General Interview Guidelines – The Do’s and The Don’t’s!
Once your interview gets under way and the list of general
questions that need to be asked by the interviewer are answered
and providing at his point you haven’t managed to throw your tea
cup 6 foot into the air because you have the jitters you should,
if you have taken in what I have already said, begin to be
feeling a little less nervous so you can really get down to
business. Try and answer all of the questions the interviewer
throws at you in a precise and confident manner. If your
interviewer is asking a question and halfway through you wish to
make a comment don’t interrupt (unless you really think that it
is very, very appropriate – it’s bad manners). Ideally wait for
the question to be fully delivered to you and give your answer
even if it means saying to your interviewer “can I just pick up
on the point you made in a previous question”. It is really
difficult in this instance where you feel you want to pass
comment on something you really feel passionate about but you
have to try and bite your tongue. Nobody likes being interrupted
and in my experience interviewers are all full of self
importance and feel that their question is more important than
your answer!
Answering Questions Posed To You By The Interviewer:
Your potential new employer is looking for a candidate that can
do the job and will fit into his or her business. The chances
are that the candidate is undoubtedly going to need to be a team
player and a person who can listen and give enthusiastic and
positive input into their job and daily work life. As the
questions start to flow try and remember not to go on and on
when giving your answers.
Try and keep your answers as precise (but not yes and no
answers) as possible. If you are asked a specific question that
requires you to provide an example of how you have dealt with a
situation or closed a sale then give an example that makes your
achievement stand out, if you have won the salesman of the year
award then give a little background into how you achieved it.
Inevitably there will be times when you run out of steam and
these moments can be quite frustrating so just sit back and
relax and take a few seconds to compose yourself before you
deliver your answer to the question.
There are some people think that talking is more important than
listening but they would be totally wrong. Being able to listen
to a question without interruption is an art especially if you
are genuinely interested in the subject but showing this quality
will impress. If you are asked a question that you do not know
the answer to try not to be tempted by lying and if you do you
better make sure you keep your story straight. Answering a
question with a lie can get you into big trouble and really
achieves very little, after all the questions have been laid
down to see if you are the person the interviewer is looking for
and if you can’t give a straight answer then the chances are you
are not the person for the job – don’t do it, it will all end in
tears!
There are some employers that will ask you what you think of
your previous boss. This is a trick question! They are really
not in the slightest bit bothered whether you think your
previous boss was a complete moron all they are trying to
ascertain is whether you were a loyal employee and can act in a
professional and neutral manner. After all if they offer you the
job they will be your next boss! You also have to bear in mind
that what goes around comes around – slating your old boss won’t
achieve anything other than making you look petty and bitter –
save that experience for when you are in the pub with your
mates!
Different Types Of Interview Questions:
An
interview will have a structured format and there will be
several different types of interview questions set to enable the
interviewer to gauge your response to technical as well as
hypothetical questions. For example a Technical Question may
involve specifics about the way a certain type of application is
dealt with. Lets say you are applying for a job in the
construction industry there may be certain questions set out to
see how you would deal with a particular problem within a
mechanical process. Hypothetical Questions can apply to any type
of job role and they are designed to ascertain how you would
deal with a situation or chain of events. Some less professional
interviewers may also throw questions at you which are
deliberately set to get your back up to judge how you deal with
the situation but this is fairly rare and in any event to be
honest any interviewer who engages in this type of underhand
manoeuvre I don’t think would be a particularly good employer –
just my opinion.
Types Of Interview:
If
you haven’t had a lot of experience with attending interviews
then you will not be aware of the different ways that employers
are able to conduct interviews and the way that they are held.
Aside from a traditional interview – one candidate and one
interviewer, there are three different types of interviews and
dependent upon the position involved will depend upon the type
of interview you may have.
Firstly there is the Telephone Interview. This involves an
interviewer calling you up and having a chat with you over the
phone to judge your telephone skills. This often happens where
the job may entail working in a call centre and the emphasis is
on how well you perform on the telephone. This method is also
sometimes used if the interviewer is trying to shortlist a group
of candidates in a quick manner and is often carried out by an
external recruiter such as an agency. You may or may not be told
that you will be having a telephone interview it depends on the
employer but if you have applied for a job where heavy telephone
use is likely to be a major part of the job then this may be an
option your interviewer will choose. The interview should be
treated as any other interview and it’s a good idea to make
notes as you go along if you can. If you are successful it may
be that your interviewer will ask you there and then to attend a
face to face interview so make sure you have a pen and paper to
hand.
Another type of interview is what is known a Panel Interview.
These are a bit more tricky and stressful than a one to one
interview. A panel interview will usually have anything from
three to six interviewers sitting in on the meeting. Basically
this is a way of cutting down on time where the decision for the
applicant needs to be discussed by several different members of
the business. It could be that you are applying for a sales post
and the interview needs the Sales Manager, HR Manager, Head Of
Department and if the role involves some form of IT work one of
the IT Managers. It’s always difficult attending these
interviews as it can feel like you are one against many but it’s
not set up like this for any nasty reason it’s just easier for
the company. If you are faced with a Panel Interview try and
always answer each question posed by each member of the panel
back to the individual who has posed the question whilst
casually glancing at the other members of the panel. Also when
you enter the room you will obviously shake hands with the head
of the panel or the person who has taken you in but whether you
decide to shake all of the panels hands is a decision you will
need to make at the time. If they all stand and offer their
hands your decision will be made easier.
The final type of interview is a Sequential Interview. This can
also be a tough type of interview leaving you feeling absolutely
drained. Basically how this works is you will be interviewed by
a series of different people, it might be that the HR Manager
interviews you first, then the Sales Manager interviews you and
then the Local Director. The chances are that each member of
staff will have a different question to the last but there may
be some overlap and you might find yourself answering the same
questions twice!
Closing And Leaving The Interview:
Once the interview has finished and this should be fairly
obvious as the interviewer will intimate that it has you will
want to stand, pick up your briefcase or handbag from under the
chair (if that’s where you put them) and shake hands with the
interviewer (again in a firm but not grip wrenching manner!).
Try and avoid the temptation to wipe your sweaty hands on your
clothes in front of the interviewer – a better tactic is to just
clench your hands together and rub them a couple of times gently
to remove any wetness. Thank the interviewer for the time that
they have afforded to you, say goodbye in a nice smiley manner
and leave the room. Some people will escort you out onto the
main floor others may see you out of the building but whichever
try and stay as professional as possible – the jobs not yours
until you have signed on the dotted line!
|
