Successful Job Interviews

Dr. Hussain H Ahmed

M.B.E., BSC, MSC, PHD, PGCE, MSC MNGNT, PGDIP HSH. MICHEME & MSPE
Overview:
 Preparing for interviews
 The interview experience
 Q&A
 Questions to expect and to ask
 Different types of interview
 Assessment Centers
 Q&A
 Psychometric Tests
 Interview resources
 Q&A
Prior to Interview:

 Completed CV or Application Form

 Employer is interested
– Skills
– Qualifications
– Potential Commitment

 DO NOT WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY

Types of Interviews:

 Face to face
 Telephone – unannounced, prearranged, sales or research emphasis
 Sequential
 Panel
 Group
 Video
Interviews:

fail to Prepare = prepare to fail

Interviews:
Interviews:
 Interview = A meeting with an objective

 Employer’s objective is to find the best person for the job

– Employer: reviews candidate’s experience and abilities

• Can you do the job? (skills, abilities, qualifications)
• Will you do the job? (interest, attitude & motivation)
• How will you fit into the organization? (personality)
Interviews:
 You: impress employer and assess position on offer

• What does this position offer me?

• How does it fit with my career plans?

 Congratulations - you have passed the first hurdle

 You must prove that you are the most suitable candidate for this position
Preparation is the key to success:
 Review own skills, experiences and qualities
• Check CV
• Anticipate questions and identify relevant examples
• Prepare key selling points
 Research organization
• Websites, reports, articles, company literature, etc.
• Contacts with knowledge of organization or sector
• Relevant articles in the press
• Personal visit or telephone call
Preparation is the key to success:
 Research job and occupational area
• Job description – or similar
• Current issues

 Prepare your questions

 Practice
Watch the Body Language:
 First impressions very powerful

– Halo effect or Devil effect

 Allow time to relax

 Dress appropriately

 Entrance, introductions & handshake

 Smile and make eye contact

 Be aware of own movements

 Watch body language of interviewer

 Negative attitudes
Typical Questions:
 About you
– Tell me about yourself - Bring me up to date with your CV?
– Why did you choose that particular degree programme?
– What experience have you had that is relevant to this post?
– What would you consider your major achievements to date?

 About the job

– What interests you about this job?
– What do you know about this organization?
– What other options are you considering?
– How do you see your career developing – 5 years?
– If you were given the job what would be your priorities?
Typical Questions:

 General knowledge

– What do you think of the company policy?

– What’s your opinion of the ……………………..?
Tell me about yourself:

 Your personal statement summarizing:

 Education
 Skills
 Experience
 Career Objective

Theme: what I can do for YOUR company

Tell me about yourself:

 90 seconds maximum, then STOP

 No jokes

 No “as you can see from my CV..”

 Practice out loud and often

 Give the people what they want

 Tailor it a little for each employer

Other Type of Questions:
 “What if” Questions
– No experience - how are you likely to respond to a situation

 Probing Questions
– How exactly did you deal with the situation?
– How did you know it worked?
– How did you feel about the outcome?
– Could you have handled it differently?
Competency-based Interviews:
 Company identifies key skills required for job
 Designs questions to elicit evidence of skills
 Emphasis on past behavior as predictor of success
 Teamwork: Describe a team project you worked on. What problems arose? How did you deal
with them?
 Communication Skills: Describe situation when you had to persuade others to support your view.
Give an example of any reports you’ve written which illustrate your writing skills
 Interpersonal skills: What kinds of people do you find it difficult to work with? How do you handle
those situations?
 Taking Responsibility: Describe a time when you took responsibility to achieve a challenging goal
 Problem-solving: Tell about a time when you had several tasks to manage at one time with
conflicting deadlines.
Preparing for Competency Interview:

 Identify the competencies required for job

– Review job description or ask for information

 Define each competency in behavioral terms

 Identify past experience to illustrate how you demonstrated that behaviour

 Prepare examples for each competency

 Practice talking about your experience

 Try to give a complete answer - STAR

Preparing for Competency Interview:

Section-1
Q&A
Competency Based Interview:
 Usually one-on-one

 Will be formal and appear stilted at times

 You will be asked to describe your behavior according to:

 The Situation in which it occurred or the Task you were assigned

 The Action you took

 The Result
 Answering the Questions - Influence:
 Situation or Task: describe the situation you faced

 Action: what action did you take, what obstacles did you overcome, what
suggestions did you make?
 Result: what was the positive outcome achieved because of you action
Competencies:
 Motivation:
Tell me about a time when you had to inject life into a failing project?

 Managing Priorities:

Tell me about a time when you had to cope with strict deadlines or time
demands

 Initiative:

Tell me about a time when you showed initiative and took the lead to achieve a
challenging goal
 Competencies:

 Teamwork:

Tell me about a time when you contributed to the successful workings of a team

 Influence

Describe a time when you had to make a decision with which not everyone
agreed to get a job done
Responding to Competency:
 Q Give me an example of a problem you encountered.
How did you approach it. What was the outcome?
 STAR response

– S: Describe the situation

– T: Explain the task/problem that arose

– A: What action did you take?

