Interview Skills

When you get to the interview stage in a selection process it means that the company/organisation is interested in you as a
possible employee. The interviewer wants to hire someone and will be doing their best to give you an opportunity to present
yourself as a strong candidate.

Employers value candidates who are prepared and focussed. By being prepared, you will be able to anticipate possible questions,
demonstrate that you want the job and present yourself as being confident.

And for more information you may visit the C&E website (www.qut.edu.au/careers) or the Career Planning website.

Types of Interviews
Notes Screening interviews - Many employers have screening
Find out as much as you can about the organisation, the interviews on campus. Often short, the purpose is to
person(s) interviewing and the situation of the interview. determine who will be invited for a second interview. Apart
Anticipate questions they may ask and prepare answers for from checking your technical competence, they often consist
these. of open questions to ascertain those personalities, which
would fit into their corporate culture.
Arrive on time
Telephone screening interview - Often used where the
Dress appropriately. There is no rule that fits all positions. organisation is some distance from the university, or used by
If in doubt, dress up. In most situations a ‘collar and tie’ is local companies wanting to screen people quickly.
appropriate for males, while in some situations a suit is
expected. For females, a skirt, blouse and jacket are usually Unstructured interviews - These rely on open questions
required, with a minimum of jewellery. such as “tell me about yourself?” or “what are your career
goals?” Even thought he interviewer seems unfocused, you
First impressions are important. First impressions are should be very focused. Although you can’t control the
formed in the first two minutes. Once formed, impressions direction of the interview, you control the content.
are hard to change. Be confident and not too aggressive or
passive. Rehearse possible entry routines.
Panel interviews - A panel of interviewers will generally
Shake hands firmly while making direct eye contact. take it in turns to ask questions. Focus on the person who
Avoid limp or bone-crushing handshakes. asks each particular question.

Take along a portfolio with original documents to offer Behaviour-based interviews - These interviews assume
to the interviewer(s) after you meet them. that by describing your behaviour on a past situation, they
can predict how you will behave in the future. Questions
Sit comfortably and don’t fidget. Hold on to something if will be like “tell me about a time when you…” Each
you are nervous, eg. The chair or your other hand. question requires a detailed, highly specific answer from
your past. They may focus on issues such as leadership,
Maintain eye contact and keep all interviewers involved in problem solving, initiative, teamwork etch. Your responses
the process with your confidence and enthusiasm. need to include the situation, what was required of you,
your actions, and what you learnt from them. You need to
Use the opportunity to illustrate the skills you possess and prepare a range of stories, which exemplify your actions in a
how you can assist the organisation. range of areas.
Prepare questions to ask if the interviewer(s) give you the
Stress interviews - These consist of questions and
opportunity. They could include information about the job
situations designed to place you under stress to see how you
(eg. training, expectations) and/or timelines about when
react. Recognise the behaviour for what it is, and thwart
you can expect an answer regarding employment.
their attempts by staying ‘cool’. Deep breathing and
Leave the interview in a positive frame of mind. Express checking the question again before answering are useful
your interest once again in the position. techniques.

Send a thank you note to the interviewer(s), even if it is a Sequential interviews - These are conducted
short one. consecutively by different individuals in the organisation.
Interviewers compare impressions and notes after the some of my most valuable attributes were that I could
interview. always be counted on to get a project done on schedule and
that the details had all been taken care of.”
Desk-top videoconferencing - Often interstate or overseas
companies will use this method for initial interviewing. You
have to learn to do the difficult task of interacting with a
Research the organisation
camera and not a screen. Researching an organisation can yield big dividends during
an interview. Read annual reports, recruiting brochures and
Individual - Sometimes the interview is conducted by just information held at C&E. Research can reveal problems or
one person. Spend time to ensure you build up a rapport challenges the organisation is facing and can enable you to
with this person before you launch into answers. select, in advance, appropriate experiences you should
describe in the interview. Learn what you can from your
Situational - This is the term used when interviews are research then weave the information you’ve gathered into
held on site in the actual building or environment where you the interview.
will eventually be employed. It sometimes helps the
interviewer to assess your fitness to the work environment as Overcoming objections
well as the usual other reasons for interviewing.
An objection is not a rejection, it is a request for more
information. If the employer states “you don’t have enough
Assessment Centre - Many organisations are now using
experience”, they are not rejecting you. In fact, they could
assessment centres where a group of maybe 8 students at a
totally sold on you but for this one concern. Your task is to
time operate in a space for a number of hours. During this
sell yourself and overcome that objection. Do not take the
time they could be asked to form teams and compete, move
objection personally, and do not become defensive.
into pairs and do role plays, give spontaneous or planned
presentations, do tests, have interviews, have discussions,
The first step in overcoming objections is predicting what
problem solve in groups, etc. There could be up to four
they will be and developing appropriate, effective response
observers together with the facilitators.
to them. The objection may be that you don’t have the right
coursework background. A way to deal with this is to
Key Interview Skills convince the interviewer(s) that you learn quickly.

