Overview Career Planning Resume Interviewing Do's & Dont's Online Survey

Before you walk into any interview, you should know as much about the company and the position as you possibly can. Your MRI consultant will be able to provide a great deal of information for you. However, you should still do as much research as possible yourself, search the web or go to the library. In today’s world of mass communication, there’s no excuse for lack of research.

After you have studied the company, it might be helpful to write out a list of questions to ask the employer.

No one can predict the exact questions that an interviewer will ask, but your MRI consultant should be able to give you a good idea of the hiring authority’s personality, his or her typical interview demeanor, and a few important questions that the employer is likely to ask. In addition to the usual technical questions relating to your profession, the interviewer may well ask 'personality questions' to get a sense for what type of person you are and how you would 'fit in' (i.e. would you be a reasonable person to work with and/or manage). To prepare, think about how you would answer the following questions:

• "Why are you thinking of leaving your current employer?"             All employers will want to know this, and, even though your MRI consultant will have briefed them on this, they'll want to hear your explanation.  Resist the temptation to belittle your current employer and talk positively in terms of how the company you're interviewing with can help you better meet your career objectives. Remember, always focus on what you can do for them and not the other way round. Any prospective employer will want to feel satisfied that you're genuinely interested and not simply planning to waste a great deal of their time by 'fishing for a counter offer'.
• "Tell me about yourself."                                                        Keep your answer in the professional realm. Review your past positions, education and other strengths.
• "What do you know about our organization."                                If you’ve done your research correctly, you should have no problem answering this one. Be positive.
• "Why are you interested in this position?"                             Relate how you feel your qualifications really match the requirements of the job. Also, express your desire to work for that company.
• "What are the most significant accomplishments in your career so far?"                                                                                      Pick recent accomplishments (successful projects, transitions managed, business wins etc.) that relate to this position and its requirements.
• "Describe a situation in which your work was criticized."              This is a competency based question. Such questions are asked to try to elicit evidence of a particular trait or quality. In this case they're looking for evidence that you respond positively to criticism and would be relatively easy to manage. Focus on how you solved the situation and how you became a better person because of it.  
• "What kind of salary are you looking for?"                                  At an initial interview it's best to dodge this one by simply referring to your current salary or saying 'I'm sure any offer would be competitive'. Your bargaining position and your understanding of the negotiating parameters will be much stronger once they've made it clear they want you.

Expect unexpected questions. It's fine to pause for thought. It's also acceptable to admit you don't know the answer.

At the end of the interview you should express interest in the opportunity – ask the employer if s/he has any reservations about your ability/ suitability for the job. By doing this you have the opportunity to clear up any areas of misunderstanding. Something along the lines of the following usually goes down well:

“From what I’ve heard so far this sounds like a great opportunity for me and I’m confident I can do the job. Do you have any specific reservations about my suitability at this point?”

Remember ... be yourself, be engaged, and be enthusiastic (within reason). Think about what you'd be looking for in a candidate to do this role and focus on what you have to offer them

Other Types of Interview:

The Behavioral Interview:

• Look closely at the position you are applying for. Get hold of a job description. What specific skills is the employer looking for?
• Analyse your past work experience and background. Match the skills that you have with those that the employer is looking for. Don’t forget competencies that you have developed outside of the work environment (e.g., leadership or organizational skills through not-for-profit activities, etc.)
• Now identify specific examples/situations that demonstrate those skills. You need to be able to explain an entire situation – tell a story to show how you actually used a particular competency. It pays to illustrate the level of involvement you had in resolving a situation, and to quantify the results. If there are situations where you applied a competency but things didn’t work out, use them as examples and explain what went wrong. What did you do to resolve it?

Matthewman J. (1996), 'Trends and developments in the use of competency frameworks'. Competency, 4, 1, 2-11.

Remember, they will be looking for 'behavioural indicators' of their, often arbitrarily chosen, competencies, so try to think of concrete examples of times that you have demonstrated the appropriate qualities.

The HR Interview:

With many larger company's, one of your interviews may well be with someone from their human resources department (probably the Recruitment Manager), even at a very senior level. Such people are unlikely to have a detailed knowledge of the technical aspects of the company's work so their questioning will probably centre on your general experience and the type of 'personality questions' given above. They are particularly fond of 'competency based' techniques so you should be prepared for a behavioural interview, as described above. HR interviews should be taken seriously, but not feared. It is rare for such an interviewer to have the authority to rule out a highly qualified candidate, although they may well have considerable influence. It is also a good opportunity to find out the company's structure and culture, as the HR person should be very well informed on such matters. They will, of course, also be very well informed on the company's remuneration structure, but you should only discuss this if they raise the matter. Never allow yourself to be 'closed' on a desired package before you know that they will be offering you the job!

The Telephone Interview:

If you are interviewing for a position in another country, or for some reason a timely initial face-to face meeting isn't practicable and video-conferencing is not available, it is probable that your first interview will be over the phone. The thing to remember is that your voice is then your only means of conveying your message. Speak clearly, at a steady pace and directly into the receiver. Also, make sure you put plenty of expression into what you say. If, at any point, you start feeling a little nervous or intimidated, try standing up; it's surprising how effective this can be in making you feel more commanding and in control. Don't forget to thank them for calling you at the end of the conversation.