Pre-Interview Preparation
An interview is 80% perspiration and 20% inspiration.
What does this mean? The perspiration comes from the amount of time you take to prepare. The inspiration is the thinking on your feet time in the interview, reacting to the unknown people, place and questions.
This is one of the key foundations of job interview success. If you can go into the interview room fully prepared you will certainly have a much greater chance of success. This may sound obvious but you will be surprised by how few people prepare for an interview.
However the preparation is not just learning the answer to tough questions! There is so much more to it than that.
Preparation includes:
- knowing what to wear.
- Knowing how to act.
- Knowing how to build rapport.
- Knowing what to ask,
- Knowing how to describe your experience. How to express your experience with suitable examples.
- Knowing what the interviewer is looking for and wants to hear.
To give yourself the highest chance of success you need to prepare thoroughly. There is no guarantee that you will get offered a job at the end of the interview. But if you follow the steps in this program and prepare thoroughly you will have done your very best and given yourself the utmost chance of success.
We know that in most endeavours preparation and practice is the key to success.
There is virtually no situation in an interview process that you cannot prepare for and have a suitable response. Remember every interviewee will get a similar interview. There are only so many different ways to ask the same types of question!
1. Understand the job description
Firstly, you need to know what the role is for which you have applied. Every job will have a job description, so read it fully. Then read it again! The more senior the role the more detailed the job description will be.
2. Try to find out more information about the job
If the role is internal you could easily arrange to see someone currently doing a similar role or the person whose does the job at present.
Make an appointment with the line manager. Tell them you are thinking of applying. They will be delighted you are showing an interest. By speaking to them this will give you a great insight into what they are really looking for.
One of the key questions you want to ask is what issues or problems are the employees or organisation's currently encountering.
No job description will suggest there are issues and problems within the department but solving these can often be a major part of the role.
If you are applying for the job via an agency you should ask the agent for any further details. They would have received a job spec from the company and the agent will have spoken to the line manager to get a full picture of the job. The agent will usually be very keen to explain to you what is required
as they get commission if you are successful!
I have come cross cases where people have read the job description only to find to their surprise that they are going to be managing staff. Or they may need to travel to fulfil the requirements of the job.
Areas of weakness
If you look on the job description and see any words or phrases you do not understand you need to research them and find out what they mean. This is often the case where an interview is for a role which involves technology. The
company may be using a version of software or hardware which is unfamiliar to you but is a requirement for the job.
If there is a technical job requirement you are not familiar with don't bother trying to pretend at the interview that you understand it. If you do this you will look naïve as you will only have a scant understanding.
It is of course best to avoid mentioning it any area of weakness in your application. Only if you are asked about it should you follow the following process?
- Agree you haven't used this before
- Mention you researched it and basically know what it is and agree there may be some brief training required Importantly try to assimilate it with a similar skill you have used, therefore reducing the risk of you taking time to get up to speed
- Show an example of where you had a similar situation at a previous employer and learnt the skill quickly and proficiently
A lack of a specific skill is more important for a temporary or contract interview where the idea is that you fill a vacancy and hit the ground running.
However remember if you do not have the skill and yet have till received an interview this should demonstrate that it is not a show-stopper.
Often I come across candidates who bemoan the fact they do not have an exact fit for the role. When in reality their overall skill set is superior to all the other candidates. Hardly ever will you find a candidate who has a perfect match for the job description. Job interview are typically for a promotion and by definition you will not have been doing this exact role.
To summarise, identify areas of weakness. Do not mention these if not asked. Prepare suitable answers which demonstrate that this will not affect your ability to do the job in anything but the short term. Show how you have faced similar situations in the past and you have learnt the skill quickly.
Areas of weakness cannot be for personality type traits. If the job description asks for someone who has good communication skills, enthusiasm and is a team-player then no one should or would ever admit to lacking these.
Later on you will see how you can demonstrate these with clear examples. As part of your preparation you need to learn how you would demonstrate these at an interview.
3. Find out about the company
The main facts you should ascertain are:
- What are their main business activities and product lines?
- Are their offices based regionally, nationally or globally?
- How many employees do they have?
- How long have they existed?
- How many customers do they have?
- What is its mission statement?
- What are the main issues facing them today?
These are simple questions which should only take a few minutes to ascertain.
If at the interview you are asked about this and you do not now this information then this will look quite bad. If you have not taken the trouble to find out about the company then this does show a distinct lack of interest.
On the positive side if you don't think you are going to be asked about the company use this information to weave into your interview or at closing questions.
I was reading in the press about the issues you face in ....
I notice you have x number of employees in this country, has this number been growing over the past few years?
OK, you may not be at all interested in the answer but it does demonstrate that you are showing interest in the company by taking the trouble to do your research.
The interviewer will subconsciously note your interest. You are not expected to be an expert, so do not try to be one. However words of warning. You need to keep this natural.
Do not blurt out some random facts which have clearly been learnt parrot fashion.
Secondly do not allow this to be a pre-cursor for a detailed discussion on a subject you know nothing about. In the unlikely event the interviewer does go into a long detailed discussion I would mention that it is an interesting topic, and that if you join the company, you would be really interested to find more about that.
If they then ask your opinion try to keep any discussion at a high level. If you haven't done your research when you enter the interview room you will be nervous in case any questions about the company are asked. You know you will look foolish if the question is asked. You want to be thoroughly prepared
to eliminate and nerves.
4. Who else is being interviewed?
If you are applying for an external position in a different company then unless you have inside knowledge you are not likely to find out anything about the other candidates. If it is through an agency then the agency may have further details of numbers of candidates they know are being interviewed.
If it is an internal position you have a good chance of knowing who else has applied from within the company and their relevant experience. You should make a quick list of their attributes, experience and skills. Mentally compare how yours match up and in which areas you see differences.
Look for areas where you might score heavily for example in your technical ability or particular knowledge in a business process.
In most cases what are much more important are the soft skills such as communication skills, attitude, determination and willingness to succeed.
It is unusual for a manager to purely look for 'business process skills'. In most cases you will be working as part of a team in an environment where your soft skills are just as important.
So of course emphasise your ability to do the job. But you need to rise above the other candidates. Later you will see the 5 key areas that an interviewer is looking for. You will see how your ability to do the job is just one of these five.
Concentrate on your soft skills and show how this makes you unique in the eyes of the interviewer.
We will discuss later about selling your soft skills and attaching relevant examples to these which will paint a great picture.
Important: If you do know who else is in for the job do not mention them by name or by implication. Even though it may be obvious you know who else is being interviewed, do not be tempted to refer to them at all.
Of course saying negative things about anyone else will win you no friends at an interview and probably blow your chances out of the water. Do not ever be tempted to knock the opposition.
The interview is your chance to shine. You want the interviewer to concentrate on you as a candidate and not be thinking about anyone else even if they are being perceived in a bad light.
You may well get asked the question?.
'Why do you think you are the best candidate for the job'?
This is not an invitation to compare you to anyone else. It is an open question giving you the chance to list your attributes. In your mind you need to pretend you do not know who the other candidates are.
Start your reply with 'My strengths are....
The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself! You need the interviewer to focus on you and your strengths. It is your one opportunity to sell yourself.
Ignore the competition A lot of people get nervous by focusing on the negative and asking 'What if I don't get the job?'. You need to realise that by
preparing thoroughly and acting professionally you will be giving yourself the best chance of success.
There are other candidates going for the same role. They may well have better experience and skills. Focus on your performance and not on the competition. You cannot do anything about their performance.
Try to arrange for your references to be available to any prospective employer before you are interviewed. Some employers move quickly on making a decision and ask for references immediately after offering the position.
Any delay in providing those references may be a little inconvenient although not critical. It is just one less thing to worry about. It also looks good if you have this arranged when they are requested.
Do not expect to provide references before a position is offered to you. It is just a waste of everyone's time if references are sought before offering a position.
Industry wide topics for discussion
It is worth making yourself aware of any topical issues in the industry to which you are applying. Read the press and do an internet search to get a feel and understanding for current issues.
You could use this information to weave it into the interview to show industry knowledge. Particularly if you are going for a position in an industry you are unfamiliar with.
As you go through this program you will find that nearly all of the material relates to understanding the interview process, what the interviewer is looking for and how you approach the interview and how you sell yourself. In a
word..preparation.
Preparing thoroughly breeds confidence and success.