Active Listening Master the art of story telling

Using stories to sell your skills is a highly effective interview
Active listening can be defined as high level listening in technique. In less than three minutes, you can tell a story
which your entire attention is focused on the person that will make interviewers remember you favourably.
speaking – your body, your face, your eyes, all confirm you Employers believe that the best predictor of future success is
are listening. Active listening is important for two reasons. past success, so tell stories that vividly describe your
First, employers are attracted to active listeners. Active successes. Don’t be concerned if your stories are not highly
listeners are better liked and perceived to be better impressive, as long as the experience demonstrates your
employees. Second, through active listening you’ll pick up effective use of a particular skill.
clues that the interviewer is consciously and unconsciously
giving you. You can then process the clues to determine Practice telling stories. Begin by recalling 5 – 10 experiences
what the employer is really looking for. Use your body that you are proud of or feel good about. These experiences
language to show that you are truly listening. Be relaxed, can come from school or college, hobbies, volunteer work,
but don’t slouch. and jobs. In your mind recall the experiences, write 100 –
300 words about each one, practice giving a 1 and 2 minute
Control the content, not the version of each. With the longer version you can add details
that provide a greater richness and make each story more
interview memorable. The shorter the versions that the most effort
because you must decide which information is more crucial.
Let the interviewer control the question while you control
Then, tell your story into a tap recorder. When you play it
the content. Controlling the content means that you will be
back, ask yourself, is it a well-told story? Is it interesting?
deciding what to say and which examples to give. Develop
Does it create word pictures?
a game plan and know the points you want to cover and the
experiences you want to describe. Look for the earliest
In stories that demonstrate hoe you solved a problem or
opportunity to present the information in the interview.
overcome an obstacle, create before and after pictures that
highlight your impact on the situation. Not all stories have to
Let others speak for you. be success ones. It is often more effective to include
When you’re answering questions in an interview, let unsuccessful ones so long as you learnt from the situation.
others build you up by saying something like, “My boss felt
 banking – indicate the strengths you were able to develop as
Questions Commonly Asked a result of your major.

