Attending An Interview...? (Click Here For S.T.A.R)

Attending an interview can be a nerve wrecking experience if you do not prepare correctly. Preparation for an interview should not be taken lightly and not only makes a difference to the entire event but also shows real interest in the role you are going for. There is never a second chance to make a first impression.

Whether you are a seasoned interview veteran or you are going for your first job, the information on this page will help you not only prepare for that crucial interview but will make you succeed in securing an offer.

See The Big Picture

Be aware that you will not be the only candidate going for this job (especially in today's market) so make sure you think about your unique qualities that will not be found in others, why should YOU be hired? What makes you different (better) than the competition? We call this the "X" Factor and it shows the kind of out of the box thinking that is required by today's professionals.

Research

Researching the company and the people who are interviewing you is often overlooked and not only shows interest in the company and the people who are interviewing you, it shows commitment, professionalism and a good attitude toward the company from the start.

Use any popular search engine to research the company in full, locations, size, people, where the staff have worked before etc.

www.linkedin.com can be a fountain of information on people and companies, sign up and get researching.

 

Most public companies have a section of their Websites dedicated to investor relations and often have their annual reports online and in downloadable form.

IRIN -- The Investor Relations Information Network - a clearinghouse of annual reports, fact books, and press releases (mainly American based but the Europe equivalent)

Web100 -- Big Business on the Web - tracks the largest international companies on the Web (ranked by revenue), listing these corporations along with their Fortune500 and Global500 rankings. Can search for companies or scroll through rankings. Links under each company to sites that have more information about the companies.

Hoover's Online - once self-proclaimed as "the ultimate source for company information," this Website offers a lot of information -- very little for free and most for a fee.

CorporateInformation - a great resource for researching companies and industries around the world. Search for company and industry information -- or search by country to find companies that operate within a specific geographic region. More than 350,000 company profiles. Free to job-seekers.

Vault.com - well known for its insider reports on thousands of companies.

StockMarketYellowPages.com - allows you to search for public companies based upon their descriptions, where you can then follow links to other sources (including Zack's, Hoovers, BigCharts, and more) of key information about the company.

Fortune.com Lists - a variety of lists of the "best" and largest public companies, as well as links to industry information, and other lists.

Allstocks.com's World's Largest Investors Links - where you can find links to all kinds of information about companies and industry analyses.

Yahoo! Business and Economy: Companies - provides links to company Web sites.

 

ZoomInfo -- a great tool for researching people. Calls itself a unique summarization search engine that finds, understands and extracts the latest online information about people and companies and instantly delivers it to you in concise and useful summaries. No cost to job-seekers.

NewsLink: with links to major U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations.

Final Preparation

Do you know where you are going and how long it takes to get there? Have you considered traffic, tube lines closed or other obstacles that may prevent you from being on time?

Do you know who to ask for when you turn up to the building or if you need a parking space?

Dress to impress - always dress well to show professionalism, sounds obvious but make sure you look like you mean business.

Mental attitude - Go to the interview in a very positive mindset, shake all negtaivity, doubt and insecurities away for this interview, confidence is key and is the most influential thing in an interview situation.

Have you studied your CV? You need to be able to discuss your CV with out having to look at it, memorize the CV in great detail and be prepared to elaborate on any point of it at short notice.

 

Is your CV well layed out? for more information and to download example CV's click HERE

Can you talk about every aspect of the job specification in relation to your CV?

 

Can you talk about every aspect of your experience and sell yourself according to the S.T.A.R methodology? - Click HERE for more information on how to perform according to S.T.A.R

Have questions of your own to ask.... you will notice that they are asking many "open" questions, you should do the same. Ask many pre-prepared questions that makes them give as much information to you as possible and LISTEN carefully.

Do you have relevant examples of work to take with you as well as any written references you have not already passed on to us? This can make a real difference and is very powerful as the interviewer can see the quality and way you work to further imagine you already working for them.

Important Questions

If you only take a few pieces of information with you to the interview, make sure these next 3 statements are included......

1: What are your three biggest achievements? Most proud of?
2: When in your career did you meet resistance and how did you deal with that?
3: When in your career did you achieve the biggest change in a company?

These are vital questions to be able to answer so ask them to yourself, memorize the answer and be ready to use the answer at any given moment, they are fundamental points of reference relevant to any new employer.

Questions To Consider

The following are questions that can arise, if you can ask yourself all of these and come up with an answer to remember then you should have no problems answering these standard interview questions.

Why are you looking to leave your current job?

Why did you leave your previous job?
What interests you about this position?
What do you know about our company?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What can you offer our company?
What is your greatest achievement to date/ in you current job/ in all your jobs?
What do you dislike about your present/previous job?
What do you like most about your present/previous job?
Where would you like to be in five years?
How would your colleagues describe you?
How do you feel about working long hours?
Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
What are you looking for in a company?
Describe your management style.
What kind of people do you find most difficult to work with? Why?
In your present/previous job what kind of pressure did you encounter? How did you cope with it?
What do you find difficult in your current/previous job?
Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why.
How do you manage your time?
What role do you play in meetings? Give examples.
Explain your biggest mistake in delegating and also in not delegating.
What is the toughest decision you have had to make whilst at your present/previous company?
What change has caused you the most difficulty and why?
How do you measure success in your current job?
How far have you ever compromised your standards? Give examples.
Give some instances in which you anticipated problems or influenced new direction.
What kinds of people do you like working with?
Do you prefer to work alone or in a group?
Which part of this role is the least attractive to you?

Sell Yourself

Anyone who has been involved with sales over the years will tell you that selling anything (even yourself) is all about LISTENING not talking.

LISTEN to what is being said, LISTEN to what they NEED in a candidate and then come up with relevant points of how you fit into their needs.

How To Conduct A Great Interview

Discover your strengths and learn to talk about them, as long a they are relevant to the NEEDS of the interviewer. Since employers estimate future successes by past accomplishments, learn to think of your experience in terms of goals achieved, abilities developed, lessons learned. A case study of your accomplishments will reveal the best of your skills.

Most people are uncomfortable promoting themselves or revealing their ambitions because as children many of us are taught not to brag. But though self-congratulating may be rude at a dinner party, it's expected at an interview. So get comfortable telling your "story" by sharing it with a sympathetic friend, because overcoming an ingrained reluctance to speak highly of yourself is essential if you hope to convince an employer to hire you.

Plan your interview story carefully. Most successful interviews follow a three-scene script. Cooperate with the script and you increase your chances of being hired. Fight it or ignore it and your interview may run aground.

Scene One: Lasting about three minutes, this scene consists of small talk and is really a compatibility contest. As you shake hands, make eye contact and smile. Show that you are courteous, friendly, and at ease with yourself and the situation. These "small" points are not trivial.

Scene Two: Lasting about 15 minutes to an hour or more, this scene is mainly you telling your story after you have LISTENED carefully to their NEEDS. You need to explain your skills, abilities, accomplishments, and ambitions according to their NEEDS. Emphasize your ability to add value to the employer. If you can claim credit for increasing sales, reducing costs, or improving quality, now is the time to do so. If you have any holes in your experience or blemishes on your record, handle them now. As you conclude this scene, stress your ability and willingness to perform at a high level.

Scene Three: Lasting only a minute or two, this scene closes the interview and sets up the next steps. Do not allow the interviewer to close with the usual, "We'll be in touch with you when we decide something." This statement leaves you powerless to influence the decision. Instead, you should end the interview by saying, "I'll keep you posted about developments in my job search." This comment keeps you in control, allowing you to follow up with additional information that may improve your chance of being hired.

Call Us

After the interview, be sure to call your recruiter to tell them how it went, give them as much feedback as possible, maybe you said something that you wished you had not or forgot to say something vital and you wished you could go back. By calling us and letting us know this, we can pass this information back to our client and enhance your chances of being seen again.

 

And Finally....

If you ever wondered what really NOT TO SAY, have a look at this article from CNN http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/22/cb.you.said.what.interview/index.html