking out their social media profiles and connecting with people who work in their department by finding them on the company’s LinkedIn page. 19. It’s also worth reading articles and other resources on how to conduct a job interview as this will give you a deeper understanding of the strategies your interviewer is using during the meeting and what they’re trying to achieve with each one. 20. Too many people nowadays litter their speech with verbal tics such as ‘um’, ‘like’, ‘I mean’ and ‘you know’. Practice cutting these out before the interview by consciously avoiding them in mock interviews. Get the person ‘interviewing’ you to keep a note of how many tics you use in each interview and with every practice interview you do, commit to using at least two less verbal tics than you did in the one before. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 37 The Organisational Perspective When applying for an interview it can be very interesting and useful to think about it from the organisation’s point of view. There is a reason why they are recruiting and by knowing this and what’s actually going on in the company at the moment, will put you into a stronger position to understand whether you will be a good fit for what they are looking for or not. Here we will look at: Why this role is available - The organisation has a vacancy but why has it The process of recruitment Process of selection (the difference) Behind the scenes They will want you to succeed Why this role is available Jobs become available for a lot of different reasons. The simplest reason to understand is that someone who was in that job has left. Simple and easy we might think. But why did that person leave? Was it because they were excellent and couldn’t see progression for themselves (might you also feel that way after a short period of time?), was it because the job was hugely stressful – due to the boss’s demands and/or behaviour or because the expectation of the hours to be worked were unreasonable? Is the team that you might be working with good and healthy or dysfunctional? Maybe the previous incumbent was unhappy with the working relationships? www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 38 Any one or more of these issues might have been prevalent. It would be good to know wouldn’t it? Ideally you want to find out by speaking to the previous job holder (sometimes that is possible – if the individual is still in the organisation). If that is not possible, be aware of these issues and ask about them at interview. You may not get a straight answer, but your potential employer will be impressed by your questioning if you ask in a curious and positive way. A job that is new and based on growth in the business is quite different form one previously held. What you need to research and explore through the recruitment process is also different. Why is the organisation hiring in this department? What is it saying about short term and longer term prospects for you if you are successful? How do you impress at interview by taking a view that is both very current (for this job) and also for future roles? Those you met at interview will be selling to you. They want you to be as enthusiastic about their organisation as they are. By asking questions, you feed them the opportunity to tell you. Listen carefully and you will learn a lot and be in a better position to respond appropriately. The process of recruitment The process of recruitment starts from the moment that the organisation decides that it has a vacancy to fill. Most employers will seek an internal solution first. Do they have anyone inside that is available and capable? Only when they have explored these avenues will they kick off their recruitment process. What process they use will also tell you something about them. Do they use their own HR department – if they are big enough to have one and maybe even have their own specialist recruiters? Do they use the local press or www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 39 the nationals? What does this say about their size and the market that they are hiring in? What does it say about the competition that you might face? It will be interesting for you to know who you will be meeting. HR is often taking the lead in recruitment as it is part of its functional role within the organisation. HR can then assure that process of recruitment is consistent (i.e. having the relationships and contractual agreements with recruitment agencies). HR is also monitoring the recruitment process ensuring that the processes are fair and within the law. You can expect to meet one of the HR team during the recruitment process. If HR uses recruitment agents, it is possible that your first conversation and/or meeting will be with an agent. Never forget who they are working for. Their job is to find the best candidate for their employer. They may become warm and friendly to you if you are a good candidate but they always know where their loyalty lies. If HR and the recruiters are at the front end of the process, at some point you will meet the line managers. You will know that you are close to the job and the decision when you reach them (see process of selection below). The recruitment process is only at an end when an offer has been made and accepted and the vacancy closed. You might be surprised at how long this can take sometimes! Offers can be made after drawn out processes and then get rejected. This cycle can be repeated over and over. If some of the prevailing issues stated above are there, then successful candidates can start and also leave quite quickly. