Preparing for Interviews Gilda Moss Monash University Careers and Employment www.careers.monash.edu.au Ground Floor, Campus Centre (Building 10), Western Extension Tel: 9905 3151 May 2006

THE INTERVIEW Employer wants to ascertain: That you are committed to your chosen profession That you have the skills and right qualities Assess your emotional intelligence That you are genuinely interested in their organisation Your ‘added value’ and/or potential Whether you will you ‘fit in’

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Research!! Knowledge of the organisation (and the industry) Main business area/service areas Main customers / clients Organisation’s culture and values Use websites, promotional material, speak to people Read respective industry publications / websites Knowledge of Yourself Key message: “why should the company offer you the position?” Prepare notes on: Why you want the role Assess the skills you have to offer & match these with what is required Any achievements? What motivates and challenges you Commercial awareness Your interests

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Prepare!! Anticipate potential questions and practice answers Work out what questions you are going to ask, questions relate to the selection criteria Decide on appropriate appearance and what to take a folio with your resume, covering letter, original academic transcript and good references Plan how to get there and be 10 minutes early

Typical basic interview format Welcome / introductions Outline interview structure Questions asked by interviewer to measure candidate against firm’s required criteria Questions asked by candidate Conclusion

Remember to ….. Make good eye contact Use a firm handshake Stand up to greet the interviewer Smile Wait for the interviewer to offer you a seat

DURING THE INTERVIEW Clear, audible English Keep answers interesting and succinct Use examples Show enthusiasm in your tone and language Smile and use humour, don’t over do it Do not be afraid to think before you speak Be yourself! At the end thank the interviewer/s Reiterate your interest

Interviewers want to know that ... You can do the job You will do the job You will fit in

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Resume based Questions that attempt to bring out: Your key skills Your motivations Your personal and work values Knowledge & understanding of the industry Situational Questions “If a client did this, what would you do?” Behavioural Questions Companies will have defined the behaviours most suitable for their organisation and built questions around them Based on the premise that previous action is a good indicator of how you will approach things in the future Requires specific examples Requires evidence of behaviour Give us an example of a time when you had…to resolve a conflict / make a major decision / deal with a difference of opinion / deal with an uncooperative colleague.

RESPONDING TO THE QUESTIONS HOW CAN ONE PREDICT THE QUESTIONS? The selection Criteria or key requirements as highlighted in the advert or on the organisation’s website is the best indicator For example If they are looking for a candidate with initiative, excellent organisational skills or relevant experience, then they are likely to ask questions on those topics USING THE STAR METHOD Situation - Explain specific situation or problem that had arisen Tactics - What needed to be done to address the problem Action - What you actually did and how you did it Results - What was the outcome; Consider both quantitative and qualitative results

An Example Using The STAR Method ·   Describe a problem you have faced in the last 6 months. How did you handle it? Advertising revenue was falling off for my Uni newspaper, Lot’s Wife, and large numbers of Situation / task or specific problem long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts. I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of Lot’s Wife circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up Action/s you took a special training session for the account officers with a School of Business Administration professor who discussed competitive selling strategies. We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements. Results you achieved We increased our new advertisers by 20 percent over the same period last year.

Behavioural Interviewing- Primary Probes What was your role? Can you give me an example? What did you do? What were you thinking? What did you say? What were you feeling? What was the outcome? What did you learn?

TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS - general Tell us about yourself? Why do you want to be a lawyer/engineer/ accountant etc? Why should we consider you? How the candidate engages the interviewer/s; Aspects of their personality, values etc. Rated on depth of answer and warming up to interview Motivation / influences / career aspirations; commitment Rated on confidence and understanding of own skills and linking them with the requirements of the position

TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS - general What do you consider to be your weakness? Why are you interested in our organisation / company? Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years Do you have any questions? Rated on ability to identify weakness and what they have done or doing to overcome it Rated on knowledge of the company; how their skills fit; how will they benefit the Company Rated on the understanding of the position; clarity of their goals; realistic expectations and long term commitment to the organisation

QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK How do you measure an individual’s success in your firm? I heard about X—what do you think about it? (An industry or firm event—something that’s been in the news or that you discovered in your networking and research.)

Closing The interviewer… Thanks you for coming to the interview Describes the follow-up procedure You should …. Also thank the interviewer Reiterate your interest If necessary, clarify how & when you will be contacted

Types of Interviews - structured - unstructured One-on-one Panel Behavioural Stress Group Assessment Centre Final or Closing interview

Group Interviews …. features Usually comprise 6-12 candidates Each group is assigned an activity or specific exercise Each member is observed by an assessor, and performance against specific behaviours are measured & recorded The activity is designed to gather evidence of behaviours based on the selection criteria and is structured in such a way that it fully engages the participants

REASONS FOR REJECTION Insufficient career direction Failure to project your qualifications Absence of initiative Need for more self confidence Shabby or inappropriate personal appearance Lack of enthusiasm Lack of genuine interest in the organisation Inability to express self clearly The intangibles