Interview skills: How to present yourself with confidence Career Development Centre University of Ulster
Aim: To equip students with the ability to articulate their experiences and skills to employers with confidence
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the session you will: Know broadly what kinds of skills, qualities and abilities graduate employers seek in potential employees, and how these are measured. Be able to assess and critically reflect upon your interests, values, abilities and personal transferable skills in preparation for interview. Recognise the role of appearance and body language. prepare for different types of question and activity. Know how to review performance.
Types of interview first and second interviews one to one and panel interviews competency based interviews telephone interviews interviews for post graduate courses
What do employers want? responsibility self control social skills leadership sense of purpose oral communication clear thinking imagination common sense problem solving motivation flexibility teamwork decision making analytical skills
The importance of skills Have you done any of the following?
Competency based interviews Example: Valley Police Force key competency requirements
How do employers decide? Employer evaluation sheet
Planning & Preparation Assess yourself and practise! Research the job obs/p!elmjX Research the Company Prepare to answer questions Structure your answers using STAR
STAR Situation What situation were you in just before you demonstrated the skill? Task What task did you set yourself? What was the problem or challenge? Action What action did you take? Be explicit about the role you played: don't attribute others' actions to yourself or, worse, play down the fact that you were key to the action. Result What was the outcome? What made it successful or unsuccessful? What would you do differently another time?
On the Day: Bringing it all together Positive thinking: putting things into perspective, last minute doubts, controlling nerves Positive thinking Appearance: tips for men and women Voice: tone, speed, volume Listening skills: engage, eye contact, clarify. Listening skills Body language: the importance of how you walk, sit and act Body language Ask questions!. Exercise: What is the body language saying to you? Simon Reichwald, CEO
After the Interview Ask yourself honestly is this the job for you? Negotiate your terms Note what went well and not so well. Use the Interview Reflection Form to capture this information
Summary: Learning Outcomes Know broadly what kinds of skills, qualities and abilities graduate employers seek in potential employees, and how these are measured. Be able to assess and critically reflect upon your interests, values, abilities and personal transferable skills in preparation for interview. Recognise the role of appearance and body language. Prepare for different types of question and activity. Know how to review performance. Further information: