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How to Excel at Interview |
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Written by Staff Writer
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Oct 28, 2007 at 08:06 AM |
Assuming you have the right qualifications, the right experience, an attractive CV and a pleasant interview manner, your interviewer needs to be able to recognise real commitment. Do you really, really want the job - not the job offer and the chance to turn up three weeks on Monday - but the chance to do the work; meet the customers; fit in with the team; contribute to profits, status and quality, to the organisation's future?
What motivates each of us is different: material reward, public acclaim, artistic achievement, contributing to society, breaking new ground, or simply finding work a reasonably pleasant place so we can go home at the end of the day with a clear conscience and enjoy a good bottle of wine and untroubled sleep.
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Look at the work values mentioned here and think about which of them is most important to You:
- I am able to get ahead in my chosen career
- I can help people cope better with their lives
- The financial rewards are significant
- There is some degree of job security
- The opportunity to work alone
- The job involves financial or physical risks
- Opportunity to travel
- Social status attached to job is high
- Opportunity to be creative or inventive
- The work is socially useful
- There is a lot of autonomy in the work situation
- Opportunities to work as part of a team
- Opportunities to work with customers
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- Busy, high pressure atmosphere
- Not too much stress involved
- Opportunities to use specific skills, such as foreign languages
- Plenty of opportunities to train and motivate others
- Considerable responsibility at an early stage of my career
- Opportunities for further professional training
- Opportunities for interpersonal skills development/persuasion
- Opportunities for real contributions to the work process itself
- Considerable task variety
- Opportunities for using good writing skills
- Opportunities for using mathematical skills
- Situation where pay is related to performance
- Plenty of opportunities for promotion
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It is likely that you are driven by a combination of the factors above, and that you are already involved in,or looking for work that at least attempts to match this profile. If you are clear about what motivates you, it will help you to answer some of the questions that interviewers confront you with to check out your motivation and enthusiasm.
Here's a sample of the sorts of questions you may face, along with a selection of answers that are honest, persuasive and effective.
 How far do you intend to go with this organisation?
 All my previous research and the impression I havce gained today have confirmed my interest and enthusiasm for this job. I do feel that I am at a point in my career where I would really like to develop with one company, so I would like to go as far as I possibly can. At this stage, I would be very happy if you offered me the post of project manager; I think I could handle this very well for you. I would like to think that with greater understanding of your company from the inside, I could progress to the most senior levels of management. I don't feel to impatient, though; your current projects look demanding and interesting.
Why this answer works:
It starts on a very positive note; It is complimentary about the organisation; It suggests long term commitment; and It provides reassurance that the interviewee is committed to the post on offer.
As an exercise, try consturcting an equally positive answer for an interviewee who is keen on the job on offer but content to remain with project management and does not necessarily want to reach the very top.
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How did you get your current job?
I was approached by a recruitment consultant working for a client who was looking for someone to head up a new division being created by my current employer. I faced quite a difficult decision, because i had enjoyed my previous job and the company had treated me well, but in the end, this was a new challenge, and a financially rewarding one, so I took the decision to make the move. I have been there three and a half years now and the division os running smoothly, so so I feel ready to move on.
I was making something of a change in direction, from a to b, so I strated applying to any new suitable adverts in the national and specialist press as well as approaching some places on spec. In the end, I got my current post through an advert in the trade press.
Why have you decided to leave your current job?
I am still enjoying my work and my last appraisal suggested I am ready to take on more management responsibility, but it seems unlikely that the business will grow for the next year or two - I don't want to get into the position where I'm just coasting
What could you do to make your job more interesting, then, if if you are saying it isn't really challenging you? (in other words, whose fault is it you are coasting, is it yours or your employer's?)
I have already taken some measures - I have volunteered to take on more responsibility for staff training and I recently initiated a new customer satisfaction survey - but I still feel I could be doing more, especially in managing and motivating larger sales teams.
How do you react if a colleague criticises your work?
It depends how valid I believe the criticism to be, and and to some extent how it is put to me, but I do listen to the point being made and and try not to be too sensitive. I like to be able to share ideas and suggestions with other people, and sometimes what seems to be an adverse comment turns out to be very useful.
How do you react of you don't get your way over a work issue?
