INTERVIEW PREPARATION:

The key to a triumphant interview is preparation. Find out everything you can about
the company (check their website).
Re-read the job-specification, thinking through your own career and the questions
they might ask you. You should try to anticipate the general questions they will ask
and also prepare some questions to ask them.
To do well at the interview you will need to prove to the interviewer you are
technically qualified to do the job. You will also need to show that you are suitably
motivated to get the job done well and that you will fit in with the companys
organisational structure and the team.
You should dress smartly for the interview and always arrive on time. Be courteous to
all employees of the company. Be positive about yourself and your capabilities but do
not ramble and stick to the point.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Before attending an interview you should think about responses to the following
questions.
Why are you seeking new employment?
Avoid projecting a negative attitude or running down your present employer. Focus on
your achievements and how you would like to develop in the future; hopefully within
their organisation.
What can you contribute?
This is your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements to date, which are
relevant to the new position.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Emphasise the positive reasons why you want to join the company, but avoid aspects
such as more money or shorter hours. These would not endear you to a prospective
employer.
What do you know about this company?
This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their products,
services, sales figures, news, company figures and customers etc.
Explain the organisational structure in your last company and how you fitted
into it?
This question may be used to find out whether your old job is at a comparative level
to your new job.
What do you do on a day to day basis at work?
Stress the positive things you do including your achievements to date.

What motivates you?

Suggestions are career growth, opportunity to learn new skills, good co-workers etc.
What are your career goals?
Link your personal goals with the organisational goals.
How would you describe yourself?
Pick your best attributes and achievements from your career history.
What interests do you have outside work?
Your hobbies and interests can tell an employee a lot about you, including whether
you are sociable or solitary, and whether you can take on leadership roles.
What did you earn in your last job? What level of salary are you looking for?
Be careful when you answer this question. You dont want to appear to be greedy. If
you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is.
Once they have answered, you say I think my experience would place me at the top
end of your range
Questions to ask the Interviewer
The interview is a two-way process. You should therefore ensure that you have
enough information to make up your mind whether you want the job.
For example:
Where will I fit into the overall organisation structure?
Who will I report to?
What level of performance do you expect from me?
Where is the company going? Expansions?
What is the chance of advancement/ promotion?
What training do you provide?
Factors that can cost you the interview/job
Being unprepared for the interview.
Poor/ limp handshake.
Saying unfavourable things about previous employer.
Not being able to communicate clearly and effectively.
Being aggressive or acting in a superior way.
Making excuses for failings.

Competency Based Interview Questions

Adaptability

Describe a time when you altered your own behaviour to fit the situation.
Tell me about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to
take into account new information or to meet others expectations.

Client Focus

Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder beyond their

expectations.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a client/stakeholder service issue.

Communication

Describe a situation you were involved in that required a multi-dimensional

communication strategy.
Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive
communication?

Organizational Awareness

Describe the culture of your organization and give an example of how you work
within this culture to achieve a goal.
Describe the things you consider and the steps you take in assessing the viability
of a new idea or initiative.

Problem Solving and Judgment

Tell me about a time when you had to identify the underlying causes to a problem.
Describe a time when you had to analyze a problem and generate a solution.

Results Orientation

Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal.

Tell me about a time when you improved the way things you typically do on the
job.

Describe something you have done to improve the performance of your work unit.

Teamwork

Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a member of a team.

Describe a situation where you were successful in getting people to work together
effectively.
Describe a situation in which you were a part of a team, and a conflict arose
within the team. What did you do?

Developing Others

Tell me about a time when you coached someone to help them improve their skills
or performance.
Describe a time when you provided feedback to someone about their
performance.
Give me an example of a time when you recognized that a member of your team
had a performance difficulty/deficiency. What did you do?

Innovation

Describe something you have done that was new and different for your
organization, that improved performance and/or productivity.
Tell me about a recent problem in which old solutions wouldnt work. How did
you solve the problem?

Impact and Influence

Describe a situation where you had an idea that met with resistance and how you
overcame that resistance.
Describe a time when you went had to to influence an individual or different
stakeholders with differing perspectives.

Leadership

Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective.
Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal.

Relationship Building

Describe a situation in which you developed an effective win/win relationship

with a stakeholder or client. How did you go about building the relationship?

Resource Management

Describe a situation in which you took a creative approach to resourcing to

achieve a goal.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a particular resource management
issue regarding people, materials, or assets.
Describe a situation in which you established a partnership with another
organization or stakeholder to achieve a mutual goal. What steps did you take to
ensure the partnership was effective?

