RECOMMENDATIONS AND TIPS FOR STUDENTS

Tips on interview

Making a good first impression

First impressions count towards your overall success at interviews and assessment centers. Read the following tips to enable yourself to feel comfortable and at your best in interviews:

• Be on time, allowing plenty of time in case of travel delays or getting lost.
• Turn off your mobile.
• Be polite to everyone you meet including people who are not apparently related to the interview process; you are on show as soon as you arrive.
• Make and maintain strong eye contact (avoid staring) with the interviewers to demonstrate self-confidence and a real enthusiasm for the job, and don’t be afraid to smile.
• If it is a panel situation, look and address at each member, even if they are not asking any questions. Each member has a say in your appointment: the quest one might even be your future manager…
• A handshake is the most appropriate way to greet each interviewer. Make sure it is firm, but not bone crushing.
• Walk with long, confident strides and wait to be offered a chair so you don’t take somebody else’s by accident. Sit upright, leaning slightly forward. Look at the way the interviewers are sitting and mimic their style. Slouching might be misread as arrogance.
• Try not too talking too fast (which may happen if you are nervous) and try to keep your tone moderate. Breathing deeply will help with this. Watch out for slang and too many um’s and er’s.

Interview questions

Employers are increasingly using a strategy known as behavioral-based questioning when interviewing job applicants. Behavioral questions are designed to produce short stories, discourage hypothetical answers, avoid leading the applicant and match a set of predetermined selection criteria. Interviewers use these sorts of questions to probe applicants’ past behavior to determine whether they meet the pre-selection performance criteria for a particular job. Many employers will use a mixture of behaviorally-based and traditional questions.

Organizational Skills

• Ability to Plan

Tell me about a time when you had to plan an event? What steps did you take? What were the results?

• Ability to Set Priorities

Could you tell me about a time when you were really busy with study or work or other commitments? How did you handle it? What did you do?

• Ability to Delegate

Have you ever been in a position when you were organizing / managing something and had others helping you? How did you distribute tasks? What happened?

Interpersonal Skills

• Client Relations

Tell me about any people-oriented or customer-service roles you’ve held? How did you feel in the role? How did they respond?

• Being a Team Player

Were you ever involved with a group of people and a problem arose? What caused the problem? How did you approach it? How was it solved?

• Ability To Deal With People at All Levels

Tell me about a time when you’ve worked closely with someone at a higher or lower level to you? Describe the situation? What was the outcome?

Technical Skills

• Problem Solving

What was the most difficult work or school problem you ever faced? Describe it. How did you address the problem? What were the results?

• Ability to Apply Knowledge

Tell me about a time when you had to apply some newly acquired knowledge or skill? What was the knowledge or skill? What was the outcome?

• Knowing Limitations

Describe a situation when you had to turn to someone else for help. To whom did you turn? What happened?

Growing with The Job

• Taking Initiative/Leadership

Tell me about a time when you had to step out from the crowd and take the lead in doing something different? What did you do? What was the result?

• Ability to Learn on the Job

Can you describe a time when you had to assimilate a lot of new knowledge and apply it. What was the situation? How did you apply the knowledge?

Communication Skills

• Ability to Communicate

Tell me about a time when someone misunderstood something you said? How did you make yourself clear? What was the outcome?

• Ability to Listen

Can you tell me about a time when a friend sought you out as a confidante? What skills did you utilise in this role? How could you apply these skills in the workplace?

Commitment

• Work Commitment

Describe a situation where you kept persevering with a task even though every one else had given up? Why did you keep going? What was the result?

• Service Commitment

Have you ever done any work in a customer oriented or community service organisation? What did you do? What was the outcome?

Interview Hints

Before the Interview

Before you do anything else, think hard about what you want from your career: try to tie down exactly why this particular job is for you – and why it might not be. Aside from anything else, your enthusiasm (or uncertainty) always shows.

Get your best suit cleaned and polish your shoes! Even if the company advertises casual work, do NOT show up without a suit and tie; ladies should wear business style attire.

The web is full of tips on pre-interview info, face to face interviews, follow-up, etc. so try your favorite search engine to find those web sites.

Go to the company web site! You are working in the computer field aren’t you? Write down interesting information and questions you will want to ask the interviewers.

Make a copy of your references, education and salary history. You may have to fill out an employment form.

Make at least 5 copies of your latest resume and remember to bring them with you.

Prepare for the standard questions like:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses? Pin down your skills, strengths and weaknesses. Know yourself.
• What are your likes and dislikes?
• Explain your background in 5 minutes.

Prepare for the unusual and tough questions like:

• Can you teach me a technical skill that you have?
• What steps do you take to resolve a technical problem?
• How do you handle difficult internal or external customers? Give 2 examples. What was the outcome of the situations?

At the interview

• Be yourself. There is no point in simply regurgitating what you think you ought to be saying, or learning answers by heart.
• Make the most of it! The interview is designed to give employer a realistic picture of you and your abilities – to find out exactly what makes you tick, and to see if you possess the innovative drive and ambition to help organization to greater heights. Just as importantly, it will also give you an insight into the way we work.
• Interviews are a two-way process – so feel free to ask anything you please.
• Be engaging, and enthusiastic.
• Take your time answering questions. A brief, well thought-out answer is far better than an immediate flow of waffle.
• There are no right or wrong answers. You should answer each question honestly and realistically. Give the answers that reflect your thoughts and your individual experience of life.
• Questions will be based on situations you have experienced, so be prepared to give real life examples. Think widely about the roles and responsibilities you have had to date and your achievements whether in a social, academic, work or community context.
• Build up an understanding of the business and your spheres of interest.
• Whilst this is an important part of the selection process, try not to get too stressed about it, and don’t forget to smile!

Asking questions – THEM

“Have you got any questions for us?”

The answer clearly is “YES”. But if all your questions have genuinely been covered, then say so, politely. Don’t just sit there looking blank and uninterested.

When thinking of questions, consider the following:

• Show further interest in the organization e.g. working culture, social activities, charity or community work, work-life balance, products available, sector trends, future strategies.
• Show an interest in your training e.g. appraisal procedures, mentoring courses, potential for moving around the organization.
• If you are unclear about the next stage, ask: When can I expect to hear from you? What happens next?
• Don’t ask about company cars or bonuses. It is not appropriate at this stage.
• Salary negotiations usually take place once a job is offered or may be discussed in the interview itself; wait for the right time.

Finally: relax! You’re at the interview because they’re actively interested in meeting you. Best of luck!

28.02.2022, 16:54 3486 Print version