It would depend on how crucial I deemed that issue to be in the woder context of the business as a whole. One of the senior managers wanted to bring in changes that would have altered everyone's jobs and responsibilities and i felt that this would actually translate into a far less efficient service for our clients with a lot of specialist knowledge being inappropriately redistributed. I was very much opposed to the idea, but i put may arguments down very thoroughly, and I hoped persuasively, on paper so that management would have the opportunity to consider my point of view. To my delight it worked, and the plans were shelved. Of course, it does not always work in my favour like that, but i know I can make a persuasive argument when I have to and I can also accept the decisions of others if necessary.
What do you think of your current manager?
She is very effective, especially at delegating the right tasks to the right people and i have learned a lot from her. If i were to make a criticism, it is that I think she could achieve more by involving wider groups of staff in consultation before decisions are made - sometimes she loses goodwill from an otherwise highly motivated staff team.
What do you think of your current employer?
As an employer, they are fine and i have no complaints, but I would like to see them being a little more imaginative about the range of fashion clothes we retail. Working on the buying side, it can be frustrating when you feel you have good ideas and there is not really an outlet for them, of course you have to accept that not all your ideas will be good ones, but our sales figures were not brilliant for last year, as you know, so we do need to do something.
NIGHTMARE TO AVOID
Saying that your current boss is the most hideous and evil megalomaniac that ever walked the earth. And then finding that he is a close personal friend of the chair of the interview panel. Careful, measured criticism of your current role/organisation may be ok, but whining and whinging are definitely out. Loyalty is a quality that is highly prized by employers, so even if you are currently working for a competitor, appearing disloyal will not gain you friends.
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What salary are you expecting us to pay you?
My current salary is (x), and I do expect better when I take up a new post. Looking at your "regional co-ordinator of bin men" job description I see the job with you as being more demanding and that is one of the reasons I have applied, but I would hope that increased responsibility would be reflected in what you are prepared to pay me.
Moving from an organisation with a fixed salary structure it is a new experience for me to be negotiating my own pay, but I have researched what a current reasonable rate for this job would be and i know I am well qualified and keen, so I would expect at least (x).
Where do you see yourself in three years' time?
As I have only just entered this profession, part of me would like to keep my options open, learn as much as I can and gain from the different specialisms I shall come into contact with over the coming years. I really enjoyed my work on neurology during my training, so that may be a direction I choose. management does interest me in the longer term, but I want several years of working with patients before I move in that direction.
From what I have learned, this is a lively and expanding company, so I very much hope that I shall still be here in three years' time. I chose to apply for your customer operations division because it seems to me a great way to learn about your services, your customers and your finances. I do, however, have an open mind about moving into other divisions, if this helped me to learn more and perpared me more effectively for senior management.
Over to You - Questions to Ask
When the interviewer has asked you everything they want to, they'll invite you to ask them any questions you may have. They are well aware that the interview is a two way process, and they want to make sure if they decide to offer you the job, you'll want to take it. So they want a chance to reassure you on any points which may be bothering you.
If you are tempted at this point to feel that the interview is all but over and relax, think again. The questions you do and don't ask can say a great deal about you, and can still influence the interviewerr's decision concerning an offer.
And not asking any questions won't let you off the hook - having no questions at all will make you appear unenthusiastic and lacklustre. In any case, you really should have questions. There are thing your interviewer won't have told you regarding the job, which you will want to find out if you are serious about the whole enterprise.
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So what sort of questions will leave a good impression, and which ones will put interviewers off?
Let's start by looking at the type of questions you should avoid; you should be able to see the linking factor between all of them. Here are some typical examples:
What will my salary be?
How much holiday will I get?
How long do most people take for lunch?
Would I get my own office?
I need to drop the kids off before work - could I start at 9:30?
As you can see, all of these questions are focused on what you can get out of the organisation, not what you can offer it. Now, i'm not suggesting that you don't want or need to find these things out. But none of them will matter unless you get the job. So worry about winning the job offer first; plenty of time to discuss details like this - even practical matters concerning fitting work around your home life.
The Questions
So there's a good list of the kind of things you shouldn't ask. And you shouldn't duck out of asking any questions at all, either. So if you've got to ask something, what should it be? Well, you need to ask questions which show you are enthusiastic about the organisation and the job, and about what you can contribute. And you want to look intelligent, ambitious and committed.
