Getting prepared for interviews

Getting prepared for interviews A Global Career Link Guide

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Like most Australasian’s going to the UK you probably have not had a

job interview in a while – so this guide is designed to give you a bit of

a practical refresher and tell you about some of the differences you

can expect.

How UK interviews are different

from those back home

Because most people take contract work when they first arrive in the

UK (85%) it is likely that most of your initial interviews will be for

contract work. These interviews tend to be very different as they are:

Shorter in length – around 30 minutes and they are often

assessing either some core technical competencies for

doing the job o seeing that you are the right personality fit

for the team

Less structured – as the position is not permanent the right

or wrong hiring decision is not as crucial therefore the

interview is less structured.

Typically there is no testing – while psychometric testing is

popular in New Zealand and Australia for jobs it is typically

not used in the UK and almost never for a contract job.

Find out if possible what format the interview will take; will it be a

“behavioural” or “competency” based interview or an informal chat.

Either way this guide is designed to help you with both types – so

read on!

Don’t

panic!


Tips before the interview even

starts

Dress to impress! First impressions really do count, so ensure you

look the part in a smart suit.

Arrive early for the interview - 5-10 minutes early is optimum.

Know exactly who to ask for – these companies are big in the UK

and can have several thousand employees – some with the same

name. So know exactly who to ask for at reception by name, job title

and department.

Take ID with you – some of the bigger companies will not let you

past security without ID. If you cannot even get into the interview

then that is not a good start.

Take you mobile and important numbers – should you experience

any delays, such as your tune breaking down, you need to be able to

get in touch with your recruiter and let them know exactly what is

going on. They will then ring the client to explain.

Research the company – this means spending some real time

investigating the company and the position that is available, we

recommend that you use all the following sources:

Internet research – there is a stack of stuff available on the

web these days – but it can be too much. We recommend

that you research the company’s website and recent news

through Google news.

Recruitment consultant – your recruiter has probably been

dealing with the company and hiring manager for a while so

they can provide valuable insights for you. Just ask them.

Friends and colleagues – Look on LinkedIn and other

professional networking sites for people that you know that

work at the company and get in touch with them to find out

more.

Wow lots

of sort!


At the interview – the sharp

end

Good body language is vital – It is the first impression that counts

so greet your interviewer standing with a strong handshake, a friendly

smile and by looking them in the eye.

An enthusiastic, friendly and positive attitude will make a great

impression – so keep thinking happy thoughts!

Know your CV. – You will be expected to talk through it; paying

particular attention to the experience you have that lends itself well to

the role on offer. So think about this in advance of the interview.

Listen carefully – We know that this sounds old hat but you need to

understand and answer the interviewer’s questions. If you are unsure

what the interviewer means by the question then ask for clarification.

The best way to understand a question is to repeat it back to the

interviewer as a statement.

Answer questions but don’t waffle – time in the interview is

generally short so keep your answers to the point but more than one

word.

Show enthusiasm for the role and company. If they have gone to

the trouble of interviewing you they most likely already think you can

do the job – now is your chance to reassure the interviewer that you

will be an asset to the organisation!

The interview will generally start with an introductory chat, and

then move onto more formal questions, concluding with the

opportunity for you to ask any remaining questions.

Rubber hits the

road


Questions that you might be

asked

Tell me about yourself - This is an open-ended question often asked

to help break the ice in an interview. This question may be used to

assess your personality, preparation, communication skills and ability

to think on your feet. Remember keep the answer job-related.

Why did you leave your last job? – Respond positively “to extend

my career through international experience" or “increased

responsibility and greater variety of work"...

Why do you want to do this job / work for this company –

Demonstrate you hav edone your homework and show your

knowledge of the company emphasising your suitability for the job.

What do you think you have to offer this company - This is a

chance to sing your praises and show interest in the job so

concentrate on the skills you have which they need.

What do you think this position involves? - This question is

designed to reveal that you have thought about the position, done

some research, listened to the interviewer, and can summarise all of

this information clearly.

What do you know about the company – Demonstrate your interest

in the job, and your understanding of the company and industry. Talk

about the research you have done into the company like it’s size,

customers, reference your source of information where appropriate.

Do you have any questions you would like to ask – Prepare some

questions to ask the interviewer. Ask about the position, request

clarification of general information about the company, or summarise

your understanding and request confirmation.

What do you believe are your key strengths -. Prepare responses

that give specific examples of your strengths at previous positions

meets this employers needs.

What do you believe are your weaknesses - This is an opportunity

to turn the question into a positive. Think of a plausible weakness

that is not negative such as "I put a lot of pressure on myself to meet

deadlines". Alternatively you can show how you overcame the

weakness. "I have learned to value constructive criticism as I find it

helps improve my job performance."

What do you enjoy most about your current / last job –List

enjoyable aspects of past jobs that relate strongly relate to the key

competencies of the job you are interviewing for.

Where do you see yourself in five years time? - This is an

assessment of your ambition and career planning. So demonstrate

that your long-term goals are appropriate for the job.

What was your most noteworthy accomplishment in your last job

- Give examples of ways in which you saved the company time or

money or developed a strategy or procedure that improved efficiency.

Do you work well under pressure – Answer "yes" and give an

example of a time when you rose to the challenge.

Get ready for

some curly ones


Competency based interviews

– what to expect

A competency based interview allows you to display your skills,

knowledge and abilities (known as competencies) by giving specific

examples of your past experiences.

Through these interviews you can demonstrate what you have done.

Preparation is the key. Before any competency-based interview, look

at the job description and try to put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes.

If “Leadership” is a key requirement for the role, simulate and practise

a few answers around this.

What happens

Interviewers will ask you very pointed questions. Frequently these

questions will be based around a job description. In the interview,

your response needs to be specific and detailed. Tell the interviewer

about a particular situation that relates to the question, not a general

one. When answering the question try to plan your answers in the

following format – Situation, Action, Outcome.

Situation - What was the situation? Describe the situation to set

the scene.

Action - What did you do as a reaction to this situation? Talk

about “I” rather than “We”. The interviewer is interested

in what you did, not the company as a whole.

Outcome - What was the result of your action? Give a positive

result that shows success in the outcome.

Examples

Can you tell us about a time when you made a particularly

good decision? What was the situation? What decision did

you make and how did you make it? How did others

respond? How did you determine that it was a particularly

good decision?

Can you tell us about a time when you personally

developed a new skill? How did you identify that you

needed the new skill? How did you go about obtaining the

new skill? What obstacles did you encounter? What was

the outcome?

Can you tell us about a time when you exceeded a

customer’s expectations? What were their expectations?

How did you determine their expectations? How did you

exceed them and why? How did they respond?

Can you tell us about a time when you dealt with conflict in

a team? Who was involved in the conflict? What was the

extent of the conflict and how was it caused? How did you

determine the cause of the conflict? What did you do? How

did others respond? What was the outcome?

Or behavioral

interviews

Documents

Getting prepared for interviews