Interviewing
This material has been reproduced with the kind permission of TMP/Hudson Human Resource Consulting.
Interviews are the make or break of the job search. No matter how good your career record is to date, the job interview remains one of the most important steps towards achieving your career goals. Preparation for the job interview is, therefore, crucial. Before you begin the interview process you need to:
- Know your CV and ideal next career move
- Know your potential employer
- Know the interview styles that are currently in use
Throughout this section there are opportunities to practise and develop interview techniques. You may find it useful to be videotaped during a practice interview so that you can see yourself as an interviewer will. This may be particularly useful if it has been many years since you have had a formal job interview.
As well as the knowledge and preparation you need to perform well in interviews, there are some general "DO's and DON'Ts" that should be incorporated in your interview style. Click here if you would like to read about this now.
There are several styles of interviews which will be covered later in the programme. However, this approach, ie knowing your CV and ideal next career move, requires you to be prepared to give evidence. In preparation for an interview, knowledge of your CV is the most important thing. It is your opportunity to set down situations where you have demonstrated how you added value to an organisation.
If you have a firm grasp of your ideal next job, you will be prepared for ANY interview.
The person interviewing you generally knows little about you except for what is in your CV. They will generally use the CV as a prompt to find out more about your career and your abilities.
You should be sufficiently prepared so you are able to tell a story about every point you make on your CV. Try using the following model to help frame the stories you prepare. The model we recommend is called SOAR. It is relevant in preparation for and/or during behavioural and competency-based interviews.
Here we recommend you research the organisation you are being interviewed by, and not just for knowledge. Use the information you discover to develop questions to ask those interviewing you. Look for trends, study the financials and ask questions about strategy and direction.
You can research organisations by reading the business press, reading their annual reports and prospectuses, talking with your networks and, of course, on the Internet.
Company recruiters and recruitment agencies use a number of different interview styles. Quite often, a combination of these styles is used. To help yourself prepare for interviews, learn to recognise these styles. Each requires a different approach by the person being interviewed. The most common styles are:
- Behavioural or competency-based
- Preference-based
- Ad hoc
These examples will give you the opportunity to explore different kinds of information the interviewer might be looking for in the CV and in your interview conversation. They will also indicate the different kinds of questions that you could compare to ask the interviewer.
Now you're ready to go through a typical interview. This example includes the three styles we have outlined and indicates the category a question falls into. To access the example questions, click here.
Visit Monster's 'Ask the Interviewer' Forum for more tips and to post a question.
