The Interview ItselfRosie Miller

3 Success factors…..

• Prepare your materials• Prepare yourself• Prepare to enjoy it

The Big Secrets

1. Interviews are a learned skill. Learn the rules and you’re already ahead of most candidates

2. You are the Solution to their Problem- the interview is when they find that out

What’s an Interview For?

•Capability - Can you do the job?

•Motivation - Will you do the job?

•Fit - Will you fit in?

The Manual & Questions

•Why shouldn’t I hire you

Question types

•Why should I hire you

POSITIVE SELLING

QUESTIONS

NEGATIVE “TRIP-UP”

QUESTIONS

From: Alan Jones, “Winning at Interview” Random House, 2000, ISBN 0 7126 7019 X

“Tell me about yourself”

• Always prepare for this question

• Positive sales opportunity – tell them things that are relevant to the job

• Give it some structure

• About 1 min 30

• Create the supplementary questions you want - avoid trailing areas you don’t want to talk about

• Remember: Capability, Motivation and Fit

Good or Bad Question?

• What do you know about us?

• Why does this role interest you?

• What’s your greatest strength?

• What’s your greatest achievement?

• Where do you see yourself in 5 year’s time?

• If one of your team’s performance dropped, what would you do about it?

• How do you motivate people?

• Who’s the best boss you have worked for and why?

Good or Bad Question?

• Why are you leaving/did you leave your present/previous position?

• What is your greatest weakness?

• What was your biggest mistake?

• What do you think has held you back in your career?

• Do you prefer working alone or in a team?

• Would you say you have an aggressive management style?

• Why haven’t you found another job yet?

Questions that can go

• What do you see as the greatest challenges in the job for you?

• How did you get on with your last boss? What was his/her greatest weakness?

• Have you ever failed in any job you tried to do?

• What major problems did you encounter in your last role?

General Rules

• For the “ Positive – “Why should I hire you?” questions: • Focus on your strengths

• Give examples of your strengths in recent and important STARBS

• Welcome follow-on questions here

• For the “Negative “Why I shouldn’t …?” questions:• Stay crisp and factual

• Remember they are seeking to understand your weaknesses

• It’s OK to use an occasional over-use of a strength as a weakness example

• Put examples into the long past

• Emphasise your current awareness and learning you have - give an example of how you make sure it isn't a problem anymore.

• Don’t leave holes that require a follow-up question

Structure – use a formula

Great for questions and impromptu comments

Problem, Solution, Benefit

Past, Present, Future

Problem, Cause, Solution

3 example response structures

Video & Zoom Interviews

New World ……New Rules?

Zoom, Teams, Bluejeans, GoToMeeting, Webex ……………,

• What’s different?

14

Preparation

Location & Background

Position

Lighting

Sound Source

Eye contact

Video Interviews

Two main types:1. Record a video and send it

2. More interactive – get asked a question and have to record your answers –usually you get a very short pause to compose your thoughts

Rules:1. Prep is Key

2. Know your messages

3. Prepare your script – Structure & Messages

4. Start with your TMAY

Interview Types

Competency-based interviews

• Past behaviour is a predictor of future performance

• Increasingly common

• Panel Interview – possibly

• Large companies /government organisations

Benefits

For the organisation

• Professional

• Consistency

• Good predictor of success

• Objective

• Structured

• Avoids illegal or inappropriate questions!

For You

• Trained interviewers & Fewer “random” questions!

• Easier to anticipate and prepare

• Preparation is transferable

It’s about competencies

• For example:- if Persuasion is a required competency then the question might be:-

“Tell us about a time when you had to gain support for an idea or proposal.”The unasked questions include“How did you go about it? What was the outcome or result?”

• Anticipating competencies• job description/person spec/advert

• Organisational Competency frameworks

• Professional body frameworks

• Dimensions Values

Unstructured & Informal Interviews

• Often are unstructured because the interviewer is unprepared ….

• Might feel like a chat between friends

• Easy to meander around subjects and miss getting your points across

• Stay professional

• You may need to take control and drive to get your value across

Business Coffee / Lunch / Dinner

• Remember, it’s still an interview!!

• Check the local etiquette.

• Watch out for alcohol

• Pick your food carefully

Multiple Interviewers

• Ask before the interview who will be there

• Work out each person’s role in the process and their likely perspectives & hot-buttons

• Speak to them all – making eye-contact

Preparation - Showing up,Ready to be your best

Humans communicate through stories

Compare

We reduced the number of incorrect expense claims from 300 to 100. As a result we now help out the online sales team too.

www.changewave.co.uk 25

I head up the 5 person expenses

payment unit. Every week 10% of the

3000 expense claims had simple

mistakes and errors in them. These

300 incorrect claims took over a third

of my team’s time and caused 80% of

team frustrations.

We worked with IT to put some simple

checking processes into the on-line

expenses forms so they only be

submitted without these errors. As a

result, we effectively saved 1 full-time

role. Our reward was we expanded

into processing additional on-line

sales allowing the company to grow

without a new hire and my team to

expand their skill set.

STARBs

Core of every interview prep

• Situation / context

• Task

• Action

• Result

• And especially the BENEFITS!

STARBs

Main Points

• Have a range - mix and match

• Aim for about 10

• Can have one or two non-work STARBs

• They give time to think

• They generate confidence

STARBs

Key Qualities

• Concise – 1 to 2 mins

• Bring out specific competencies

• Delivered smoothly and confidently

STARBs

Benefit

Mental Prep

What about nerves?

How do I need to feel?

• Some Adjectives ……..

Delivering that Presentation !

Presentations

•Often 2nd / subsequent interviews

•KEEP TO TIME !!!! !!!

•Subject related to the job

•Prepare the presentation then do the slides

•Structure & Messages

Presentation Structure

Opening

Generate Interest

Close

Summarise

Your Key Messages

Topic /Point 1 Topic / Point 2 Topic / Point 3

2 3 4

1

5

Presentations

•KEEP TO TIME !!!! !!!

•Prepare the presentation then do the slides

•Same as STARBs - Practice on friends, the mirror, your dog…..

•Slides or handouts or neither?

•Send ahead – or not?

Presentations

• Help on public speaking ……

Toastmasters.org

www.changewave.co.uk 39

The End Game

Negotiating questions

• How important is money to you?

• Are you having discussions with other organisations?

• How does this role compare to others?

• What was your previous salary?

• What salary are you seeking?

“Do you have some questions?”

• Centre on the role and the organisation and not what you can get out of it!

• Have at least 7 or 8 ready and choose the most appropriate

• Your opportunity to get them seeing themselves working with you

• Chance to build more rapport with the interviewer – ask them about their experience/views

Good questions to ask

• “your website shows…” – demonstrate research

• Why has the vacancy arisen?

• Did you try to fill this position internally?

• If I were to join this organisation, where would you see me in 2 years time?

• How do you see your organisation developing over the next couple of years?

• What do you like best about working here?

• Can I take a look around before leaving?

“Do you have some questions?”

It’s your last opportunity to get the “sales” messages over before you leave

Close with a positive statement of the “benefits” you bring them –

“After this discussion I am confident/I can see clearly how I can bring you capability 1, capability 2 and motivation x”

After the interview

• Make notes about what took place – for your future reference

• Quickly write/email to thank them ➢Polite

➢Opportunity to re-state interest

➢Add information/clarification you wish you’d said