As the saying goes, if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. In every interview, no matter how junior or senior the position, the interviewer will be probing for the answers to three basic questions:
- Can you do the job? (skills, qualifications and experience)
- Will you do the job? (motivation, attitudes and career goals)
- Will you fit into the team? (cultural alignment)
Keep these three points in mind during your preparation. You should prepare to the point at which you can talk comfortably about yourself, your experience and how it relates to the role. Be familiar with your resume and prepared to answer questions from it. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer.
Common interview questions
Prepare yourself in advance for common interview questions. These may include:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What have been your achievements to date?
- Are you happy with your career to date?
- Tell me the most difficult situation you have had to face and how you tackled it?
- What do you dislike about your current role?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your greatest weaknesses?
- What kind of decision do you find most difficult?
- Why do you want to leave your current employer?
Equally, prepare some questions to ask the employer. An interview is a two-way process and your chance to ask about the role and the company:
- How has the position become vacant?
- How will you assess my performance?
- How does the role fit into the structure of the department?
- How does the department fit into the organisation as a whole?
- Who will I report to and are there persons reporting to me?
- Where does my line manager fit into the structure?
- What encouragement is given to undertake further training?
- Where is the company going? Expansion plans?
Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse!
No matter how impressive your resume is to date, a poor performance in the selection interview will threaten your chances of success. We strongly recommend that you conduct practice interviews with friends and family until you can comfortably answer each question without hesitation. Taking the time to practice will help you to deliver an articulate and impressive interview performance.
Getting the basics right
It goes without saying, but make sure that you confirm the time and the location of the interview, as well as the name and title of the person interviewing you. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to get there and take the contact number of the potential employer in case you are delayed.
Information and advice courtesy of specialist recruitment firm Michael Page International.
