When You Are Preparing For The Interview:
Great news, give yourself a pat on the back and well done you’ve
got an interview for a new job. You have obviously impressed
your future potential employer with your CV and your application
form to be offered an interview in the first place. You have
probably beaten many other applicants but something in your
application has made you stand out from the other candidates.
An
employer isn’t looking to employ any old person to fill their
job hence they have already sifted through all of the
applications and compiled a shortlist which you are on! Now all
the interviewer needs to do is choose which candidate to fill
their job and the only way they are going to do this is meet
each applicant in person. There are many variables in choosing
a new person for a job, what one employer classes as an
important quality another may not. Some feel experience is an
important factor others value qualifications or team management
skills or a combination of both. What you have got to remember
is that you will have to make a lasting impression on the
interviewer to get you nearer to securing that new job. Your
future employer is going to have to make a choice from several
applicants one which inevitably will be a hard decision to make.
After all, summing up candidates suitability in a few short
hours isn’t easy for any interviewer so you must make an
impression. Its no easier sitting in an interviewers shoes than
being a candidate. If you go well prepared then you are able to
manipulate an interviewer to your benefit to get across your
strengths.
Prior To The Interview:
Remember your employer knows all about the job they are looking to
fill - what it entails and what qualities they are looking for
in a potential candidate. They also have a fair amount of
information about you – your CV and application form and it’s
always a good idea to take a copy of this with you to the
interview. The interviewer will have a checklist of areas they
are looking to satisfy themselves over to ensure you can do the
job which will encompass some general interview questions and
some questions specifically about you as a person such as your
interests, hobbies and what you like outside of the workplace.
How Will The Interview Be Structured?
Most interviews follow a fairly similar simple format. Usually you
will be invited into the interview room, offered a drink of tea,
coffee or water etc and then sometimes a bit of casual chat such
as “how was your journey?” – you get the idea! Next your
interviewer will ask some general questions, such as “Tell me
about yourself” or “Are you an organised person”. They may then
ask you questions about your CV such as “You say you are good at
time management can you give us an example”. Once the
interviewer feels that they have satisfactory answers to all
their questions they will then give you the opportunity to
answer any questions you may have about the job, the company
etc.
Convincing Your Interviewer & Offering Them Reassurance:
It
is really important at the interview stage that the interviewer
feels happy about all of the areas they have covered. They may
keep going back to specific questions if they don’t feel they
have got the answer they require – this is often a good sign as
it means they are taking your application serious and they may
just want reassurance in one or two areas. If you can put their
mind at rest it will may you a far stronger contender. If you
haven’t been asked any questions you have either done a
fantastic job at clarifying all of their concerns and queries or
you are unlikely to have got the job. So try and be as open as
you can be – without going on and on. Also - and I know it’s
not always easy to judge - if you think there is an area that
the interviewer has covered and is uncomfortable with try get
your point across. There are certain areas that can will cause
concern to an employer such as lack of experience or missing
periods or employment during your career which have simple
answers to them but if your potential employer doesn’t have a
good because they haven’t asked you a question about them they
are going to be wary so if you think something is bothering the
interviewer try and offer a good form of explanation. If you are
well prepped before the interview and you think there is an area
of your career history that might make your interviewer a little
wary you will can have a sensible answer ready and avoid feeling
left speechless when the interviewer says – “Why is there a 18
month gap in your employment history”.
Being Interviewed For A Job By Your Existing Employer:
An
interview is an interview! Should you be applying for promotion
or a change of job in your existing company then your existing
employer will have a lot of the current information about you
already, such as timekeeping or time management skills, your
personal details etc, etc. Other than these details the
interview will follow the same structure as any other interview
however specific questions about your current position may well
come into play and have a more dominant effect on the meeting.
It may be that there are certain areas that the interviewer will
already know about you but they still may ask you about them
things like “How well do you work under pressure and meeting
targets?” they will already know this as you work form them but
it may well be that they want you to answer this question anyway
so just go ahead and give them the answer they want to hear!
Just because you already work for this employer don’t treat the
interview any differently to an interview being conducted by a
new employer. Sure the interviewer may already know you so the
start of the interview may well be a little less informal in
their greeting but once you get down to business and the
interview commences treat the interview as if you were applying
for a job outside of your current employer. Good point of useful
information; don’t crack jokes about people you work with or
perform chit chatter about Joe in accounts – it isn’t perceived
professional and it will do you no favours in your career
advancement.
Be
Prepared For The Questions That Will Be Asked:
It’s almost impossible to know exactly what questions are going to
be asked at the interview but you can expect that there are
certain areas that will be likely to be explored. So brief
yourself on the skills required to do the job including the
experience you have to do it. Think about questions that may
arise from the answers you have given on your application and
lastly consider any questions that may arise regarding your CV
as previously mentioned such as breaks in your career, work
experience and so on. If you work in a sales role you will
already understand the importance of preparation prior to
meeting a new customer or trying to close a deal and it’s no
different when presenting yourself at an interview trying to win
a new job. You need to “Prepare Your Offensive”, “Do Your
Research”, and “Prepare For The Meeting”. The better prepared
you are the more professionally and accurately you will be able
to answer each question and this will put both you and the
interviewer at ease.
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