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 40 Process of selection Selection is a sub set of the recruitment process. Selection is the steps that the candidates are asked to go through that lead to the organisation making their decision. The most well-known and established selection process is the interview but even that has many forms. You may be familiar with the telephone interview, which organisations use sometimes to reduce a long list of candidates down to a more manageable size. They tend to be quite structured and organisations and their recruiting agents will be using a tick box type procedure. It is just a screening process. Interviews can be one on one – candidate to interviewer or any number of interviewers to a candidate. Panel interviews still take place but less often than in earlier times. Panel interviews are used in particular contexts; more so where there may be a lot of stakeholders (in the public sector for example). If you find yourself in a panel interview, the best advice is to concentrate on the person asking the question. Look at them and give them your full on attention. Be aware of who is chairing the session and your default contact should be to them. Both of the above selection processes tend to be quite structured – pre –agreed questions to ensure that all candidates have a similar experience. The less number of interviewers the less likely that you will have an over structured interview. The reason this is that controlling an interview is toughest if you are a sole interviewer. Even an experienced interviewer working on their own will want to let a candidate have some freedom of expression during an interview. Remember the interview is a conversation with a purpose. Being interviewed by one interviewer may evoke a higher level of confidence that things are going to be easier for you. They may be but there is also a bigger chance that you will lose focus, waffle and be unimpressive. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 41 Sometimes the selection process includes tests. Typically these are psychometric tests or personality profiles. You may also be required to show evidence of competence. For example you may be asked to provide evidence of a driving licence and also be asked to drive a vehicle. For creative roles it is usual to bring along your portfolio to the selection process. These are quite role dependent. Psychometric tests measure your ability in terms of numeracy, verbal reasoning and spatial awareness. You undertake these tests under timed conditions and the selectors look for where you might sit relative to the needs that they have in specific roles. Personality profiles are undertaken by the candidate doing a questionnaire (sometimes a few questionnaires). This can be taken online or on paper. This time there is no right or wrong answer; just an indication of your preferences. This tends to be a more subtle approach where the selectors are looking for fit – within a team or to a customer grouping perhaps. Tests like those mentioned can play a key part in the selection process. Good employers will set out clear parameters for their selection criteria and meeting requisite standards and/or profiles may be mandatory. How do you prepare for these types of tests? Clearly if you are being judged on a skill or on a portfolio, it is down to how much work you wish to undertake before you interview. For psychometric tests, the best advice is to get a good night’s sleep before you do them – the fresher you are the sharper you should be. You may be required to attend an assessment centre. This is an approach that allows an organisation to dedicate a specific period of time (usually a half day, a full day and sometimes 2 days) to the selection of candidates. All the interviewers/assessors are there and the process can be achieved in a timely way. What happens in an assessment centre varies, but many of the components in this section will be included. Group work (role plays, group discussions, leadless discussions etc.) will also be included. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 42 Behind the Scenes Who makes the decision about whether to hire you? It will be someone who has been in the selection process, almost certainly, and probably someone that you meet quite late on in the process. If you are able to find out some time during the process, that could be useful to you – particularly before maybe the key conversation of the process. Organisations use external agents and their HR departments to manage their recruitment processes. It takes time and money and organisations want to undertake the processes in the most efficient and cost effective ways possible. Sometimes the organisation’s day to day operations can get in the way of this intended efficiency. Someone key is away on a business trip. It is quite natural, when we are expecting to hear news and we don’t get any, to make up a reason to ourselves. What we don’t know we make up! It happens a lot. Also what happens increasingly is that agents and employers don’t respond to candidates at all. It is discourteous and is increasing unfortunately. It is perfectly ok for you to press the organisation for information – particularly if you have given up your time to apply and to go to a selection event. The best employers know that their recruitment processes are also marketing events. Those that understand this will work hard and professionally at their process and will invariably be the best employers to work for. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 43 They will want you to succeed Employers are really keen to find the best person for a vacancy. It might well be you. The chances are that the people that you meet will want you to succeed. If their feeling about you is sustained, you will be offered the job. If you are not what they want, you will sense it quite quickly and you will be switched off by them also. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 44 What if the Interview Starts Going Wrong? It’s everyone’s worse nightmare. The interview starts going wrong and you’re acutely aware of it. Whether it’s your mobile phone ringing, or hearing yourself give a rambling answer to a question, or a joke that’s fallen flat on its face. Even if you’ve followed all the above steps and tips, things can and do still go wrong, but it’s not the end of the world. Here are a few pointers for keeping calm and salvaging an interview gone wrong. 1. Don’t panic. Even if you’re convinced you’ve made a blindingly obvious mistake, the interviewers may not have noticed it. In this performance, things can get amplified. Maybe the interviewers didn’t laugh at your joke because they didn’t realize you were making one, not because they were deeply offended by it. 2. Don’t start trying too hard. Ok, so you genuinely have messed up big time and you’re sure that the interviewers did notice. Still try not to panic. If you do so, you’ll tighten up and start trying too hard. This could just lead to more rambling answers, bad jokes, and your nervous laughter. Instead focus on doing what you intended when you stepped into the room-giving structured answers backed up with examples to demonstrate what value you can bring to the organisation. 3. Don’t dwell on your mistake. If you keep thinking about the mistake throughout the remainder of the interview, you’ll be distracted. You won’t be listening properly to the questions being asked, which is a big no-no in an interview. 4. Ask the interviewers for help. If the interview is going wrong because you’re answering questions without fully understanding them, it doesn’t have to be that way. Ask the interviewers to clarify or www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 45 expand on any questions you’re unsure of. After all, they want you to answer the question, so they’ll want to be sure that you understand it. 5. Keep your emotions in check. Even if you feel like bursting into tears during the interview, don’t. Try and keep things in perspective-remember that one interview is not a matter of life or death. Yes, you need a job to live, but there are plenty of other jobs out there if you don’t get this one. If you really are emotional, excuse yourself to the bathroom so you can take a few minutes. In an extreme situation, if you’re so upset or unwell you’re about to faint or be ill, don’t try and finish the interview “against all odds”. Ask the interviewers to get you some medical help. 6. Just because you find yourself in the middle of giving a rambling answer doesn’t mean you have to keep going. Stop talking, pause for a second while you breathe in and say “sorry, I think I got off track there. Please can you restate the question?” Asking to hear the question again gives you time to think of a more concise answer as well as reminding you of what’s actually being asked. 7. If you’ve flat out said the wrong thing, you may not be able to erase your words but you can apologize and correct yourself. Simply say, “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant to say. What I mean is…” Any decent interviewer will give you the benefit of the doubt, understanding that candidates often stumble under pressure in job interviews. 8. Alternatively, you may have forgotten to say something altogether. If you’re still in the interview when you remember what you wanted to say, wait for a natural break in the conversation and say “if we can quickly go back to a previous point, I just wanted to add…”. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 46 9. Smile to improve your mood. Even if, by this point, you really don’t feel like smiling, muster up a big smile and make it as genuine as you can. Smiling can instantly lift your mood and will also show the panel that you’re trying your best to remain positive. 10. If you just run out of energy in the middle of a job interview, this is completely understandable considering what draining experiences they can be. The problem is when we run out of steam like this we can lose concentration. Remain engaged in the process even when you’re tired by leaning forward in your chair and listening extra carefully to the questions. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 47 After the Interview The interview may be over, but the selection process is not - not until the employer has chosen a candidate to offer the job to. Keep the dialogues going with the organisation so the interviewers remember you and realize you’re serious about getting-and excelling in- this role. Here’s how to follow up so you stand the best chance of being that chosen candidate: • Immediately after the interview, shake hands again with the interviewers and thank them for inviting you in. • If the interviewers told you they’ll be following up on the references you gave them, contact your referees to make sure they’re ready and willing to be contacted by the organisation. • Send a thank you note to the interviewers. If you don’t have their contact details, get them through the person who contacted you to invite you to interview. • If you have any new thoughts about any of the questions or topics that came up in the interview, send them to the interviewers in an email. • Watch your social media presence. If the interviewers liked you as a candidate, they may look at your social networking profiles to find out more about you or to check that you know how to conduct yourself online. Keep