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Interview Skills Handbook Sept 2017

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PREPARATION

• If you have been shortlisted for an interview, it is likely that the employer feels you have the necessary skills, experience and/or qualifications to do the job. The hard part is demonstrating this at interview and ensuring you perform better on the day than the other candidates. For this, preparation is vital.

• Make sure you re-read your application (this includes any supporting documents you may have included such as your CV) and look over the details of the job before your interview. If the position has a Job Description / Person Specification, it is probable that the interview questions will align with these.

• It is better to dress formally for an interview, even if the industry you are going into is informal.

• Ensure you arrive on time.

Employers will expect that you have the following skills (even if they are not mentioned on the application):

• time management, customer handling, problem solving, the ability to communicate effectively, interpersonal, leadership skills, I.T, a self-motivated and professional approach to the role, the ability to work well in a team as well as independently.

• Think about why you want the job, ensure you can articulate what attracts you to the company and what you would bring to the position.

• Research the company, look on their website/ their social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc.)

• Employers look for applicants who can demonstrate an understanding of not only the job role but also the company as a whole and the marketplace it operates in (this will show you have commercial awareness).Who are their customers? What is their history? What main markets to do they work in? What are their aims/challenges?

• Being polite is vital in the interview process. Assume that you are being interviewed from the moment you arrive. For example, if you are given some company literature to read while you wait then it would be best to read it. Make sure your phone is turned off.

• It may be that the person who greeted you when you entered the building (e.g. the receptionist) will be asked what impression they had of you.

• Displaying effective body language can have a positive effect at interview. Ensuring good eye contact and a firm handshake when meeting the interviewer is important.

• Waiting to be seated before sitting down, maintaining good eye-contact, smiling and nodding throughout the interview will show that you are an open and positive person.

• Make sure you sit upright in the chair and try not to fidget too much with your hands or swing on your chair. If you naturally move your hands when you talk, that is fine.

• A confident speaking voice can be achieved by not talking too quickly, ensuring you are speaking clearly and at an appropriate volume.

THE INTERVIEW

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• If you do not understand a question, it is acceptable to say, “Could you rephrase that please?” or if you did not hear what was asked, simply “Would you be able to repeat that please?”

• Generally speaking, it is likely you will be asked 1-2 questions that you have not anticipated so you may have not prepared anything to say. It may well be the interviewer is testing your ability to think on your feet, especially if the question is unrelated to the role/industry. If you are unsure what to say, it is advisable to pause before answering to allow yourself some time to think, then give a concise answer

Likely questions you will be asked....

• The types of questions you will be asked and the length of interview can depend on the role, sector and style the interviewer adopts.

• It is essential that you listen to the question carefully and evidence your answers.

• Tell me about yourself. /How would your friends describe you? Employers tend to ask these types of questions because they are interested in you as a person and want to see how you would fit in to their organisation.

• Give me an impression of what you have been doing in your most recent job role. It is reasonable to give a summary of you present/last job if asked this question. However, it would be beneficial if you could pick out some skills/experiences that you have gained in that job that are relevant for the role you are being interviewed for.

• Can you give me an example when you have worked to and exceeded targets? These types of questions require a specific example, not a generalised answer. See Structuring your answers section.

• Tell me about a time you have delivered excellent customer service. What would you do if a customer complained to you about the service they received? A good approach to answering this would be to give a reply that covers listening to the customer, empathising and summarising the issue which will show to the customer you understand the situation. Explain what action you would take and why. Then articulate what the positive result would be.

• Communication skills are a vital part of this job. Give me an example of when you have shown outstanding communication skills. Throughout the interview, the interviewer will be able to see you communication skills; your ability to listen and respond to questions but here they will be looking for a specific time that you have displayed strong communication skills.

• What are your strengths? An answer that shows your character and demonstrates skills/strengths that will be needed in the position you are going for is advised. Tell me about an achievement you are most proud of. Here, you can describe an achievement you are pleased with, but ensure you explain why you are proud of it.

• What is not on your CV that you can tell me about? Why do you want to work here? In your answer, you should show that you are knowledgeable about the company and that you feel your attributes and experience link well not only to the job role but to the organisation as a whole also.

• Describe a time you have either led or worked in a team successfully. They will be looking for evidence that you can work well with others and are a team player.

• What are your weaknesses? It is best to answer this by giving a weakness that could also be construed as a positive. Example answer: “I can be too meticulous and a perfectionist at times which means I can take time to complete tasks. However, I have realised the need to be efficient and to manage my time well.” See Structuring your answers section for more information in turning weaknesses into positives.