You won't get time to ask dozens of questions, but you should try to ask at least two or three, or up to six if they are brief and the interviewer doesn't mind taking the necessary time. So look through the ideas that follow, and prepare a few relevant questions for your interview.
Why has this vacancy come up?
This is a sensible question, one which may have been covered earlier in the interview. But if it hasn't, you can ask it now. If there happens to be anything fishy going on, you will probably pick up clues from the answer. Most vacancies are entirely reasonable, but some people leave because the job is frustrating or a certain colleague or superior is impossible to work with. If this is the case, you want to know. If you receive a non-committal answer to your question, such as "The person doing the job at the moment is leaving", you might want to probe a little deeper.
There are two ways of doing this. One is to ask directly " are they leaving for any reason that I need to know about?". If there is something you should know, it is going to be difficult for the interviewer to avoid telling you. If they do sidestep the question again, that in itself should serve as a clue that things are not quite what they seem. If your interviewer is getting defensive and you don't want to appear pushy, you can always let the matter drop for now. If you are offered the job, however, pursue it further at that stage.
The other, less forward approach is to ask how long the previous employee has been in the job. If they've only been there a few months, it's reasonable to ask why they are moving on so soon. If they have been there for several years chances are they were simply ready for a change. However, if there is any defensiveness on the part of the interviewer, then be sure to follow up later.
Do you promote internally when possible?
If you're asking questions about promotion, it shows you're keen to do well and you plan to move up in the organisation. As a supplementary question, you can also ask whether the company or division is expanding at the moment.
What opportunities are there to gain extra qualifications or experience?
You want to be careful with questions about training if you've applied for the job setting yourself up as an expert in your field. But if this isn't the case, or if you are a professional such as an accountant or legal specialist who would expect to add to your qualifications, go ahead and ask. Again, it shows you want to improve your career prospects and increase your value to the company.
What will be the top priority in this job over the next six months?
This is an extremely useful question to know the answer to, and it also shows that your focus is on the overall objective of the job, so you're less likely to get bogged down in day-to-day routine and fail to meet your targets. It also has the psychological advantage of projecting int othe future and inviting your employer to envisage you in the job. If you have a second interview with someone else, it's well worth asking this question again. It's useful to see if there is a consistent view as to what your key objective should be.
If i were offered this job, where would you see me in five years' time?
Again, you're asking your interviewer to imagine you in the job. You're also showing a log term commitment to the company, and indicating that you'd want to progress upwards. The answer is also going to be very informative - how fast do careers move in this company, and in what direction? You need this information if you are offered the job.
Where does the company want to be in five years' time?
Interviewers are paticularly impressed by questions about their organisation, showing you have a wider interest than simply the narrow focus of your own job. So this is a great question to impress the interviewer with, as well as being something you really ought to want to know the answer to.
Do you have nay reservations about my ability to do this job?
This question can be prefixed with a confident statement along the lines of "I'm very interested in this job, and I believe I could do it well". It may seem like a pushy question, but in fact, it's perfectly reasonable. You're a salesperson, selling yourself as the ideal employee in this post, and you need to know whether your buyer has any outstanding sales objections. Why shouldn't you ask?
If they say they have none, they are saying that they have no reason not to offer you the job - a very useful admission to draw from them. If they do have reservations they'll have to express them, and you'll get a final chance to reassure them.
When can i expect to hear from you?
This may have been covered already, but if not you should ask it. And make it your last question. Apart from the fact that you need to know this, it gives you another potential advantage. If they fail to get in touch by the date they say they will, it gives you a legitimate reason to contact them and chase them up. Not only does this stop you being on tenterhooks for so long, it can have practical use too. What if you're offered another job in the interim? And suppose you have to give them a prompt answer? If you've been promised a response from this interview by a certain date it makes it easier to put gentle pressure on the interviewer to meet that deadline.
In Summary
Try to come up with questions you genuinely want to know the answers to - the ones in this article are not definitive, they are merely guides and suggestions. Save the practical questions about hours and pay until you've received an offer. Recognise that asking questions has a dual purpose. :
To acquire any additional information you need
To impress your interviewer with your incisive, intelligent and focused approach
Prepare your questions in advance and practise them out loud - role playing with a friend if possible - until you find a way of asking them that you feel relaxed with.
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Last Updated ( Oct 28, 2007 at 08:59 AM )
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