MITIE CANDIDATE INTERVIEW GUIDE

We make a positive difference to millions of people each

and every day. Join us and together there's no limit to
what we can achieve. Interview Do's
• Introduce yourself courteously
• Arrive on time or earlier if possible
Here are some useful tips to help you maximise your • Express yourself clearly
success through the Mitie interview process. • Be familiar with your CV, and explain your career history to date
• Demonstrate how your experience can benefit Mitie
• Ask questions
BE PREPARED: • Consider your answers carefully – it’s best to take a moment to compose
yourself rather than rush in with an ineffective answer
Research
• Think about using the STAR technique (detail to follow) when answering
Research Mitie, to understand their company, culture and values. Here’s a
questions
link to the Mitie website- Mitie. • Show willingness to learn and progress
You can also contact your consultant, who will have expert knowledge of • Switch your mobile off during the interview!
the role, the environment you'll be working in, the culture as well as the
company’s expectations. Ensure you know what the interview process
involves e.g. presentations, a panel interview, competency questions etc. For every responsibility/requirement on the job specification, ensure you have at
least one example of an experience or a transferable skill that covers that
Presentation requirement for the interview.
Working at Mitie isn’t just a ‘job’. Everyone who wears our logo is part of
something much bigger. Ensure that you dress appropriately and act in a
professional manner throughout the interview.

Punctuality
Regardless of whether your interview is face-to-face or virtual, ensure that
you know the exact time and location of the interview (and how to get
there). You will be provided with all the relevant details in your interview
invite. Allow plenty of time in case of travel delays, and if virtual, ensure you
have tested your video/sound settings in advance of the interview, to avoid
technical issues.

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Typical General Interview Questions: Other Example Questions: Provide examples.
• What kinds of people do you like working with?
Q: Tell me about yourself? (Interviewer thinks: I want to hear you talk) • How have you coped when your work has been criticised? (Give an example
A: This is a conversation starter and is nearly always asked. Talk about including the outcome.)
your qualifications, career history and range of skills. Particularly • How do you think you are going to fit in here?
emphasise those skills that are most relevant to the position on offer. • What are you looking for in a company?
• What motivates you?
Q: Describe your achievements to date: (Interviewer thinks: Are you • Why do you think you would be good at this job?
successful?)
• What example can you give me of when you have been out of your depth?
A: Select an achievement that is career related. Identify the skills you used
• What can you bring to this company?
in this situation and quantify the benefit.
• What area of your skills do you want to improve? (Try to relate this to the
Q: What are your strengths? (Interviewer thinks: I hope you're honest, role on offer.)
what have you got that's different? How can I use you in the team? What • What qualifies you for this job?
value will you add to the company?) • Why do you think you would like this role?
A: Discuss your main strengths. List three or four ways they could benefit • What do you consider your weaknesses?
your employer. Strengths to consider include technical proficiency, ability
to learn quickly, determination, positive attitude and your ability to relate
to people and work as a team. Provide examples and be prepared to back
them up.

Q: What are your major weaknesses? (Interviewer thinks: I hope you're

honest, what aren't you interested in? What will you need help with?
What's your self-awareness like.)
A: Don't say "none" – we all have weaknesses. There are two options
available when asked such a question - use a professional weakness such as
lack of experience on your part in an area that is not essential to the job
on offer. The second option is to describe a personal or professional
weakness that could also be considered strength and the steps that you
have taken to combat this.

Q: Why do you want to work for this company (Interviewer thinks: Are
you prepared, knowledgeable? What's the image of the company
externally?)
A: Show you have researched into the firm's position in the market, what
the company's strategy is, how long the department you are interviewing
for has been around and what their corporate image is looking to project.

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STAR Technique objective and how you used your communication skills to keep everyone
updated on the progress etc.
STAR is a universally recognised communication technique designed to enable
• Why you did it? For example, when discussing a situation where you had to
you to provide a meaningful and complete answer to any question where you are
deal with a conflict, many candidates would simply say: “I told my colleague
expected to give a specific example. At the same time, it has the advantage of
to calm down and explained to him what the problem was”. However, it
being simple enough to be applied easily.
would not provide a good idea of what drove you to act in this manner.
How did you ask him to calm down? How did you explain the nature of the
Your interview will be competency based so please familiarise yourself with the
problem? By highlighting the reasons behind your action, you would make a
acronym:
greater impact. For example:

S T A R “I could sense that my colleague was irritated, and I asked him gently to tell
me what he felt the problem was. By allowing him to vent his feelings and
Situation Task Action Result his anger,
I gave him the opportunity to calm down. I then explained to him my own
point of view on the matter, emphasising how important it was that we
Step 1 – Situation or Task found a solution that suited us both."
Describe the situation that you were confronted with or the task that needed to
be accomplished. With the STAR approach you need to set the context. Make it This revised answer helps the interviewers understand what drove your
concise and informative, concentrating solely on what is useful to the story. For actions and reinforces the feeling that you are calculating the consequences
example, if the question is asking you to describe a situation where you had to of your actions, thus retaining full control of the situation. It provides much
deal with a difficult person, explain how you came to meet that person and why more information about you as an individual and is another reason why the
they were being difficult. If the question is asking for an example of teamwork, STAR approach is so useful.
explain the task that you had to undertake as a team.
Step 3 – Result
Step 2 – Action Explain what happened eventually – how it was finally resolved. Also, use the
This is the most important section of the STAR approach as it is where you will opportunity to describe what you accomplished and what you learnt in that
need to demonstrate and highlight the skills and personal attributes that the situation. This helps you make the answer personal and enables you to highlight
question is testing. Now that you have set the context of your story, you need further skills.
to explain what you did. In doing so, you will need to remember the following:
This is probably the most crucial part of your answer. Interviewers want to know
• Be personal i.e. talk about yourself, rather than the rest of the team. that you are using a variety of generic skills in order to achieve your objectives.
• Go into some detail. Do not assume your example is straightforward. Therefore, you must be able to demonstrate in your answer that you are taking
• Steer clear of technical information, unless it is crucial to your story. specific actions because you are trying to achieve a specific objective, rather than
• Explain what you did, how you did it, and why you did it. on chance.
• The interviewers will want to know how you reacted to the situation.
This is where you can start selling some important skills. For example,
you may want to describe how you used the team to achieve a particular

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Questions to Employers: Closing the interview:
An interview is a two-way process. You can and should prepare questions like If you are interested in the role, ask about the next interview stage if
the below, prior to the interview: appropriate. If the interviewer offers you the job on the spot and you want it,
accept it there and then. If you require further time to think it over, be tactful in
• How does my role fit into the structure of the overall department? saying so and qualify your reasons. Try and provide a definite date as to when
• Who will I report to? you can provide an answer. If you feel that the interview is not going well, do not
• What are the opportunities for further training? be discouraged. Sometimes this is part of an interviewers technique to see how
you perform under pressure - and may have no bearing on whether you will/will
• What is the next step?
not get the job. Display a positive attitude at all times.
• What sort of person does well here?
• How might I influence my own future in the company? Ensure that you THANK the interviewer.
• Which of my skills are required to do this job?
• How does the culture of this team, this company compare to others?
• What is it about this company that you (the interviewer) enjoy?

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