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STRUCTURING YOUR ANSWERS• You cannot rely on your interviewer having read your application form / CV thoroughly so it is important that you describe and re-emphasise key experiences, skills and achievements in clear examples. When asked to give an example, it is helpful to use a sound structure in your answers, which can be achieved by following the mnemonic CARL:

Context Action Result Learned

Q. Tell me about a time when you showed strong organisational skills?

A. (Following CARL structure): “Many of my previous roles have involved a large amount of organising and planning and as such I have developed strong organisational skills. One such example would bewhenIwasworkingasanAdministrationOfficerinabusycentralLondonlawfirm.Alongside my variousdailydutieswhichincludedfiling,runningreportsandprovidinggeneraladministrative supporttomycolleagues,Iwasalsoresponsiblefordealingwithincomingphonecallsand emails as well as greeting clients. I decided to create template emails so as to respond to typical enquiries from clients in a timely manner. I took the approach of putting together an administration-related frequently asked questions document for my colleagues to access when I was not available to answeraquerytheymayhavehadatthattime.Inaddition,Iconstructedamanageableto-dolist so that I could plan for the upcoming day.This resulted in me being able to prioritise my workload and carry out all aspects of my role to a high standard. I learned the importance of being well- organised.”

• STAR is another mnemonic that can be used to structure answers. See Useful links section for further details.

• Interviewers may clarify any areas of concern or question you about information not available on your initial application / CV.

• Most people feel that they may not have all the specific experience and qualifications needed or that some parts of their application are not particularly strong. It is possible to overcome this by anticipating that this may come up at interview and by turning apparent weaknesses into positives: “ItistruethatIhavenothaddirectexperienceinusingthisparticulardatabase,howeverafair reflectionofmyI.Tskillswouldbemystrongknowledgeofsimilardatabases,myproficiencyin MicrosoftOfficeandhavingasoundunderstandingofvarioussocialmediaplatforms.”

• Do not talk about pay or holidays during the interview unless asked a question about it.

• It is good to ask at least one question at the end of the interview as it shows your interest in the role. You will usually be prompted to do so. Example questions to ask: What type of training opportunities do you offer? How would you describe the work culture here? Are there opportunities for progression in the company?

• Research the company and the wider industry, this will give you informed opinions.

• It is normal to feel nervous before an interview but preparing answers in advance to expected questions ensures that you are not thinking on the spot for every answer.

• Clearly what you will be asked at interview will depend on the role and sector, but giving confident, clear and evidenced examples is the key.

• Mastering how to structure answers will mean you can give concise, articulate and impressive answers to evidence your skills and experience.

• Be positive, polite and professional.

• Dress smartly, arrive on time and bring any documents you think might be useful to have (your application, CV, qualifications etc).

• End the interview on a good note by asking a question to show your interest, thanking them for their time and shaking hands.

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USEFUL LINKS

For more interview tips or to arrange a mock interview with a qualified and experienced Careers Adviser, email: careers@uwl.ac.uk or call us on 020 8231 2701.

Alternatively, feel free to come to: a Careers drop-in session : Mondays-Thursdays, 1-4pm at The Street,

St Mary’s Road or at: Paragon (Thursdays, by appointment only by e-mailing careers@uwl.ac.uk)

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tipshttps://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/interview-questionshttps://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/get-a-job/top-10-interview-questions https://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/article/10-most-frequently-asked-interview-questions/https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/common-interview-questions-how-to-answerhttps://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/star-technique-competency-based-interviewhttp://www.careerplayer.com/tips-and-advice/general-advice/interview-tips/

ADDITIONAL HELP

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TELEPHONE INTERVIEW AND VIDEO INTERVIEW TIPS

TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS• Telephone interviews are used as part of an application process from time to time. This could be for a number of reasons: because the employer has many candidates and wishes to carry out an initial screening, because you are applying for a job that is based abroad or perhaps the employer wants to gain some more information (before potentially offering a face to face interview).

• A telephone interview is a very effective way of evaluating a candidate’s telephone manner. This is particularly important if telephone work or verbal communication are an essential requirement of the job specification. Telephone interviews can be time and cost effective for employers and often last around 25 minutes, but this time frame can vary.

• This part of the recruitment process may have been contracted out to a separate recruitment agency. It is important to be aware of that, and if this is the case, the agency will be acting on instructions supplied by the company you have applied to. Therefore the best approach is to pay close attention to the job description and person specification when answering questions during the telephone interview.

