Interview Guidance

Interviews is a very critical part for the recruiters as well as condidates also in any recruitment process. No matter how many interviews you’ve been to, it’s still important to be prepared so that you are able to make the best possible impression on your potential new recruiters. Your consultant will always brief you in detail about the company, the role and the format of the interview, but it's important to be as prepared as possible. This article will give you some of the key tips to help you succeed.

Preparation is the essential first step towards a successful interview.  Take time to go through these key points and you will find you’ll be much more comfortable and confident when you attend your interview. Don’t forget to ask your consultant if you need any advice along the way.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

Although interviews can vary tremendously, from an informal chat to a panel interview, some questions always seem to crop up. It would be a good idea to review the list below as part of your interview preparation.

A Few General Rules:
• Speak up when answering questions.
• Listen to the content of questions and answer concisely.
• If you are nervous try pausing before you answer. You are more likely to give a measured and considered response.
• It is best to admit you don’t know the answer to something than to embellish the truth. You could get caught out.
Be prepared for hypothetical situation questions. The best way to respond is to relate your answer to an actual
situation you have experienced before.
• Try to get in the habit of asking questions in an open manner.
A closed question starts with is, can, will or do….? and tend to end up being answered by a simple yes or no.

ou will get much more interaction from the interviewer if you use how, why, when, where and what……?
Likely Questions:

Q. What made you apply for this position? (Employer seeks clarification of your motivation and interest in
applying for the position)
R. Explain succinctly and positively why you applied for the position. It may sound obvious but the client is only going to hire someone genuinely enthusiastic about the role.

Q. Tell me about yourself (Standard employer question whereby they want to listen to how you talk and whether
you can keep your answers concise and to the point)
R. Always be prepared for this question or you could end up droning on and on. Feel free to ask the interviewer for clarification about which area he would like to hear about e.g. education, skills or experience. Generally, keep it brief. Talk about your qualifications, career history and range of skills. Emphasise those skills that are relevant to the position on offer. You could think of this question as “Tell me something that you have which will give you an advantage in this role or company”.

Q. Briefly, please summarise your work history & education for me?
R. This is a good test of your listening skills. Respond with a brief summary only of your background and relevant
education and qualifications.

Q: Can you describe for me one or two of your most important accomplishments? (The interviewer seeks to
establish whether you are successful?)
R: Select a couple of achievements that are career related. Identify the skills you used in this situation, the obstacles, your initiative and ability to meet or exceed goals and quantify the benefits.

Q: What has been the most challenging situation you have been recently faced with and how did you deal with it?
(The interviewer is looking to discover your problem solving skills, your initiative, powers of logic and also what
you consider to be difficult or challenging)
R: Be careful how you respond to this question. Make sure that you select a difficult work situation where you were not the cause, the possible options that were available to you, why and how you selected the appropriate option and why it resolved the situation with a positive outcome.

Q: What are your strengths? (The interviewer is looking for honesty, confidence, what value you can add, what
have you got to offer that is different and what you can bring to the organisation. A note of caution - they may
also be seeking to detect any arrogance)
R: This question in one form or other is very likely to be asked. List three or four of your main strengths that could benefit a new employer in the particular role on offer. Strengths you should consider to include are technical proficiency, fast learning ability, determination, positive attitude, strong inter-personal skills and team spirit. You should only provide examples which show you in a positive light.

WORK HISTORY QUESTIONS

• How much supervision have you typically received in your previous job? (Interviewer seeks to discover how much responsibility you had)
• Describe one or two of the biggest disappointments in your work history? (Interviewer seeks to establish what demotivates you and where you have been unfulfilled)
• What is important to you in a company? What things do you look for in an organisation? (Interviewer wishes to discover if your values and requirements match the employer’s values)
• Why do you want to work in this area of this company?
• Why do you think you are qualified for this job?
• Why do you want to work in this industry and why would you enjoy doing so?

JOB PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS

• What are your strong points for this job?
• What would you say are areas that need improvement? (Interviewer looking for your weaknesses)
• What were the results of your most recent performance evaluation and what were some of the good points and bad points of that rating?
• When a problem in your job performance has been identified, what have you typically done?
• How does your job fit into your department and company? (Gives an idea of level of responsibility)
• Do you prefer working alone or in groups?
• What example can you give me of when you have been out of your depth?
• What do you think about working long hours and/or weekends?
• Which of your achievements were recognised by your superiors?
• Give me an example of your skills in managing or supervising others?
• What are some of the things you would like to have to do in a job and why?
• What kinds of pressure do you or did you encounter in your current or previous job?
• What is the key single thing you are looking for in a job?
• What are some of the things in your current/last role you felt you have done particularly well or in which you have
achieved the greatest success and why?
• What were some of the things in your last job that you found most difficult to do?

DEALING WITH PEOPLE QUESTIONS

• Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss. How did you resolve this?
• Where have you been unable to get on with others? (You should give an example and say how you resolved/overcome the situation)
• What types of people do you find it most difficult to work with and why? (You should answer this question very carefully)
• What kinds of people do you like working with? (Be careful when answering this question)
• Tell me about a time when you felt it was you against everyone else. You thought you were right and that everyone else was wrong. What did you do? (Give specific example but only if you end up being right and not detrimental to your colleagues)
• Tell me about a time when you were working with someone who wasn't pulling their weight, and they had a different value system than yours. How did you deal with this person? (Give specific examples)

CAREER- GOALS RELATED QUESTIONS

• What is your long-term employment or career objective?
• What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?
• What do you feel you need to develop in terms of skill & knowledge in order to be ready for that opportunity?
• Why would you be successful in such a job?
• How does the role you are being interviewed for fit in with your overall career goals?
• What in your past experience affected your present career objectives?
• If you had this job, what would you most like to accomplish?
• What do you see this job leading to?

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

• Can you describe for me a difficult obstacle you have had to overcome? How did you handle it?
• What kind of things do you feel most confident in doing?
• How would you describe yourself as a person?
• Why would you consider yourself a self-starter?
• What do you consider to be your greatest achievements to date and why?

CREATIVITY QUESTIONS

• In connection with your career, what have you done that you consider truly creative.
• Can you think of a problem you have encountered when you had to come up with a new solution?
• What kind of problems have you recently been asked to solve at work and the solutions you came up with?

DECISIVENESS QUESTIONS

• Do you consider yourself to be thoughtful and analytical or do you make up your mind quickly?
• What was your most difficult decision in the last three months? What made it difficult?
• The last time you were unsure what decision to make, what did you do?
• How do you go about making an important decision affecting your career?
• What was the last major work problem that you were confronted with and what action did you take?

MOTIVATION QUESTIONS

• Do you have a professional goal and what is it?
• How do you determine what constitutes top priorities in the performance of your job?
• What motivates you?