Interview tips
Why is it
that well-prepared candidates exit an interview without a job offer? Often it’s about the opening
moments. An interviewer makes a
snap judgement about you in the first 10-20 seconds of an interview. This isn’t a complete hiring decision,
but a quick take on how personable you are and whether you look and sound the
part. A great deal of this is based
largely on how you are at interview
rather than what you say.
Think
carefully about the messages you send out as you walk into the room. Check out the dress codes of the
organisation and try to look as if you
already work there. Leave
your coat and bag in reception, and walk in with just a slim document folder,
and you will look like an employee rather than a visitor.
Opening Questions
An
interview may open with the broad but off-putting question ‘tell us about yourself’.
The question is usually thrown in at the beginning of an interview (maybe
to throw you off balance just a little). The difficulty is that you have no
frame of reference. Should you talk about your experience, your skills, or your
personality?
The trap
that too many candidates fall into is to give a long-winded answer that tries
to summarise their complete work history.
The main reason an interviewer asks this question is to get you
talking. The second is to see if
you can deliver concise reasons you are in the interview room.
Matching
Any employer
is probably only looking for about half a dozen ‘deal breaker’ elements. Don’t leave it to the interviewer to
draw out matching information – match yourself, point by point, to the
employer’s big ticket items. When
you are asked about strengths, list these top skills and talk about how you
match all of them, giving yourself good back-up evidence with real stories of
achievement.
If time is
really tight, look at the employer’s website and find one interesting thing you
can say about the organisation when you are greeted, and two pieces of
information that you might introduce during the interview as comments or
questions.
Spend time reviewing
the employer’s shopping list.
Telling Your Career Story
Interviewers
remember stories more than they remember facts, so get your best material
across in punchy, memorable narratives.
The night before an interview you may not be able to rehearse a fund of
stories, so go for half a dozen good ones which match the top six items
outlined above.
Additionally,
interviewers often give the job to candidates who have a clear career story –
don’t apologise for variety or disconnection in your CV, but talk about your
history as a coherent overall story of challenges and development, and show how
the job on offer is the next natural step.
Be ready to wrap the interview up with some clear reasons about why you should be taken on. An employer who hears that you understand the job - and you are enthusiastic to solve its problems - will pay you close attention.
Article by John Lees.
John Lees is the author
of a wide range of career titles including
How To Get A Job You’ll Love and The
Interview Expert (Pearson).
See www.johnleescareers.com for free
career tools and tips.