• You may find that when an employer asks for a telephone interview, you arrange a specific time for this to take place.

• If so, make sure you are free to speak at the agreed time, choose a quiet place where you will not be disturbed (a public place or somewhere where there is background noise is not ideal). Sitting at a chair/ at a desk may help you to feel like it is a professional call.

• When answering the call, it is good to smile as you would do when meeting someone for the first time. Answer in a professional manner, e.g. ‘Good morning, Tom Paterson speaking.’

• If a specific time has not been set and you are not in a suitable, quiet place when you are called, it i is perfectly reasonable to explain to the employer that you would really like to have a discussion over the telephone but that, for example, you are currently on public transport so not able to speak. Then suggest a time and day you will be available to have the telephone interview such as 3pm that day or 10 am the following morning.

• Make sure you have details of the job and your CV to hand. Have a pen and paper ready so that you can write down notes such as details about the next stage of the application. It is useful to make a reminder of the interviewer’s name, this will show you have listened and help to make the conversation personable.

• You may wish to mention at the start of the call that you have good signal but that if for any reason the call gets cut off, could they kindly call straight back.

• Given this is a telephone interview, you will be able to refer to notes throughout, however, it might sound stilted if you read from them word for word. Preparing answers to questions you think you will asked is advisable as you can then refer to them.

• Research the company like you would for a face to face interview.

• Sound enthusiastic, they cannot see you but will be able to tell if you are distracted or trying to find your notes. The employer will not be able to see you nodding, so you may wish to interject intermittently by saying ‘OK’, ‘Yes’, ‘I understand’ etc.

• Take your time when answering questions and speak clearly; ask the employer to repeat the question if you did not hear what they asked. Some people find that telephone interviews seem to go quite quickly so it is important you prepare well so that you get your skills, experience and qualifications across.

• Occasionally repeating back what the employer has said shows you have taken on board something their words and it helps to keep the conversation flowing.

• Asking a question at the end of the telephone interview will show that you are interested in the position. Asking an additional question, about when then next stage will be, will also give you an

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insight into when you are next likely to hear from them (this is the same for video interviews).

VIDEO INTERVIEWS• Various tools may be used for video interviews but popular ones are Skype/FaceTime.

• Video interviews enable employers to connect to candidates, no matter their location, and can reduce the recruitment time as they can screen applicants.

• Background noise and technology challenges can occur (like with telephone interviews) so it useful to be mindful of that. Sometimes there can be a lag (delay) in video interviews because of the connection.

• The lighting is vital; you need enough light so that the employer can clearly see you but if too much light is coming in through the window this may have the opposite effect.

• Treat the video interview like a real interview. This means you should dress appropriately (full smart outfit, not just the bit of you they can see) and try not to speak over the interviewer which can happen when there is a slight lag.

• Ensure the background (what the employer will see behind you) is not off-putting and is appropriate e.g. a blank wall, not a wall full of shelves and pictures, as this may be distracting. If you are having the interview in a location where other people are, shut the door or make them aware you are having an interview so as not to disturb you.

• Prepare well, think about what examples you will give for the questions and how you will evidence them (this is the same for face to face and telephone interviews).

• Practice your connectivity in advance to ensure you have a strong connection for the video interview.

• Put your computer on a flat surface / ensure that whatever device you are using is not jolting up and down during the interview.

• Look at the camera as this is the equivalent of good eye contact in a face to face interview, do not read from notes or fiddle with papers, this would not be advisable.

• Ideally you would be talking in a normal speaking voice, however at the beginning, you could ask the employer whether they can hear you clearly. You would then know what kind of volume to speak at.

• You may see a picture of yourself on the screen so you might want to turn this off if you find it distracting or at the very least be aware it will be there.

• Other windows/websites should be closed to avoid distraction e.g. pop ups appearing or new emails coming through.

• Although it is a slightly unnatural situation, try and be yourself.

• The employer wants to get an impression of you as a person as well as your suitability to the role and your understanding of the company / industry.

The following links have useful information on telephone and video interview skills:

• https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/interview-types/273645-how-to-handle-a-telephone-interview

• http://www.prospectpersonnel.co.uk/telephone-interview-tips• http://www.grb.uk.com/interview-advice-skype• https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/how-to-ace-a-skype-interview• https://www.beyond.com/articles/five-tips-for-a-successful-facetime-interview-15672-

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Edmund Lewis, September 2017 University of West London Careers Service