Top Tips For Interview Success

Transcription

1 Top Tips For Interview Success

2 Introduction Interviews can be a daunting combination of nerves, pressure and lots of handshakes. Here at MITIE, we want you to enjoy the experience and find people who believe in our values: People + Passion + Fresh thinking = Exciting futures. We have a clear vision of where MITIE is heading and of what we want to be. A company of world-class people, delivering a world-class service. Everything we do at MITIE is underpinned by our values. They form the basis of our culture and show our employees and the outside world what we re all about and how we do things at MITIE. In fact, without our people, their passion and fresh thinking, and some exciting opportunities to motivate them, we d be no different from the rest of the competition. People MITIE is a people business - a place where people can achieve great things through their own efforts and strive to help others reach their full potential. We re open, honest, and trustworthy and treat everyone around us with respect. We go out of our way to make a difference building great relationships, working across boundaries to achieve the best for clients and for MITIE and helping others be the best they can be. Passion People plus passion is what MITIE s all about. Team spirit, pride and commitment are at the heart of our success. We re passionate about doing good things for each other, the environment and the community. In simple terms, we re a spirited bunch and we give it everything we ve got, all the time. Fresh thinking We really pride ourselves on doing that little bit extra whether it s for a customer or a colleague. We re always willing to try new things, and we actively encourage, support and embrace innovation. Fresh thinking is all about taking ownership and ditching the it s not my job attitude. Exciting futures We want to make sure that the bright sparks at MITIE see their long term career with us. We want to make sure our clients see us as strategic partners, not just suppliers. And we want to make sure that our operations aren t depleting natural resources in the communities we work in. That s why sustainability is at the heart of everything we do - it s how we can guarantee everyone at MITIE an exciting future. We hope this simple Top Tips for interview success will help you through the interview process. Much of the following advice is common sense: Turn up on time for interviews Dress smartly Make sure you re prepared Be honest, polite & friendly Don t panic Turn off your telephone Use this information as a guide, remember that there s no substitute for initiative, enthusiasm and talent. Telephone interviews

3 Make sure you're in a quiet place where you are able to take the call without any interruptions. If you're on a mobile, check you re in a place with a good strong signal. If you call us and your phone is Pay As You Go, make sure you have plenty of credit. Think about what sort of questions we re likely to ask and how you re going to answer them. For example, what made you apply to us? Have you done this kind of work before? Can you tell us more about your CV? We ll need details of your previous employment, so make sure that you have names, dates and contact details for them and for any referees. One of your referees must be your most recent employer. Before the interview Research our website thoroughly: You ll find plenty of useful information. Read the job description so you know exactly what the job involves. Note down any questions you might have to ask the interviewer. Arrive with at least 15 minutes to spare. This way, you can report to Reception in plenty of time. The interview Remember that first impressions count you won t get another chance to impress. Take a copy of your CV with you to remind you what s in it. We ll be looking closely at your skills and experience, so be ready to explain every part of it. The interview will be competency based with technical questions if appropriate. Competency based interviewing is often used to evaluate a candidate's competence, particularly when it is hard to select on the basis of technical merit. It also helps us get real insight into your preferred style of working and cultural fit. Tackling a competency-based interview Competency based interviews work on the basis that past performance is the best judge of future performance. You will be asked to provide examples of past behaviour that illustrate that you have the necessary competencies to succeed in the job. You ll be asked questions in a structured format to explore your skills, knowledge and experience in line with the competency requirements for the role. Overleaf is a list of all our values and behaviours at MITIE. To prepare, you should focus on the competencies relevant for the role you are applying and you can find this information in the job description.

4 Working within the MITIE values and behaviours People MITIE is a people business. It s our people, and their drive to do their jobs to the best of their ability that makes us different. Trustworthy - We do what we say we will Helpful - We go out of our way to make a difference Inspiring - We help others to be the best they can be We treat all colleagues with respect We challenge people when they don t do the right thing We welcome advice from anyone that might improve what we do We are open and honest We think safety and always follow rules for safe working We work with each other to achieve the best for clients and for MITIE We share information to help colleagues succeed We build great relationships Our first response to requests will always be positive We look out for each other, never walking by unsafe actions or situations We support and encourage each other to develop We lead by example We set clear expectations We listen to and learn from others We learn from mistakes and incidents to prevent recurrence Passion Take our people, add their passion, and you get something really special. Spirited - We give it everything we ve got We do good things for each other, the environment and the community We appreciate diversity and encourage it We demonstrate team spirit We are committed to doing things better and setting new standards in all that we do We take pride in what we do and have fun doing it We celebrate success and say thank you Fresh thinking We want our people to find inspiration from skill development and career progression, and enjoy respect and recognition for a job well done. Pioneering - We do things that excite and amaze We bring new ideas to the way we do things We are willing to try new things We encourage and support innovation We consider things from other peoples points of view We embrace new thinking and technologies We build health & safety into everything we do You will be asked lots of questions along the lines of: Describe a situation when you... Give an example of a time when you When you have answered these, the interviewer may ask for further information. To prepare, think of a list of the examples of what you have done which you feel will best describe the required competence. Don't forget the other examples, interviewers may sometimes ask you to give a few examples.

5 The "STAR" approach to answering competency based interview (CBI) questions should help you answer the questions in the best way; Situation: What was the situation you found yourself? Task: What needed to be done? Action: What did you do? Result: What was the outcome/achievement? Describe what you did, even if the situation involved a group; interviewers will want to know what your role was in achieving the end goal. Can t think of any examples? Try to be as open as possible and remember that the examples you give don't have to be high-level, just relevant. Don t forget, it may seem obvious but Preparation is a key factor in the CBI; make sure you have a good understanding of the competencies you ll be measured on. You can do this by looking at the role profile and understanding what key skills, knowledge and competencies are required to perform the role effectively. Hints and Tips Be specific! You only have a limited time to answer each question so utilise this time to provide concise and relevant examples. Prepare your examples. Interviewers can only use the evidence you provide during the interview time, so only use your best examples that demonstrate the competency. One last thing Be positive. Use every opportunity to show us you re right for the role. And don t be afraid to ask questions; What are the next steps? How many candidates will go through to the next stage? When do they hope to have made a final decision? Next Steps Our recruitment team will contact you within a week of your interview to give you feedback on how you got on. Good luck!