Your job interview make it a success!

Transcription

1 Your job interview make it a success! 1. Preparation Proper preparation is the first step on the road to success. By preparing for an interview you demonstrate your motivation as well as your interest in the position and company. You also give yourself more confidence and reduce your own stress before and during the meeting. But what exactly can you prepare for? The company The position Your personality Learn about the employer (history, organizational structure, newspaper coverage). This will in turn allow you to - demonstrate your interest in the company - offer proof of your motivation and - ask strategic questions. - What responsibilities come with the position? - What is required: professional and personal skills? - What is it about the position that interests you, and why? - Practise reciting your résumé (in 3 sentences/1-3 min. etc.) - Main milestones/projects to date (give examples) - What makes you a plausible candidate for the company? - Typical questions (see below) We recommend you keep the following in mind as you prepare for your initial interview: Take a list of questions you have about the company and the position advertised with you to the interview. Prepare your list of referees and take it with you just in case. Note the route you will be taking to the interview site and how to get there (perhaps make a trial visit in advance). Get your outfit ready: select your clothes carefully, but remain true to yourself! Note the telephone number(s) of your interviewer in case of emergency. Be punctual not too early and certainly not too late. If you do come late, make your apologies and offer an excuse. 2. The interview Switch off your mobile phone before entering the interview site. Smile pleasantly and present yourself for the interview. Address your interviewer by name (as a rule without his or her title, although if you have any doubts you should check in advance). First impressions are key, so offer a firm handshake, make eye contact and engage in small talk. Get out your notepad, listen attentively and take occasional notes. Body language accounts for more than half of your total impression! Sit calmly in your seat, keep your hands in view, speak slowly and pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, including eye contact, facial expressions, posture and gestures. 1

2 An interview is not an interrogation, so take an active part in the conversation without, however, engaging in monologues. Be succinct and precise. If you do not understand a question, ask for clarification. And if you don t know the answer, be honest. If possible, always give short examples along with your remarks, so as to make them concreter and easier to remember. Ask questions about the company. Are the next steps clear? Do not hurry away at the close of the interview, and bid your interviewer farewell by name Typical course of an interview Keep in mind that interviews can also take an unexpected course, and that some interviewers are more professional than others. Welcome and explanation of procedure, segue to interview Introduction of employer Description of position vacant, presentation of company Introduction of candidate: Brief version of résumé (a couple of minutes max.) Professional questions: show enthusiasm and motivation! Answer questions concisely and underpin with examples. Personal questions: What special strengths can you bring to the position? Description of basic conditions of potential employment (salary, vacation, working hours etc.) Applicant s questions: ask prepared questions. End of interview and discussion of next steps 2.2. Typical questions to prepare for * Question * * What is at issue * 1. Introductory questions Why have you applied for the position. Why do you want to work at our company especially? What (particularly) interested you about the advertisement? Give us a brief account of your career to date. / What should we know about you? Tests motivation and interest. Does your experience make you a good fit? Can you identify your strengths that are of relevance to the position to be filled? Explores reasons for your application. Did you understand the description of the position and the required profile? Invites you to describe yourself. An open question, it requires a structured response: offer two or three examples you believe qualify you for the position. 2. Career to date / accomplishments to date Why did you study (your subject/s)? / What made you choose this particular Tests your motivation and will to succeed: how good a fit is the position with your long-term 2

3 career path? Questions about your résumé: Why did you (e.g. abort your initial course of study, choose not to work while studying, spend so long studying)? What are your biggest successes to date? And your failures? What successes (e.g. over the past two years) are you proud of? Name three characteristics, abilities or skills that have served you best in your accomplishments to date. Where do you see yourself in five years? What is your career goal? 3. Specialist and methodological skills Are you more of a doer, or are you considered the prudent type? How do you typically approach a significant assignment? How do you ensure that you get your work done on time? Do you tend to make decisions quickly based in part on instinct, or do you prefer to carry out a careful analysis first (perhaps at the cost of speed)? 4. Social skills What do you value in a colleague/supervisor (and what do you NOT value)? Are you a team player? On which assignments do you favour teamwork, and on which do you prefer to go it alone? How do you deal with resistance (from clients, colleagues, supervisors)? How good are you at dealing with conflict? How do you deal with conflicts? career goals? Seeks explanations for idiosyncrasies of your résumé. How do you deal with delicate questions? If there are gaps or interruptions in your résumé, be prepared to justify or explain them, since it is quite likely you will be asked to do so. Seeks evidence of accomplishment that might serve to predict future success. Into what goal have you thrown yourself wholeheartedly? What has motivated you to accomplish your goals so far? How do you explain your failures? In what field (of poss. relevance to the company in question) did you suffer these failures? What have your failures taught you? At issue is your talent as well as your assessment of your own accomplishments. Explores your strengths as well as your sense of them. Offer practical examples in which your strengths served you. Explores your identification with your profession. Does the position suit your personal career planning? Addresses systematic thought and action: are you accomplishment and result-oriented, do you think systematically and in a process-oriented fashion, or are you overly perfectionist, afraid to take risks and slow to act? Investigates your organizational (and selforganizational) ability: do you make effective use of resources? What is your personal work style? Addresses analytical thinking. Can you identify current and future problems? Can you develop promising solutions even if you do not have complete information? What matters to you? What are your standards? What sort of management do you prefer? Inquires as to your teamwork and cooperation skills, as well as your work style. Can you give examples? Seeks examples of your perseverance, and inquires as to your communication skills and talent for leadership. Seeks examples of your ability to deal with conflict. Can you deal with being unpopular from time to time, or taking unpopular positions? 3

4 Would others describe you as a people person? 5. Personality features Tell us something about yourself. / Characterize yourself. How would a friend describe you? Why should we hire you? What are your personal strengths/weaknesses? How do you deal with stress, pressure, criticism, problems? What do you do in your spare time? 6. End of interview What do you hope to earn? Are you still interested in the position? Do you have other positions in view? Do you have any other questions? Are you able to establish and maintain a wide range of professional contacts? Are you a good fit with the company? Sophisticated version of previous question: seeks self-observation by other means. Assesses self-evaluation and representation: can you be self-confident without crowing? Seeks credible self-description: how do you present yourself? Assesses resistance to stress and endurance: you must provide examples to back up your argument! In addition: how do you deal with difficult questions? Explores your range of interests and special characteristics. The employer wants to know whether he or she can afford you, as well as whether you are aware of your own worth. Seeks to assess your commitment. Has anything changed during the course of the interview? Clarification of remaining issues. This questions addresses your honesty and interest as well as the temporal dimension: that is, how long does the employer have to reach a decision about you? Assesses your interest. What else matters to you? Do you perhaps have any complaints? 2.3. Possible questions about the company What are the next steps (if not clear)? Are there opportunities for continuing education? What will be expected of me? What is the team like? Can I get to know them? Is there an introductory phase in which I can learn the ropes, and if so how does it work? What is the workplace like? Can I see it? What do you like best about the company? 2.4. Prohibited questions Family planning: are you planning on getting married in the near future? Are you pregnant? Questions regarding your religion or political affiliation Questions regarding your criminal record or ongoing prosecution (unless such matters are of direct relevance to the workplace in question) Questions regarding your health (unless of direct relevance to the position in question) Most recent salary: how much did you earn at your last job? Questions regarding your personal net worth 4

5 3. Debriefing As soon as one interview ends, it s time to get ready for the next. So as to learn as much as you can from the experience, take your time evaluating the interview: what went well? What can be improved? Record your impressions in writing. Send a brief to your interviewer the evening following the interview or the next day, thanking him or her and reiterating your interest in the position. 5