Interview Skills

Interview Skills - Introduction In today’s session: What makes a great interview? What to avoid in interviews Interview exercise: develop your skills

How confident are you about going for a job interview? Interview Skills How confident are you about going for a job interview? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 5 where 1= not confident and 5 = very confident Record your score on a piece of paper and keep it until the end.

Prepare to Succeed Congratulations you’ve got a job interview! Read through your application form or CV Check the date/time and put in your phone / diary Plan your travel: how will you get there? What do you need to bring with you? What do they want you do? Phone interview? Presentation? Interview? Test? Group exercise? Role play?

Research Before You Go *Contact the company to find out more - find out who you need to speak to - plan what you’re going to ask Local and national media e.g. EDP – have they had any positive news coverage? Social media for latest news Use the organisation’s website What is the company’s culture? What are their values? What is involved in the job role? *Apprenticeships - may ask you to only contact the learning provider not the employer

Best and Worst Introductions - Exercise 1 Working with a colleague: Introduce yourself as BADLY as you can. Then re-introduce yourself as WELL as you can.

A Great Introduction First impressions count! Be on time 10 minutes early is about right! Dress to impress Smile, shake hands, make eye contact. Introduce yourself Interview nerves? Preparation helps! Develop some strategies in advance

Body Language How should What should you do with your hands? you sit? How should you speak? Think pace, tone, pitch. Feeling stressed? Tips: slow your breathing and relax your shoulders

What to Avoid Lying about your skills/experience Giving vague answers – back up with examples Rudeness/using slang Forgetting to turn off your phone Making jokes Going blank/not answering: better to ask them to rephrase the question instead. Using negative words

Questions, Questions…. How can you get some idea of what they are going to ask you? Read the Job Description and Person Specification. Make up questions based on the JD and PS, then practise answering them. EG: JD says: ‘Will be responsible for locking up office at night.’ Question: ‘Do you have any experience of taking responsibility?’ ALWAYS GIVE EXAMPLES WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/getajob/interviews

Try the STAR Technique Q: Describe a situation where you had to give excellent customer service following a complaint Situation – A customer phoned to complain that she’d waited 2 weeks for a reply Task – I needed to address the immediate problem and find out what went wrong with the service. Activity – I apologised, got the client’s contact details and investigated….. discovering….I explained the issue and offered a goodwill discount on the next purchase Result – The client thanked me, made an order and gave us a positive tweet

Tricky Questions You can prepare for these too! ‘Tell us about your biggest weakness’: Be honest, but then show how you have learnt to deal with it. Think of a minor, ‘fixable’ flaw that you can improve on and that is not an essential requirement of the job. E.g. ‘I get nervous when speaking in front of large groups’. Have you improved on this through presenting to a small group on your course? Think of a time when you overcame a difficulty at work. How would your friends describe you?

Just When You Thought It Was Over….. Remember to prepare two questions which YOU can ask THEM! This is a very important part of the interview. DO NOT ask about time off, holidays, snacks or salaries: Save these for later, when you have got the job. Ask questions which show you know the industry and the company Eg: ‘how do you see the company expanding over the next five years?’ or ‘Will there be a chance of promotion in the future?’

Interview Practice - Exercise 2 Work with one colleague. Find a space where you can work. Choose 2 questions from the sheet and give yourselves 5 minutes to prepare answers. Remember to give examples if you can! Interview one another using the questions prepared: listen respectfully. Make notes on the answers given and then give your colleague some feedback What did they say that impressed you? How could the answers have been improved?

Interview Questions Can you tell me about a time when you worked successfully in a team? What is your greatest strength? What is your biggest weakness? Tell me about something that you have done that you are proud of. How would you deal with a customer/client who was rude and difficult?

Interview Feedback What was it like to be interviewed? Which question was the most difficult to answer? Did you find it easy to give feedback? Would YOU employ this candidate?

Your Final Score Find your original score from the start of the session. Rate yourself again on a scale of 1 – 5 about how confident you are about going for an interview. 1= not confident and 5 = very confident Has your score increased?

Summary If you want to succeed, remember to: Prepare well Ensure that you are polite Arrive on time Stay positive Speak to an adviser in the Advice Shop if you need more interview practice. Good Luck!