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