your profiles as professional as when you were initially applying for jobs and certainly don’t post any negative comments about the interview. • Be easy to contact. If the organisation is trying to contact you to offer you the job, or to put you through to the next interview/assessment stage, you’ll want to know about it so you can respond as quickly as www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 48 possible. Set up voicemail/answering machine services on your mobile and home phones and keep your mobile with you and turned on as much as you can. Check your email account regularly. Look through your post in case there’s a letter from the company amongst all the junk mail. Not Getting the Job What if you don’t get offered the job? Obviously it’s going to be a disappointment but it’s important not to stay down for too long. Don’t take it too personally—for every job we’re ideal for, there are several that don’t fit us and sometimes we interview for the several roles that aren’t meant for us before we find the one that is. However, getting feedback on exactly why you didn’t get the job can be helpful in improving your performance in your next interview. After the company makes contact with you to say you haven’t got the role, write back to them or reply to their email thanking them again for the opportunity of the interview and for letting you know about the outcome. Ask them if you could add or change anything about your performance and behaviour in the interview or yourself, your skills set, your experience to be a better fit for the position and the company, what it would be. Even better is if you have the direct contact details for the person who actually interviewed you. Get in touch with them directly to get faster answers. It may even be worth phoning them so you can have a whole conversation around their feedback. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 49 If it’s been several weeks and you haven’t actually heard whether you’ve gotten the job or not, you’re well within your rights to contact the organisation to ask. If they get back to you saying you didn’t get it, you can then follow up by requesting feedback. Some organisations may have a policy where they don’t give feedback to unsuccessful candidates, lest it lead to a can of worms such as a lawsuit being opened. Even if they don’t tell you this directly but just don’t answer your request this may well be the reason so again, don’t take it personally. If you do get feedback, whatever that feedback is, respond by thanking the individual for taking the time out to get back to you. www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 50 References Job Interview Success: Be Your Own Coach by Jenny Rogers Top Tips for Job Interviews BBC News 10 Toughest Interview Questions Answered Forbes Recommended Interview Advice Books 1. Answering Tough Interview Questions for Dummies 2. Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job 3. The Interview Book: Your Definitive Guide to the Perfect Interview Technique 4. Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions 5. You’re Hired! Interview: Tips and techniques for a brilliant interview www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 51 Position Ignition Interview Blogs: • How do I turn interviews into job offers? • 5 Things to avoid in an interview • 16 Interview don’t dos • 6 Tips on what not to do in an interview • How to shine in an interview Visit our Career Advice Blog for more articles www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 52 More Position Ignition eBooks (Visit our website to download: www.positionignition.com) • 100 Essential Career Change Tips • 85 Mid-Life Career Change Tips • 135 Networking Career Tips • 125 LinkedIn Job Search Tips • 125 Twitter Job Search Tips • Up Your Game, Up Your Pay! (85 Tips in Salary Negotiation) • How to Get the Job You Want • Get Paid Right, From the Start (Salary Negotiation in a New Job) • Moving into Retirement in the 21st Century www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 53 Contact Us Position Ignition Ltd is one of the UK’s leading career consulting and career management companies. Founded towards the end of 2009 by Simon North and Nisa Chitakasem, they have brought together some of the best career guides in the industry, providing much needed high quality career support and guidance to professional working men and women. Position Ignition helps working professionals to identify where they would like to go next, what roles they will find fulfilling and how to go about getting it. Their focus is on helping people to make successful career changes, establish smart job search strategies, find focus and direction in their careers and take control of their own career development. Position Ignition offers support through a variety of ways including one on one career support, programmes, workshops, career courses, seminars, webinars, ebooks and through their popular Career Advice Blog. They regularly offer expert advice in the media, press and in places like the Guardian Careers Clinics. They offer a free initial phone consultation via their website if you’d like to find out more or explore how they can help you. Find out more at: www.positionignition.com or Email: enquiries@positionignition.com Follow us on Twitter: @PosIgnition Like our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PositionIgnition We hope that you have found this eBook useful! For comments, feedback or suggestions email us at: enquiries@positionignition.com www.positionignition.com How to Ace the Interview. Position Ignition 2012. All Rights Reserved 54
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