Interview Skills

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

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.

Congratulations! What was it like? You’ve got a job interview How do you feel? Excited? Scared? Determined? Who has had a job interview before? What was it like? How can you be sure that you get it right?

Prepare to Succeed 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? Test? Presentation? Interview? Phone interview? Role play? Group exercise?

Research Before You Go HOW? Use the organisation’s website Social media for latest news Politely ask if you can visit Apprenticeships - may ask you to only contact the learning provider not the employer Local and national media e.g. EDP What is the company’s culture? What are their values?

Best and worst introductions - Exercise 1 Work with a colleague. Introduce yourself as BADLY as you can. Then re-introduce yourself as WELL as you can.

A Great Introduction Be on time Dress to impress Smile, shake hands, make eye contact. Introduce yourself First impressions count!

Body Language How should you sit? What should you do with your hands? How should you speak? Think pace, tone, pitch.

What to Avoid Lying about your skills/experience Rudeness/using slang 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 for closing up at night?’ ALWAYS GIVE EXAMPLES WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS

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 examples of team-working and dealing with difficult people. 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?’

Interview Practice – Exercise 2 Work with one colleague. Find a space where you can work. Interview one another using the questions on your sheet: listen respectfully. Give your colleague some feedback

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? What do you hope to be doing in five years’ time? 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, prepare well. Be polite, be on time, be positive. Speak to an adviser in the Advice Shop if you need more interview practice. Good Luck!