“ Tell me ab o ut yo urself” “ Do yo u feel yo u di d the best wo r k at

Most people hate this question. By preparing for it and university that yo u were capable of
knowing what a wonderful opportunity it offers to sell
yourself, you should look forward to it. It is the most doing?”
frequently asked question during interviewing. It usually If you worked hard at your studies, a person might say, “I
serves as a bridge to go from small talk to the real interview. worked very hard and really took my studies seriously. I
To answer it, briefly describe your education and your graduated with a 5.2 GPA (or with honours). Even the
work history. Briefly describe interesting aspects of your classes I didn’t do so well in grade-wise, really taught me
education or a job and look for opportunities to share something” or “I worked hard and got good grades, but I
accomplishments. Add in your personal interests. also wanted to balance my education. I was active in [eg
debating, sports, volunteer work].” If you were a poor
“ What is yo ur gr e atest strength?” student, you could admit to a lack of focus at the time,
adding that you are very focused now. If you got your best
The question asks for your number-one strength, skill, or
results in your major, or individual subjects, mention those
asset and requires you to analyse yourself. You should have
rather than your overall GPA.
several strengths in mind and share the one you feel is the
most appropriate for the position you are applying for. Begin
with a brief statement, and provide a clear example. “ Why sho ul dI e mploy yo u?”
This question is often asked at the end of an interview and
“ What are yo ur career go als” allows you to summarize your strengths. Since this is a
summary, you can discuss points that you’ve already
This question tests whether you’ve determined your career covered and add new ones. Sell yourself. Be prepared to
goals and whether your goals match the organisation. Sound take up to 4 minutes. Try to focus on everything you have
definite and express your goals based on what you know
learnt about the job, your future boss, and the needs of the
about the organisation.
company. With such limited time, you must cover only
those points that will have the greatest impact. You can
“ Why wo ul d yo ul i ke to wo r k for us ?” create that impact by describing a combination of personality
If the question is asked at or near the beginning of the first skills, transferable skills, and technical skills.
interview, you have an opportunity to describe what you
know about the organisation. If the question is asked after “ What are yo ur we aknesses?”
the interviewer has described the job and the company in This is an opportunity for the interviewer to find out how
detail, you could mention positive points that you had aware you are of yourself as a person. Use no more than
discovered on your own, as well as some mentioned by the two words to describe your weakness (shy, quiet). Provide
interviewer. This might include the reputation of the
the answer in three parts. For example: 1) Sometimes/some
company or department, its rapid growth, or your personal people say that I am (quiet) 2) the good aspect of that is that
affinity with some of the concepts presented by the I (listen well or when I do say something it usually makes a
interviewer. signification contribution to the conversation) 3) but I know I
need to work on (being a bit more outgoing).
“ Do yo u prefer to wo r ki n dividually or
as part of a te a m?”
The best responses depend on what you know about the
job and how you see yourself in the position. If the
organisation is looking for a decisive person, you would
emphasise your individualism and independence. If most
work is done by committees and task forces, emphasise your
ability to work as part of a team. If you are not sure,
describe how you enjoy both aspects.

“ Why di d yo u choose yo ur major?”

To answer it, recall your reasons for choosing your major
and then give only the most positive ones. Demonstrate
forethought and planning ability. Indicate that the decision
was made after considerable thought. If you are not using
your major – a psychology major now looking to get into
 Identify 3 to 6 attributes which are unique to you and which
Asking Questions you can refer to and demonstrate. Select them from this list
Employers like being asked questions. In fact, most are or add in your own and think how you can model these
disappointed if you don’t ask thoughtful questions; they may characteristics during the interview:
even interpret a lack of questions as a lack of interest. Giving
the interviewer a chance to answer your questions makes
the interview interesting and makes you seem more Assertive
interesting as well. Asking questions also gives you the Cheerful
opportunity to gather useful information and clear up any Conscientious
confusing issues.
Cooperative
Decisive
Each of the following questions could be appropriate at any
Diplomatic
time:
) Could you describe your management training Discreet
program? Energetic
) What types of people seem to do well in this Enthusiastic
department/company? Flexible
) If I’m as effective as I think I would be, where could I Friendly
be in 5 years? Goal-oriented
) Is there anything else I should know that would help Hard-working
me understand the position? Honest
) What are the main opportunities you see for this Humorous
department/company in the next three years? Inquisitive
) What are the challenges that have to be faced? Insightful
) What are the timelines for the selection process? Loyal
) When would I reasonable expect to be contacted? Open-minded
) Is the company able to deal with technological changes Optimistic
in the next five years? Patient
) What type of growth do you foresee in the next few Persistent
years? Why? Practical
) Does the company promote personal and professional Productive
growth? How? Real
Reliable
Resourceful
Projecting Your Personality Responsible
Thorough
On a conscious and subconscious level, employers will be Trustworthy
evaluating your personality and asking “Do I like this person? Self-confident
Will we work well together?” When considering two Sincere
people with equal qualifications, the one with the more
pleasing personality will always be hired. In order to
adequately sell yourself, you need to know your personality
skills. These include being cooperative, effective under
stress, and energetic.

During an interview you should not merely rattle off claims

Record Your Progress
to each of these characteristics – you should demonstrate Keep track of your interviews by logging down the key
each one. In just twenty minutes, a perceptive interviewer details of each interview and some private comments about
can accurately assess you in each area – both by what you how you went, and where you might improve.
say and what you are. The famous saying, “you actions
speak so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying”, is
especially applicable to the ways in which employers asses a
job applicant’s personality during the interview.