Post on 18-Jan-2016
Develop your Career: Interview TechniquesMiranda Carr
Personal and Professional Development
Develop your Career: Interview Techniques
Outline of the day
• Introductions and main concerns
• Background and context
• Preparing for a successful interview
• Q&A
• Other selection tests
• Handling nerves
• NVC
• … and finally
Coffee to give us energy!
Background and Context
What are they basing their assessment of you on?
• Application
• Interview
• Other selection tests
Anticipation and Preparation are key
Preparing for interview
• Go back to the beginning – job description and person specification – the clues are there
Do your research….•Access to insider info? - Use it!•Read up on recent achievements and core business activities •Get up to date on current issues, challenges and debates in the field
Preparing for interview
What might they ask me?
What do I want to ask them?
Answering Questions – a technique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nN7Q7DrI6Q
THINK STAR
Q&A
Using the STAR technique……
How would you answer these questions?
What has been your greatest achievement and why?
Describe a time when you had to deal with achallenging situation and how you handled it.
Key questions and how to answer them 1
Tell me about yourself?
•Highlight previous experience and skills relevant to the role•Give a good sense of personality and attitudehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJMbU_lOxmU
What do you know about us?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Idp62F00s&index=1&list=PLEA9aVMFiktvFJpJh_2ykrJB_jBAYTNBB
•Show that you have researched the organisation •Highlight specific things that impress you or that you like about the organisationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95lhtBc53f8
Key questions and how to answer them 2
Why do you want this job?
•Match what you can do to fit the skills required
•Show your knowledge of the organisation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95lhtBc53f8
Why should we hire you?
•USP – What’s yours?
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strength
•Pick a strength that is relevant
•Give examples
•Show that you’ve been recognized for this strength
•Tie it back to the current job
Weakness
•Be honest
•Pick a weakness that is fairly minor and `fixable’
•Show what you have done to deal with it
•Illustrate how it has turned into a strength
Q&A
Difficult questions
If you can’t answer immediately take your time to think
If you don’t know the answer say so, don’t be tempted to lie
Try to keep calm and keep thinking clearly
Always keep your answers positive even if you are describing a difficult situation
Remember STAR
Ask the interviewer
Interviewer: “And do you have any questions you would like to to ask us?”
Interviewee: “Um, no I think you’ve covered everything”
Interviewee:
“What do you see as the immediate challenges for mewhere I to be offered this job?”
“What are the key objectives (tasks) for the organisation in the coming year and how do you see this role contributing to achieving those objectives?”
“What are the opportunities for training and development/pathways for advancement within the organisation?”
Selection tests
Selection tests
Handling Nerves
Remember to Breathe!
Positive self-talk
Mindfulness
Reward
It’s a two-way process
Take your time
Handling Nerves
Control your nerves through breathing
Breathing exercise:
Place your hand, palm flat, just below your ribs
Breathe slowly in through your nose
Feel your hand rise up as your stomach expands
Breathe out through your mouth
Feel your hand fall back as your stomach contracts
Aim to take twice as long to breathe out as you took to
breathe in
Practise beforehand
It’s all about making a great entrance….
Checklist:
• Present yourself well
• Keep good eye contact with the panel
• Open arms – open approach
• Think about what your hands are doing
• Mirroring
• Don’t fiddle!
• Try to control any distracting habits
Non-Verbal Communication
Skills Practise
• You will undertake a 5 min (maximum) mock interview – 3 questions to answer
• Each person will have a role.
• Roles: Interviewee, Interviewer/Camera operator, Observer
- Observer makes notes on the interviewee’s performance and keeps time
• Feedback is given by the interviewee 1st followed by the observer 2nd and finally by the interviewer(s) 3rd
• Each interviewee will have access to a film of their interview