Top Interview Tips
POTENTIAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
- The following questions are set as a guideline only; they are common questions that in our experience are asked in some form during an interview.
- The key is to read through the job description and pick out the ‘buzz words’, that is the words that are used to describe qualities sought after, experience, duties, etc. Try and include as many of these words as possible in your answers.
- Another good tip is to give examples of how you have previously undertaken duties that they are asking for in this role. This underlines how well you could fulfil the role. For example, it’s all very well saying ‘I’m a good organiser’, but that on it’s own doesn’t say much. However, if you say ‘I’m a good organiser. For example I organised this and that in this role and that role’, you are giving tangible proof that you can do what they are asking for.
- At the beginning, remember to be pleasant to the receptionist before and after the actual interview, as interviewers often seek their opinion after you have left.
- If you are offered tea or coffee or a cold drink, it would be better to politely decline. You may find yourself paying more attention to keeping your cup upright or, even worse, spilling it all over the place, rather than to what is being said.
- Remember to greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and maintain eye contact throughout the interview. Giving out the correct body language is important too. Sit up straight with your hands in your lap and try not present too many closed gestures such as leaning back, crossed arms and legs, etc.
- Reply to questions clearly and concisely. If you don’t understand the question, politely ask the interviewer to repeat it. Don’t be put off or unsettled by pauses or silences. If you cannot think of a question straight away, you can ask for a minute to think. Also a pause is a standard interview technique where the interviewer will remain silent after you have answered a question to see if you fill the silence. If you are confident in your answer, don’t be afraid to let the interviewer break the pause.
- Remember the interview is a chance for you to decide whether this is the job for you and whether you want to work for that company. Often people go into an interview with a ‘victim mentality’, grateful to have been given an interview.
- Convince yourself that you can actually get this job, they wouldn’t have offered you the chance of an interview if they didn’t think you had the right capabilities.
- Try not to interrupt the interviewer, as this could upset the train of thought - yours and theirs!
Questions You May Be Asked
- Tell me about yourself.
- Describe your present job.
- Why do want to leave your present job?
- What do you know about our company and our business?
- Why do you want to join our company?
- Describe your strengths and weaknesses.
- What qualities do you have which make you suitable for this position?
- Why should we employ you rather than someone else?
- What do you understand as the most challenging aspects of this role?
- How would your current boss describe you?
- What type of environment do you enjoy working in most?
- What are your plans for the future and where do you want to be in five years time?
- Potential Questions You May Like To Ask
- Is this a new or existing position?
- Could you describe a typical day in this role?
- Does your company operate a particular dress code?
- To whom would I report?
- Could I see where I’d be working?
- Are there any job related training programmes?
- When will you be making your final decision?
- What is the next stage of the interviewing process?
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