Job Interview Guide

A job interview can be a highly stressful and nerve wracking experience however the key to overcoming these feelings is thorough preparation. You should approach an interview as you would approach any other business meeting because essentially that is what an interview is. The interviewer will be selling the position and company and you as the applicant will be selling your skills, strengths and ability to do the role.

Below are some tips that will help you survive the interview process and get you one step closer to getting the job you'll love.

Before the interview

• Know where you're going - find out the exact location and time of your interview to avoid any unnecessary stress.
• Know who you're talking to - ensure you can pronounce the interviewers name correctly and you know his / her correct title.
• Arrive early - at least 15 minutes so you can familiarise yourself with your surroundings and compose yourself.
• Research the industry - be prepared to talk and ask questions about any current events or issues the industry may be experiencing. A good source of this type of information is industry specific journals or magazines, newspapers and industry bodies.
• Research the company - ensure you are familiar with the history of the company, the products / services they offer, the size of the company, reputation within the industry and annual revenue. Visit the company website and / or read the company reports which are usually available online.
• Dress smart - wear smart business attire even if you know the company dress code is casual.
• Do your research - ensure you are familiar with commonly asked questions and are confident on how to answer these [click here for some examples of questions].
• Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses - be prepared to talk about these. These two questions are almost certain to be asked so there is no excuse for not having answers prepared.

During the interview

• First impressions count - this includes interaction with front office staff so be friendly and polite. Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and address him / her by name.
• Relate the job to yourself - discuss your experience clearly and with relevance to the role. Make sure you can explain why you are interested in the role and the company.
• Be positive - when asked about why you left your last job make sure you are positive. Never speak negatively about your employer. Try to think of creative ways to turn negatives into positives.
• Give open-ended answers - this is your opportunity to sell yourself so avoid answering with a yes or no.
• Use achievements to illustrate your answers - when asked a question make sure you can support your answers with examples of previous real work situations. This will help demonstrate your ability to do the job and will also be apparent to the interviewer which candidates are not being truthful.
• Maintain eye contact - this shows you have the confidence and ability to communicate with your peers / management and also that you can effectively communicate under pressure.

Body language to avoid:

• Sitting with your arms crossed - this can be interpreted as you being closed minded and defensive.
• Fidgeting - this signals a lack of focus in the interview.
• Frowning while being asked a question - may indicate that you think the question is silly or unnecessary.

At the end of the interview

Always ask the interviewer questions to show you are interested in the role and serious about the company. An interview is as much about you determining if the role is right for you as it is about the interviewer assessing if you have the ability to do the role and fit within the company. At the end of the interview make sure you have at least two or three relevant questions you can ask the interviewer. Try and avoid asking about salary and holidays unless the interviewer brings these up. You need to illustrate that you are interested in the role, not the benefits at this stage.

Some common questions are:

• Can you give me a detailed description of the position?
• How will you measure how successful I am in the role?
• Why is this position available?
• What is the culture of the company / team like?
• What challenges are the company currently facing?
• What is the next project I will be working on?
• What's the structure of the team like?
• Where does this role fit within the team / company?
• Is there opportunity for professional development? [i.e. paid courses]
• What are the next steps in the interview process?

Closing the Interview

If you are interested in the role and would like to be part of the organisation make sure you tell the interviewer. Find out the next steps in the interview process if you can. This can be as simple as telling the interviewer that you enjoyed meeting them and look forward to hearing from them. Finally, make sure that you thank the interviewer for the opportunity.

Common Interview Questions and Answers

Listed below are some common questions you should prepare for when interviewing for roles.

Personality Based Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What do you want to be doing in 2/5/10 years?
3. What is your ideal job?
4. What type of people do you get on with most / least?
5. Do you prefer to work in big teams or small teams?
6. What is the ideal working environment for you?
7. What do you like / dislike about your present job?
8. What do you enjoy about this industry?
9. This organisation is very different to your current employer - how do you think you are going to fit in?
10. How do you feel about working long hours and/or weekends?

Behavioral Based Questions

1. Give an example of a time when you have had to work under pressure. How did you cope?
2. Give me an example of how you deal with confrontation.
3. Can you tell me of a time / project that was successful and why? What would you do differently next time? What would you do the same?
4. Tell me about a time when you challenged the way things were done or saw an opportunity to do something new. To what degree were you able to make an improvement?

Leadership Orientated Questions

1. How would your team members describe you?
2. Give an example of when you have had to settle a dispute between two people?
3. What is your management style?
4. What did you look for when you hired people in the past?
5. Have you ever fired anyone? What steps did you take to manage this?
6. What do you see as being the most difficult task of being a manager?
7. What is your biggest strength and weakness as a manager?
8. How many people did you supervise in your last job?

Competency Based Questions

1. What can you add to what we have already discussed that would make us want to hire you?
2. What can you do for us that someone else can't?
3. What did you achieve in your last role?
4. Tell me about a big challenge or difficulty you've faced and how you dealt with it?
5. What are your strengths / weaknesses?
6. Give an example of how you have adapted your own communication style to deal with different people and different situations.
7. Have you helped increase sales? Profits? How?
8. Have you helped reduce costs? How?
9. What is the largest budget you have been responsible for?
10. What is the most difficult business decision you have ever had to make?
11. Give an example of when you have had to work under pressure.
12. Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
13. How do you measure your own performance?
14. What kind of pressures have you encountered at work?
15. Are you a self-starter? Give me examples to demonstrate this.
16. What changes in the workplace have caused you difficulty and why?
17. How do you manage your time & prioritise duties?
18. How do you deal with conflict at work?
19. What are your short & long term goals?