Week 5

 Interviews!  How to prepare for a job interview.  What can you expect on the day?  How to land your dream job.

 Your CV might get you an interview…  The interview might get you the job…

 Take the time to prepare for an interview…  Practice!  Calm those nerves!

 Research the organization  What does it do?  Who works there?  What role are they interviewing for?  What kind of person are they looking for in that role?  How do your skills, experience & interests match the role / organization?  What is the latest trends / current affairs in the industry?  What questions might you get asked? And how should you answer them?  What kind of interview will it be?  A panel? One on one? A practical test?

 Where is it?  Google co-ords, or go there before hand.  Set off early!!!  Prepare what you are going to wear the day before!  Go to bed early!  Take your portfolio!  Remember how to switch your phone off!

 Think!  What do I want the interviewer to know about me?  Highlight your best attributes!  Listen carefully to the questions, and answer thoroughly, yet concisely…  Think!  How are you communicating?  It’s not just verbal communication!  Remember! The interviewer is asking you questions, but…  What do you want the interviewer to know about?

 Have some answers ready – are questions going to be that hard to predict?  Have practical examples ready  Take notes?  Use cues to direct the interview  Pause before answer difficult questions  Use positive language  Ask for clarification  and buy time…

 Read Company Reports, Blogs, not just their website…  How much do you want this job?  Your research will put you in a much better position to answer key questions  You could use RSS or google alerts to get the latest information

 Tuesday at 10:30AM  Get an early interview slot (before the competition), but if possible do it Tuesday at 10:30AM

 You will be asked “Introduce yourself…”  Don’t be boring! Who cares about your brothers and sisters? ;) I don’t need your autobiography – I have your CV in front of me!  What inspires you?  Why does this job move you?  What was your moment of epiphany?  INSPIRE!

 Duh!

 Q - “What is your greatest Weakness?”  A – “I’m too much of a perfectionist!”  A – “I struggle to run effective meetings…”  A – “I sometimes struggle to run effective meetings, but I’ve been working on that recently, and now make sure that I send out an agenda to everyone in advance and stick to the important topics. I’m not perfect, but I’m working to improve…”

 PAR – Problem, Action, Result…  Great to drop into questions like;  Tell me about when you worked in a team…  When did you struggle the most?  Problem – What was the problem?  Action – What did you do to solve it?  Result – What changed afterwards?

 Question:-  “You’ve been asked to clean all the windows in Chiang Mai – how much would you charge?”

 Normally at the end of the interview…  FINISH STRONG!  Do Not Answer “No!”  Find something positive about the organization that you can question them on (even if you already know the answer)  “Have I said anything in this interview or given you any other reason to doubt that I am a good fit for the role?”  If you have the guts… ;)

 It might still not be too late…  Send a thank-you …