You’ve got an Interview – Congratulations!

Preparing adequately for your interview will not only make you look more professional, it will also help you feel much more confident and comfortable during the interview, enabling you to show your interviewer/s the very best version of you! Here are some Interview Tips and Ideas to help make you shine with the best version of yourself in your interview.

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Research

Research the company through their website and on LinkedIn.  Research what projects they have been working on, who are their clients, what departments do they have, what locations do they operate in. Also, see what information you can find about the actual people who will be interviewing you. You can find this either through their website or on LinkedIn. Additionally, Google the organisation to see if there are any relevant news articles on their company. Some research as to who their main competitors are can also be useful. Knowledge of the specific industry the company works in will also be very beneficial.

Job Description

Read the job description and advert thoroughly and write down examples where you have previously done the tasks outlined in both the advert and the job description. Especially think of examples where you have excelled in the required tasks with quantifiable examples. Highlight any areas that where you don’t have the skills and think of how you can proactively gain those skills or where you have relevant transferable skills.

YOU – Analyse what’s important to YOU

In order to adequately prepare for an interview, do some research on yourself! Think about what skills you have, what areas you need development in and also what is most important to you!

• Why did you apply for the role?
• What is important to you in your career?
• Where do you want to be in your career five years from now?
• What management style works well for you and gets the best out of you? (think of previous managers – your best and your worst)
• What team environment do you work best in?
• How would your previous managers and colleagues describe you as an employee/colleague?
• What have you enjoyed most in previous jobs?
• What have you enjoyed least?
• What have you done in previous roles that shows your initiative?
• When have you felt most passionate and engaged in a role? Why?
• What is your biggest accomplishment in your career to date and why?
• What is your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

Interview Question Preparation

Prepare a two-minute succinct and positive overview of your career to date. This ensures that if you are asked generically, “so tell me about yourself…” you are prepared with a professional and well thought out response.

Additionally, prepare answers to some of the most common questions and also some of the more tricky questions so that you are ready with responses. Physically write down the questions and your answers to them as though you are studying for an exam. Once you feel confident with your answers, ask a family member or friend to pretend to interview you using the questions.

When answering interview questions, you want to be specific and express quantifiable results. For example, if one of the job requirements is – Knowledge of RACGP accreditation, your response could be: “In 2015, I managed the RACGP Accreditation of our medical practice and we achieved 100% compliance.” Another example might be if a job requirement is – Experience in recalls, reminders and health assessment bookings, your response could be – “in 2016, I implemented a recall, reminder and health assessment process that increased patient bookings in our medical practice by 20% over a 6 month period.” 

One of the best methods to use when answering more complex competency based interview questions is the STAR technique. Research this technique and practice, practice, practice!

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

What to wear

While your interview attire alone will not ensure your success, wearing inappropriate attire could cost you the job. A good plan is to dress as if you already have the job. So, if you are interviewing for a Receptionist position you would be well presented in corporate attire, closed in shoes and hair neatly presented. A mini skirt isn’t appropriate, neither is a visible bra, flip flop shoes or a T-shirt that says ‘Wake me when it’s Friday’! Yes, I’ve seen it all…

Planning your journey

Being late for your interview will not only make you flustered, it will also send a negative message to your interviewer. This can imply that you are unorganised, unreliable and perhaps even disrespectful. Not the right way to make a good first impression! Plan how you will travel to your interview and ensure you arrive early. Perhaps find a coffee shop nearby where you can go to beforehand to relax and run through your interview notes and CV one last time.

When you arrive

If you arrive early, don’t enter the premises of the interview until 10 minutes before your interview time. When you do arrive, engage in some polite conversation with the Receptionist and notice any company brochures or any awards the company has won that are displayed in the reception area. Over the years I have always asked my Receptionist for their impression of candidates who I interview.

THE INTERVIEW

It’s “Show Time”

Before walking into your interview room, take some deep breaths and ensure your body language is open and positive. Make sure you maintain a straight posture, have a firm handshake and maintain good eye contact. This is where your solid preparation will help you. You already know the answers to the interview questions because you have prepared and practised. Don’t talk too fast and be comfortable with taking your time to respond to questions. Remember your STAR technique for interviews.

Interviewing is a two-way street

Remember YOU want to find out about this organisation and its people because, if you do get the job, you’ll be spending many of your waking hours here! Ask questions about the team environment, the management style, training and development opportunities, what are the qualities of their best performers and how do they measure success in the role you have applied for. You will also want to know why the position you have applied for is available – is it a newly created role, or perhaps the person who was previously in the role has been promoted? If there has been turnover in the position, then it’s important to find out why. If you are interviewing through a recruitment agency, your recruitment consultant will already know the answers to these sorts of questions.

Wrapping up

At the conclusion of an interview, most interviewers will ask if you have any questions for them. Here is a real chance for you to shine – if you have a sensible question to ask at this stage, it will highlight your research and preparedness, your understanding of the role and their organisation and also shows your genuine interest and intelligence. It might be a specific question about a project that they are currently working on, or an award that they have won (perhaps that you noticed on the wall in their reception area). Or, you might ask them what is their vision for the company in the next five years and where they see the role you have applied for in that vision?

Make sure you find out what the next stages from here are. Are they interviewing more people? How long will the process go on for? Is there a second interview? When do they ideally want someone to commence in the position? How will you find out feedback from your interview and by when? If you are interviewing through a recruitment agent, you won’t need to worry about discussing these logistic, because your recruitment agent will look after all of this for you.

Also, thank your interviewer/s for the opportunity to meet with them, remembering positive body language and eye contact. On your way out – thank the receptionist, using his or her name if possible. It’s little things like this that will help make you stand out.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

If you are through a recruitment agent, contact them as soon as possible to give them your feedback. Run through the questions that were asked and how you answered them. If there were any area of concern or things you wished you had mentioned. Your recruiter will follow up on your behalf.

If you were interviewing directly with the employer (not through a recruitment agency), then perhaps follow up with a thank-you email the following day, but don’t go over the top.

OUTCOME

Hopefully, this process ends in your employment into a wonderful new job. Alternatively, if you are not successful then look at this experience as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about yourself and also to sharpen your interview skills. Take on board any feedback constructively.

If you were not successful in securing the role, then this is actually a positive thing! Here is one of my favourite quotes of all time:

“As I look back on my life, I realise that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good. I was actually being re-directed to something better!”

(Steve Maraboli)

So, be kind to yourself and be patient. You are on the right path and your “better” opportunity is waiting to meet you at the perfect time in the near future. Remember, what’s for you, won’t go past you. ?