Self-Management

Describe the level of stress in your job and what you do to manage it.
Describe a time when things didnt turn out as you had planned and you had to
analyze the situation to address the issue.

Strategic Thinking

Describe a challenge or opportunity you identified based on your industry

knowledge and how you developed a strategy to respond to it.
Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a longer-term business
objective.

INTERVIEW TIPS
Interviews are still the most popular form of selection for most positions and often
individuals that perform well at interview are selected ahead of those that are
perhaps better qualified but who do not perform as well. Good interview technique is
vital to securing the top jobs and like exam success it can be learned.
Here are 10 tips to improve your interview skills before, during and after the
interview.

Before the Interview

By conducting thorough research you have a better chance of success as you identify
issues and practise questions that are likely to be asked.
1) Research yourself, your skills and experience

At least half of the interview will be about you, particularly your skills, experiences
and career goals. Its therefore essential that you know everything there is to know
about yourself and be able to answer any question confidently and concisely. You are
likely to be probed about your profile and so you need to be able to describe and
portray yourself in a positive and balanced manner. Review your career to date and
understand your key skills and strengths, your reasons for making a move both now
and previously as well thinking about your short and medium term career goals.
2) Research the company, its products/services, culture and vision
Its important to research the company for several reasons. You want to know for your
own purposes that its a company you want to work for in a sector you want to work
within. For the purposes of the interview you may also be asked a question or wish to
ask a question.
A popular interview question is How much do you know about our company?. It
helps if you can respond with a brief summary about the company. It shows that you
are someone that does their research which is a positive feature.
During the course of your research you may also unearth an issue or two about the
company that you want to clarify which may, for example, be related to their trading
performance or a new product or service.
3) Research the job
Its important to spend time analysing the job specification for two reasons. Firstly, is
it a role that interests you and why and can it help advance your career? Secondly,
how can you use your skills and experience to add value to the role? The interviewer
will be focusing heavily on this latter aspect so it helps for you to be able to answer
this question effectively.
4) Research likely questions and answers
There will be questions back and forth on both sides and it helps if you have an idea
about both the questions to be asked by the interviewer and the questions you wish to
ask of them. Its a similar process to knowing what the questions are before you take
an exam. The questions asked are likely to be related to you and your profile and your
relevance to the role and how you can add value in the future.
Questions to ask the interviewer
Interview Question Guide

During the Interview

5) You never get a second chance at a first impression
Ensure that you are professionally presented and have maximum impact. In the first
five minutes, your interviewer will form an impression about you that is rarely
overturned so its essential that you are wearing the right clothes and your handshake,

eye contact and smile all portray a strong image. Be prepared to conduct some small
talk before the body of the interview.
6) The interview should be a two way conversation Its preferable for the interview to be a dialogue rather than a monologue or a quick
fire question and answer session.
Some interviewers are good at achieving this, others are not. This means its partly
your responsibility to ensure that its a pleasant informative conversation. If the
interviewer enjoys the meeting they are more likely to think positively about
you. Whatever the style of the interview you want to ensure that your answers to
questions are thorough but concise.
Practice your Interview Technique
7) Expect the unexpected
Often interviews dont go as planned and something goes wrong with the timing,
location, numbers of people interviewing or the questions asked. Expect the
unexpected to happen and take such events in your stride because if you remain calm
in a crisis this will be to your advantage. Your prospective employer will view you as
someone who can cope with unusual issues.
8. Ask questions of the interviewer
You have researched the questions you want to ask and you should ask them. If you
can, ask as part of the dialogue or a specific Q & A session. Your questions should be
about the job and the company, the sector and a good one is to ask the your
prospective manager about their background and why they would be a good person to
work for. Often if you can get the interviewer to talk about themself you not only
learn more about them but they feel better about the interview and about your
performance.
Questions to ask at an interview
9) Confirm your interest in the assignment and the company and ascertain the
next step in the process
It always helps you if you finish the interview in a positive way. This is the reverse of
the first five minutes. Thank your interviewer for their time and reaffirm your interest
in the position. Even if youre not interested, it is better that you have the option to
proceed once you have thought about it. Try and ascertain the next step and by
when that you should hear. A firm handshake and eye contact is necessary here.

After the Interview

10) Follow up calls and emails/letters

It adds weight to your application if you can follow up your meeting with a short
thank you email or letter. This is both common courtesy but just serves to confirm
your interest. If your interviewer has given you a decision timeline feel free to politely
call them if that time has passed.