– R: What was the result or outcome?

– What did you learn from this experience?
Matching Skills to Requirements:

Employer needs Your evidence

1. Communication Presentation to class
2. Team work Example from xxxx
3. Leadership Class rep, Committee
4. Initiative Fundraising for charity
5. Customer Care Working in xxxxxx
6. IT skills Designed website
7. Commercial awareness Business pages
Your Answers- advices:
 Listen carefully, seek clarification

 Illustrate answers with real examples and evidence

 Be positive – constructive criticism

 Keep answers specific and succinct

 Take time to respond

 Be alert to interviewer’s body language

 Speak clearly, smile and show enthusiasm

 Know what you want to say, and find the opportunity

Qualities Employers Seek:
 Good all-round intelligence

 Enthusiasm, commitment and motivation

 Good communication skills

 Team work ability

 Ability to solve problems

 Capacity to work hard

 Initiative and self-reliance

 Balanced personality
Competencies required by X Company:
 Adaptability
 Integrity
 Innovation
 Teamwork
 Initiative
 Drive for Results
 Know the Business
 Open Exchange of Information
 Makes Difficult Decisions
Your Questions:
 Training programs
 Career development opportunities
 Types of projects & responsibilities
 Reporting structure
 Performance appraisal
 Profile of staff
 Questions about topics raised in interview
 What happens next?
Interview scoring sheet:
Name Mark-max 100
Communication Skills Max 30
Problem Solving Max 20
Team Fit Max 20
Relevant Experience Max 20
Project Management Max 10

Total Marks
Interview scoring sheet:

Section-2
Q&A
Typical Questions:
 Tell me about yourself
 Tell me about your course
 What project work have you done?
 Why did you decide to study business?
 What have you learned from your vacation jobs?
 Why do you think you are suited to this job?
 Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
 What are your strengths?
Typical Questions:
 What are your weaknesses?
 What is your greatest achievement to date?
 What have you done that shows
– Initiative
– Team work
– Problem solving
– Flexibility
 Why you for this position?
 Have you any questions?
What creates a bad impression:
 Poor personal appearance
 Negative attitude – evasive, using excuses
 Lack of interest and enthusiasm
 Lack of preparation
 Poor knowledge of role
 Failure to give concrete examples of skills
 Over emphasis on money/rewards
 Lack of career plan
Fail to prepare ; prepare to fail
Questions to ask the interviewer:
 Ask appropriate job-related questions
– What are organization's future plans/projects?
 Work and Training
– What would I be doing?
– What is the training?
– What is the project timescale?
 Colleagues
– Who would I be working with?
– Contacts with others inside and outside the organization
Questions to ask the interviewer:
 Location
– Where will I be
– Travel, location, mobility required
 Salary and Prospects
– Appropriate starting salary
– What happened to recent graduates Career Progression
The appraisal Procedure
Exciting new developments for Co.
After the Interview:
 Review own performance
what went well what went badly
what you wished you had said
prepare for next stage

 Invitation to second / final round interviews

assessment center
psychometric testing
panel interview

 Rejection letter / email

if you can request feedback - use it
After the Interview!:
 Learn from it!

 Was there anything you could have done better or differently?

 Take on board feedback from the Interviewer

Telephone Interviews:
 Prepare as thoroughly as for ‘real’ interview
 Select comfortable, private, quiet place
 Advise flatmates re answering phone
 Have copy of CV and company information
 Have pen and paper at hand
 Prepare for usual interview questions
 Practice on phone
– Record answers
– Try standing
– Smile and use gestures
– Avoid monotones
 Be yourself
Other Types Of Interviews:
 Rotating
– Like one-to-one with different interviewers
 Group
– 6-8 candidates
– Group observed while discussing topic
– Be aware of group interaction
 Panel
– 2-5 interviewers, or as many as 13!!
– Try to identify different roles
– Respond to interviewer, include others through eye contact
– May involve presentation
Assessment Centres:
 Company premises or neutral venue
 Includes social or informal events
 Meeting with recent graduates or managers
 Activities include:
– Group exercises
– Practical tasks and exercises
– Report writing
– Oral Presentations
– Psychometric assessments
– Interviews
 Simulates real work environment
Psychometric Tests:
 Aptitude Tests - measure skills relevant to position
– Verbal comprehension - evaluate logic of text
– Numerical reasoning - interpret statistical data
– Diagrammatic reasoning - recognize patterns
– Watch timing – complete as many as possible
 Personality Questionnaires
– Look at personality style
– No right or wrong answers
– Be spontaneous, don’t try to second-guess
– Tests include built-in checks
– Employers may be looking for different personality profiles
 Practice using online tests on www.ul.ie/careers
Interview:

Tips and Hints

Job interview:

Section-3
Q&A
Job interview:

Thank you
[email protected]