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How to Prepare Effectively for Job Interviews

Tahira MajothiCareers consultantwww.careers.salford.ac.uk0161 295 5088

Aims• Better understand the different types of

interviews• Anticipate likely interview questions• Present your answers in an interesting and

accurate way using the STAR technique• Access support from the Careers and

Employability Service

Types of Interview

One-to-one (inc. informal chats,

social gatherings)

Panel

Telephone / Skype

Situational / case studies

Assessment Centres

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WHY DO JOB INTERVIEWS MAKE YOU NERVOUS?

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What do you think employers are looking for?

From a Employer’s perspective…

• Are you the right person for the job?

• Will you love the job?

• Can we see you as a ‘fit’ for our company?

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From an employer’s perspective…

“We expect a graduate to have conducted research on our organisation and know the customer trends facing us in the external

market…….[we expect] knowledge of competitors, relevant market trends,

opportunities, current challenges, recent developments.....”

Graduate Recruitment Officer, The Co-operative

It’s not necessarily the most talented candidate who gets

the job, often it’s the one who has done the most

preparation!

• Why did you choose this company in particular? • Articulate your commercial awareness• What makes you the ideal candidate?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cococat/ - Open doors

“You had me at Hello”

Make clear why you want the job!

Good news! You can predict likely questions!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvieszafranski/ The essential volunteer job description

• Job person specification

• Company websites• LinkedIn• Networking events

with employers • Careers

and Employability staff

• Glassdoor.com

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Interviews will focus on: Knowledge

Experience

Skills, Attributes and Interests

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Job Competency Matching GridKnowledge

/Qualifications

• PhD / Masters or Degree

• Relevant modules

• Short professional training or Distance learning courses

• Technical abilities

• Commercial awareness

Experience

• Lab experience or live projects

• Placements and work experience

• Part-time work• Student

Societies

Skills

• Communication• Teamwork• Time-

management• Problem-solving• Initiative• Adaptability

STAR TECHNIQUE: COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS

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S.T.AR Example:

Situation – set the scene

As part of a live marketing project on my Business Studies degree, I worked within a team of five to help develop a successful marketing strategy for a local charity, KidsCarers.

Task or Aim

A confident social media user, I volunteered to lead on improving the charity’s social media strategy.Having had some prior experience by way of my own blog, LinkedIn and having taken on responsibility for Brownstone’s Twitter and Facebook feeds whilst on my placement year.

Action – your contribution

To begin with, I organised a focus group to provide the charity feedback of it’s website and ran an comparison analysis of social media usage amongst other similar charities to assess brand recognition and usability.

Result - outcomeI recommended that the charity have a dedicated person to coordinate all social media activity and arranged for them to attend social media training at the University of Salford.The charity implemented my ideas including successful case study vlogs, online competitions and more personalised interactions via Facebook and Twitter.

Review – away from interview, review the questions

Reflect – what went well, what didn’t and why do you think this was?

Regroup – what would you do differently, ask for feedback and book a mock interview.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/seatbelt67/ o Close up of the Thinker

Summary:

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PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO ‘INTERVIEW’ SUCCESS

Useful Resources: Researching Employers:• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/careerpaths• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/research_company• http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/research-employers

Careers Fairs:• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/meetemployers• http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events/Jobs website:• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/jobsInterview resources:• http://prezi.com/mhrilw9rhlth/successful-interviews/?utm_campaign=share&u

tm_medium=copy• http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/careerguides• http://www.prospects.ac.uk/interview_tips_types_of_interview.htm• http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/interview-techniques • http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/videosinterview • http://careers.theguardian.com/careers-blog/interviews-perfect-preparation-te

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