Posts Tagged ‘job interview tips’

If we think about it, job interviews are really strange. The employer is making a major investment decision, often on the basis of a few hours interaction with candidates.

As the candidate, you want to go into the interview giving yourself the best chance of success and key to that is knowing what employers want. So what is it employers want from candidates in job interviews?

Evidence That You Have Prepared

You can learn an awful lot, both positive and negative, by the way a candidate prepares for an interview. Employers will want to know that you have done your homework. How they test this is by asking you what you know about the company, the industry or sector.

Clarity About The Contribution You Can Make

Other than for the most basic level jobs, employers will want to know what you will contribute if appointed. It could be skills, attributes, experience or knowledge. What ever it is, you need to be able to articulate your contribution.

Transferable Skills

You might be doing a brilliant job where you are at the moment but if you have been in your current post for a period of time, employers will want re-assurance that your skills are transferable.

Enthusiasm

Let’s face it, if you cannot get yourself enthused about the interview you are unlikely to create the right impression. Enthusiasm demonstrates to a potential employer that this job really interests you.

Confidence That You Will Fit In

In 99.9% of cases you are going to be joining a team that already exists. As you progress to more senior levels the extent to which you are going to fit in to an existing team becomes hugely important.

Adaptability And Flexibility

Just about every sector needs people who can adapt and be flexible. Change might not be something you get enthusiastic about but it is part and parcel of successful organisations these days.

The Bottom Line: Interviews are tough for both employers and candidates so give yourself the best chance of success by following these simple but important tips.

Duncan Brodie helps professional people to fulfil their career potential so that they get the rewards and recognition they desire. Sign up for his free audio masterclass at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk.

A job interview is still one of the most common approaches to deciding which candidate is successful and is appointed.  Sometimes it can feel like it is a bit of a lottery but there are things you can do to impress at job interviews and stand out from the crowd.  So how can you impress at job interviews?

Be Prepared

Many people wrongly assume that all that matters is how you do on the day of an interview itself.  Sadly just like in sports people don’t succeed or fail based on what they do in the interview room.  It’s the preparation that counts and really makes the difference.  Employers can see which candidates have researched the job, the company and prepared for tricky questions.  As a general rule I suggest you should spend 5 to 7 times the length of the interview on preparation.

Be Able To Say Why You Want To Work For An Organisation

This is almost a guaranteed question and is used not just to get an answer but also to test whether you really know anything about the organisation.  Make sure you are able to articulate 3 to 5 reasons why you want to work with a particular organisation.

Be Able To Say Why You Want The Role You Are Applying For

Again a bit of a banker of a question and one that if you answer well will set you apart from the vast majority of candidates.

Be Able To Explain Why You Want To Leave Your Current Role

If you are already in a job or maybe even have had several jobs already, you want to be able to clearly explain why you want to leave your current role.  It’s important not to show that you are completely fed up with the organisation or your boss even if in reality that is the case.  Look to find the positives for moving on.

Be Able To Demonstrate What You Can Contribute

The chances are that most candidates will be able to do the job.  This becomes even more the case at the more senior levels.  Therefore what employers want to know is what it is that you can contribute that other candidates might not be able to offer.

Be Willing To Blow Your Own Trumpet

Employers cannot give you credit for things that you don’t tell them.  Sometimes candidates worry that they are selling themselves too hard.  the reality is that if you are not selling yourself and what you offer then someone else will be.

The Bottom Line: Job interviews are stressful and challenging and at the same time a little thought and effort can make a huge difference to the impact that you have in job interviews.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people achieve more career success.  He invites you to sign up for his free audio masterclass at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/careers-main.html

Interviews are still one of the most important aspects of recruitment and selection.  At the end of the day, your success comes down to you being able to demonstrate that you are the right person for the role.  There are 5 key things which I believe you need to demonstrate to increase your chances of success.  So what are those 5 key things?

1. The Right Experience

Employers want to know that you have acquired sufficient experience to step into a role and do a good job from day one.  Of course you are unlikely to have every bit of experience exactly as set out in the job description but you can probably demonstrate something similar.  For example, just imagine part of the experience they are looking for is project management.  You might not have run a business project but maybe you have organised a big event at your kid’s school.  All of that experience is relevant so don’t be afraid to talk about it.  You had to plan, organise, delegate, build relationships, stay within budget and monitor progress – the very same things you would have to do in managing a business project.

