What To Do In An Interview - Part Two
December 4th, 2006 by Jennine
For this part I will be advising on how to prepare for an interview. You know how to prepare yourself image wise, now it’s time to impress the interviewer/s with your knowledge. Being prepared for the interview will also help conquer the fears. At the end of the day you will be able to acknowledge that you have done all that you can to prepare for the interview.
Tip One – Job Specification
Most companies have a job specification (also known as a j&p) for each designated position. If you didn’t have a copy of the job specification then get one. The job specification is a fantastic tool as it has the answers to most, if not all, of the questions that you will be asked. From this document you can ascertain what the key criteria are for the role that you are applying for and how you can manipulate your answers to encompass these criteria.
For example, if you are applying for an administrative position, the key criteria might be answering phones, opening mail, processing monies received and filing. In your interview you may be asked what skills can you bring to the position, knowing what the position entails you will be able to say I’ve had previous experience using switchboard, processing mail, receipting as well as filing.
You can embellish on these answers but you will get the idea of what I’m driving at, the job specification helps you work out what you need to know and how to answer any question the panel throws at you. They may ask questions about confidentiality or aggressive clients, using the job specification as a guide you can tailor your answers and hit key criteria at the same time.
Tip Two – Research
Research the company/business you are having the interview with. First place would be the internet, put the company name into a search engine or check out their website (if they have one) and find out everything you can about them. Knowledge is power. It will help you decide beforehand if they sound like a company you want to work for.
Researching the company also means you get to write down questions that you may want to ask in the interview. You know they are going to ask at the end is there anything you want to know, you will feel like you have blown the whole interview if you say no and they may think that you aren’t as interested as the person who has asked questions. The types of questions to ask should reflect that you have put some research into their company, but you would like to know more. Such as, I see you company offers training to all staff, what training opportunities would be offered to me given my future career path with (insert company name here)? I would be keen for future advancement, what is (insert company name here) policy on promotion?
Tip Three – Plan your travel route
The day or a couple of days before the interview work out how you will get to the interview and calculate how long it will take to get there. Allow an extra 5-10 minutes in case of unexpected delays, such as flat tyre, late train or bus or heavy traffic. You don’t want to get to the interview too early, I would say no more than 10 minutes but on the other hand you don’t want to be walking through the reception door at the same time you should be walking into your interview. It is allowable for the interviewer/s to be late it is totally unacceptable for you! Not only does it look bad that you are late, but you will be flustered, on edge and the cool, calm composure that your perfect image should be portraying will be shattered. However, if something does crop up which makes you unavoidably late ring the interviewer and leave a message that you will be late. This should only be done in extreme emergencies, explain the situation and give a time as to when you will be there. If you think you will be 10 minutes late, say it will be 15 minutes and then it looks like you will be early.
Tip Four - Practice
Practice your interview technique. Prepare a list of questions you think the interviewer will ask you (see Part Three for common questions asked). Ask a friend or family member to spend some time with you asking these questions and providing feedback on your responses. If you have no one to ask or feel a bit silly asking you could video or watch yourself in the mirror recording your responses. The aim is to answer as confidently and concisely as you can. Make sure you are completely answering the question not just one part of it.
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