Interview tips
By Cynthia Munro
The job interview is a mutual exchange of information between you and the prospective employer. Unfortunately, a number of us find interviews a little daunting for a range of reasons. One thing you can control in this situation is to prepare well. This helps with your confidence on the day.
Some tips:
- Always ask for a position description so you can comprehensively identify how you fulfil the competencies listed and the desired factors
- To demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the role, prepare, prepare, prepare!!
- Provide more in-depth information about yourself that is not in your curriculum vitae
- When asked, “why did you apply for this role,” in addition to talking about your interest, your ability and experience, add to this and say why you would like to work for the organisation
- Identify substantive answers that can demonstrate and testify to the skills you have
- When answering behavioural questions, be concise – I suggest thinking, then answering in bullet points using STAR or CAR so ensure your answer is concise
- With the question, “tell me about yourself,” instead of reiterating your work history, or rambling because you don’t how to answer, say something like, “I will tell you 3 things”. g. “what drives me”, “what I like about my current role” (being positive), “my interests are……”
- Think about key questions to ask the interviewers that demonstrate your interest and suitability for the role e.g. “What does success look like after 6 months in the role”? “How would you describe the organisation’s culture”?
- If you are asked about salary expectations, ensure you have thought about this and offered a range as your answer rather than a definitive figure
- Always obtain feedback later to evaluate what went well and what could have gone better
Some questions to ask yourself
- Are you able to articulate your value proposition – the value you can add?
- Has your past preparation been enough? If not, what do you need to do more of this time?
- Are you able to convey your interest in the role strongly enough?
- Have you completed enough research on the organisation?
- Is there someone there that you could talk to about the organisation?
Further information can be found here