2. A Track Record of Delivering Results

Candidates for jobs often spend a lot of time talking about their responsibilities rather than the results they have achieved.  Results are what set you apart from the other candidates.  Potential areas you can talk about are introduction of a new way of working, automating a manual process, growing income from a service or product area you were leading, turning around a poor performing team to name just a few.  Before any interview stand back and reflect on what you have achieved.

3. Potential To Grow and Develop

Recruiting and retaining people is a major expense for most businesses.  At management levels you might be spending as much as 30% of the salary on recruitment consultants and then there is the ongoing cost of training and development and the salary each month.  An employer making a recruitment decision is probably seeing it as along term investment and so will be looking at your potential to grow with the organisation.  The type of questions you ask or the ways in which you approach your research for the position are really simple ways of demonstrating your potential.  The poorly prepared candidate will do the minimum and ask about pay and benefits.  The candidate with potential will go out of their way to find out as much as they can about the organisation and ask about promotion prospects.

4. You Will Fit In

One of the areas that will matter to any recruiter is whether you are good fit for them.  What this means is will others be able and willing to work with, have you got the type of attributes and behaviours that the company is looking for.  Researching the company in advance of the interview and maybe even asking for an informal chat can be a good way of finding out whether you and the organisation might be a good fit.

5. Confidence And Self Belief

The final area that you need demonstrate is that you are confident.  Most of us are at least a little nervous when it comes to interviews and you might not be at your best.  Confidence is about being assured, believing that you have something to offer.  The way in which you respond to questions, interact with the interviewer and introduce yourself when you first arrive all help demonstrate your confidence.

At the end of the day there are no guarantees on who will get the job but by demonstrating all of the above you can greatly increase your chances of success.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people achieve more career success.  You can sign up for his free audio masterclass at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/careers-main.html

You have done the hard work of completing the application form or CV and you find out that you have the interview for a job you are keen to land.  Often when it comes to the interview stage people perform well below their best.  Yes nerves are a factor and everyone has them. 

So how can you excel in interviews?  Here are my 8 top tips.

1. Be prepared.  So often candidates turn up for interviews ill prepared.  They have not found out about the company, its issues and challenges and plans for the future.  Take the time to do this and you will be off to a flying start

2. Think about possible questions that might be asked.  Strange as it may seem, by spending a couple of hours jotting down possible questions and answers you can probably be prepared for about 50% of the questions that are asked.  You might not get the exact question but most likely will get a variation on the theme

3. Listen effectively.  If you are going to give a good answer you need to listen to the question being asked.  Doing so will enable you to give a powerful and structured answer to the question

4. Be succinct.  When you are answering questions, what you are aiming to do is give the interviewer confidence that you know what you are talking about- not to give a verbal thesis.  For example, imagine the interviewer asks you what are the greatest challenges in managing a team?  You could talk for ever. Instead try delegating effectively, keeping people motivated and balancing time spent managing and doing.  If the interviewer wants more they will ask

5. Be honest.  A typical question is what are your weaknesses?  Don’t under any circumstances say you don’t have any.  At the same time don’t shoot yourself in the foot.  Try something like I see weaknesses as opportunities for development.  Some of the areas I am working on right now are….

6. Remember it is a two way process.  Candidates often forget that the interview is as much about them finding out if this is a company and people they could work with as it is the interviewer finding out if you could do the job and fit in

7. Have 2 or 3 good questions to ask them.  Good interviewers will always give candidates the chance to ask questions.  Poorly prepared candidates will ask about pay, holidays, benefits.  Candidates who excel will ask about what it is like to work there, how the company will contribute to their development, future plans for the business and individuals over the next few years

8. Ask for feedback.  Whether you get the job or not ask for feedback on what they liked about you and what was missing.  Good employers will take the time to give feedback

At the end of the day, what makes you stand out are the small but important things.  So pay attention to them and go forth and excel in your next interview.