Interview Preparation and Guidance The interviewer is looking to resolve a problem and thus, is in a purchasing mode. The interviewer needs to acquire the services of someone that is going to resolve that need. For you, this is a sales process; you have to know what the buying signals are and satisfy these by providing the product; YOU!!
Interview Preparation 1. Researching The Company 2. Talking through your CV 3. Managing the Interview 4. Competencies and Skills
Researching the Company More than ever, clients will expect you to have researched the company prior to interview. Do more than just look at their website; use the major search engines to find more data:
What is the exact nature of the company’s business? It sounds too obvious but don’t be fooled.
What are its key product portfolios and revenue streams?
How many staff does it have? What is the average age of staff, the company culture etc?
What is the company’s annual turnover and profit?
Who are its main competitors?
Has the company been in the press lately, are there any controversial announcements or decisions?
Does the company have any major projects or changes planned?
Who are the CEO, MD and other relevant directors? Especially the person responsible for the department in which the vacancy exists.
What sort of industry or business climate does this company trade in? What are the trends and potential challenges?
This effort will prepare you for questions and help you to formulate your own, enable you to be aware of external industry issues and get a feeling for the culture of the company and industry. The more you know about the job and company prior to the interview the bigger your impact. The interviewer will be impressed with your diligence and enthusiasm, and naturally it reflects the thoroughness of your work. When possible mention that you have researched the company during interview by phrasing “when I was researching the company…”
Talking through your CV During interview you must be able to précis and present your CV (and therefore your skills) to the interviewer in a concise, positive and comprehensive manner. Whilst doing this it is important to bear in mind that most interviewers will not have absorbed your skills entirely and that they are not always skilled interviewers. Accordingly the “standard interview” will involve a walk-through of your CV to date.
Sit down in an appropriate setting and précis your CV on paper.
Concentrate on the areas that are pertinent to the role and to structure the time used in such a way that the largest proportion of this is spent discussing your most recent experience or most pertinent role.
Focus on your career moves, your achievements and difficulties overcome.
Use positive vocabulary and relate your achievements to skills/areas required in the job spec.
Sit down and highlight them and then work out how to relate them in particular to the role as laid out in the job spec.
Talk through the presentation of your CV OUT LOUD, ideally in front of a mirror or to someone you know.
When you write something down and vocalise it you create a memory, albeit a small one. The more you say it the more you consolidate the memory pathway in your brain. When it comes to retrieval of that memory, you will be able to tap straight into that memory and repeat it. You will make fewer mistakes; you will make clearer statements and therefore appear more confident. You will lessen the amount of “ummm” or “eeerr” stalling interruptions and the “tip of the tongue” loss of words effect that always happens when you least need it!
Managing the Interview The interview itself can be broken down into 4 key areas. You are being assessed in each.
Personal Presentation Always check the dress code. Overdressing is forgivable, under presentation is much harder to recover from. Check your personal appearance, clean nails, no food in your teeth, hair combed, shirt ironed. Simple things but they make a difference
Introductions Ensure a firm handshake and maintain positive eye contact again practice if need be. Make small talk on the way to the interview room, engage with the interviewer. Although there will be time to recover, first impressions still count for a lot.
During the interview This is your chance to sell yourself, remember the interviewer wants to buy.
Maintain positive eye contact and body language. Eye contact and body language are important in helping to win the “emotional sale” and the ability to concentrate on presentation rather than content will help you. Although most of us are not aware of non-verbal indicators, interviewers will pick up on these when behaviours do not “feel right”. They are a subliminal message and if you have to think hard on formulating a response you may inadvertently be sending out the wrong signals to the interviewer, this will often distract from what you are saying.
Having pre-formed a series of answers and examples, you will reduce eye reflexes. To your interviewer this will make you seem more alert, quicker and more focused. It will also help keep them “involved” by being able to present more normal “conversational” body language
Closing the Interview This can be hard, so take control:
If the interviewer has covered your prepared questions state that the interview was so comprehensive that it covered the questions you prepared previously. However, if there are more thoughts that come to light later can you call the interviewer. Ask “as I am here are there any areas that you still have concerns about that relate specifically to the role? Can we cover them now?” This gives you another chance to sell.
If the issue of salary arises it is always best to qualify that you are first and foremost looking for a position that satisfies your needs. You may need a challenge or a very progressive company, or one that places a great deal on customer service, quality and personal integrity. Then you can say that with these areas in place remuneration will be appropriate to the position and level of skills.
Don’t be scared to re-iterate what you are looking for financially as it is an important part of your decision to accept the role. However make sure before the interview you are fully aware of the spending power of your interviewer. If there is a significant mis-match it will just be a waste of everyone’s time.
If at all possible mention a personal pastime or hobby or interest but be honest. And finally ask when you can expect a decision and what the next stages are.
Core Skills & Competencies Draw on your experiences and strengths and deliver them in a form that relates them to the position. Write out your key skills and relate then to the job requirement. Then relate them to your experience and provide examples of where you demonstrated that skill.
Self-Assessment Before you even begin the job hunting process, it is important to spend time assessing your skills, experience, strengths, limitations and personal preferences. Have a plan in your mind of what you want to do in the next year or 5 years and what you need to achieve to get there. High achievers move strategically, they don’t wait for redundancy or to see if their boss ever moves on!
Your primary aims are to convince the interviewer that:
You are able to do the job competently.
You can bring benefits to the company.
You are the best candidate.
Skills Begin by looking at your background and map out a profile of your key attributes and write them down. Don’t write an essay but select the key areas that reflect you, bullet point it or make a flow chart.
I am very competent
I am competent, but could improve
I could do the task adequately
My skills are under-developed for the task
Know your 5 key skill attributes and identify the 2 or 3 main ones where development is needed. Turn these into adjectives that you can use to describe yourself. It will help you with which skills to emphasize in the course of the interview and which weaker areas will require some diplomacy.
Strengths & Competencies As well as your skills the interviewer will be assessing you against core competencies they deem important to do the role. You should always ask for these competencies in advance so you can prepare examples of where you have demonstrated achieving them.
They will vary from company to company and position to position but examples could include:
Communication
Leadership
Team Work
Initiative
Personal effectiveness
Financial acumen
Planning & Problem solving
Highlight the strengths that appear high on both the skills and competency lists and prepare your presentation of them. It is also essential that you pay at least as much attention to those areas which appear low on your strengths list but high on the ‘required’ list for the new role. Do not be afraid to address these areas but treat them as areas where you recognise your need for additional exposure and development.
And Finally… By using the techniques in this document you will help yourself to present the correct balance of personal qualities, skills and competencies at interview. Getting this right will not only lead to you being delighted with your own performance but also ensure that you maximise your value in the eyes of those you are presenting to.
This methodology provides you with the tools to help control your future and this and in turn will significantly improve your ability to win that job. Good luck!
