Interviews

Interviews are a crucial part of the recruitment process for all organisations. Their purpose is to give the interviewer(s) a chance to assess your suitability for the role and for you to demonstrate your abilities and personality.  Remember, this is a two-way process, and is also a good opportunity for you to ask questions and to make sure the organisation and position are right for you.

Interview Formats
There are many different formats of interviews. Our clients will generally one or more of the 3 types listed below.

Technical Interview
Most of our clients perform technical interviews for roles that require a use of technical knowledge, it is likely that you will be asked technical questions or have a separate technical interview. Questions may focus on your final year project or on real or hypothetical technical problems. You should be prepared to prove yourself and also stress that you are keen to learn skills. Do not worry if you do not know the exact answer - interviewers are interested in your thought process and logic.

Competency/criteria based interviews
These are structured to reflect the strengths or skills that an employer is seeking for a particular job, which will usually have been detailed in the job specification or advert. The interviewer is looking for evidence of your skills and may ask such things as: ‘Give an example of a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a common goal.’

The company determines the selection criteria based on the roles they are recruiting for and then, in an interview, examines whether or not you have evidence of possessing these.

Formal/informal interviews 
Some interviews may be very formal, while others will feel more like an informal chat about you and your interests. Be aware that you are still being assessed, however informal and relaxed the discussion may seem.
Our clients will use one of more of these types of interviews

• Telephone interviews - Telephone interviews are increasingly used by companies as an integral part of the recruitment process, often at an early stage of selection. If you are offered a telephone interview, it’s important to remember is that the employer wants to find out the same information as they would face-to-face, so your preparation needs to be just as thorough and as you’re not face to face it is important that your tone is enthusiastic and interested and they will not be able to tell from your body language.
  
  
• Group interviews - Several candidates are present and will be asked questions in turn. A group discussion may be encouraged and you may be invited to put questions to the other candidates.
  
  
• Face-to-face interviews - This may be one-to-one between you and the interviewer, or you may sometimes find that there are two interviewers, such as an engineering manager and a member of the resourcing or HR team.
  
  
• Panel interviews - These involve several people sitting as a panel, usually with a chairperson to coordinate the questions.
  
  
• Sequential interviews - These are several interviews in turn, with a different interviewer each time. Usually, each interviewer asks questions to test different sets of competencies. However, you may find yourself answering the same questions over and over. If this does happen, make sure you answer each one as fully as the time before.

We should be able to advise you on the format and type of interview you will have.

Interview Preparation
Those that succeed at interviews are not lucky, their secret is careful preparation. The better prepared you are, the more confident you will be and the more success you will have.  So make sure you do your homework, ensure you understand the role being offered and find out as much as possible about the company (via the Internet for example).   We can supply you with information on the job being offered.

Understanding the role and researching the company will also help you prepare your questions for the company in advance.  You may also be able to use the information in your answers to the interviewer’s questions.

Think about the questions you will be asked, Why do you want this job? What skills and qualities would make you successful in this role?  Why are you looking to leave your present position? Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?  What are your strengths and weaknesses? 

Competency/criteria based interviews questions should be answered by describing examples from your background that draws attention to the relevant competencies.  Therefore, it is important to have ready-made examples that you can use on cue.  Go over your CV and recall your greatest applicable achievements.  What were the skills and attitudes that you used to bring about the achievements?  How did you use them?  What did you learn from the experience?  What would you do differently if faced with the same situation again?

How to look and what to say
Make a Good First Impression - know the venue, time, and who you will be meeting (and their position). Allow extra time in case of problems or delays and if you do encounter any, let the company or us know as soon as possible.

Appearance
It is important to remember the interviewer will have formed an opinion in the first 2 minutes on you and your suitability for the role.  You should dress smartly ideally a suit for a man, and suit or jacket and skirt for a woman.  It’s important to remember it’s not just your clothes that project your image, body language is also important.  Areas to concentrate on include:

• Walk slowly, deliberately and tall when you enter the room.
• Be courteous and Smile – show the interviewer that you are open, friendly and confident
• Maintain good eye contact

• Sound Positive - Be ready to expand on information presented in your CV - emphasise relevant skills and be constructive about any highlighted weaknesses. Simply answering "yes" and "no" is not sufficient.
  
  
• Answering Tough Questions - with forward thinking you can practice using positive fluent answers but if you genuinely do not know, then say so, - a guess or a knee-jerk response is not helpful. "What are your strengths and weaknesses" is a tough one - but a weakness can be turned into a positive to show how you have constructively overcome it.
  
  
• Salary - do not raise the issue of salary unless the interviewer mentions it. If it is discussed, let them know your current salary and package and, if you are asked for your expectations, offer a salary range.
  
  
• The interview is a two-way process - the end of the interview is the perfect opportunity for you to clarify any points of doubt e.g. career progression, training opportunities, targets.
  
  
• Closing on a confident note - At the end of the interview, smile, thank them for their time and ask about their recruiting process. Say you enjoyed the discussion and that you look forward to hearing from them soon.

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