Develop your Career: Interview Techniques

1. Develop your Career: Interview Techniques Miranda Carr Centre for Personal and Professional Development

2. Develop your Career: Interview Techniques Outline of the day • Introductions and Main concerns • Background and context • Preparing for a successful interview • Q&A • Other selection tests • NVC • Skills practise • Roundup 2 Breaks and Lunch

3. Background and Context • What are they basing their assessment of you on? • Application • Interview • Other selection tests • Anticipation and Preparation are key • Access to insider info? - Use it!

4. Preparing for interview • Go back to the beginning – job description and person specification – the clues are there Do your research…. • Read up on recent achievements and core business activities • Get up to date on current issues, challenges and debates in the field

5. Preparing for interview • Q&A – think STAR • Do a mock interview • What do you want to know about your employer? • Prepare for other selection tests

6. Preparing for interview And finally the practical stuff…. • Know where you going and how long it takes to get there • Check your equipment works • Dress appropriately • Arrive early Take a deep breathe and off you go

7. Preparing for interview In groups: Read through further particulars • What steps would you take to prepare for an interview for this post? • Identify an example of each of these requirements: • An area of knowledge • A skill or ability • Experience required • Write down 2 questions you might be asked at interview for this post Feedback

8. Q&A • Go back to the beginning – further particulars • Skills • Knowledge • Experience • Testing your knowledge

9. Q&A Common Questions What are your strengths/What do you think you could bring to the role? What particular aspects of your current/most recent role do/did you most (or least) enjoy and why? Where do you see yourself in five years time? Why are you the best person for this job? RememberSTAR

10. Q&A Behavioural Questions Tell me about a time when you have had to meet challenging customer needs. Tell us about your current team and specifically what you have you done to engender team spirit? Give me an example of a situation in which you were under pressure and describe how you handled it. Remember STAR

11. Q&A Difficult questions Tips: • If you can’t answer immediately take your time to think • If you don’t know the answer say so, don’t be tempted to lie • Try to keep calm and keep thinking clearly • Always keep your answers positive even if you are describing a difficult situation • Remember STAR

12. Q&A In groups: Discuss how you would answer the two questions each of you wrote down in the previous exercise using the STAR method

13. Selection tests • Presentations – always prepare, check what equipment is available, bring copies • In-tray exercise or written task • Discussion with other applicants • Psychometric testing

14. Selection tests In twos/threes: Pick one example of the selection tests in the handout and have a go at doing it

15. Handling Nerves • Control your breathing • Positive mindset • Visualisation

16. Handling Nerves Control your nerves through breathing Breathing exercise: • Place your hand, palm flat, just below your ribs • Breathe slowly in through your nose • Feel your hand rise up as your stomach expands • Breathe out through your mouth • Feel your hand fall back as your stomach contracts • Aim to take twice as long to breathe out as you took to breathe in • Practise beforehand

17. Non-Verbal Communication • Make a great entrance • Present yourself well • Keep good eye contact with the panel • Open arms – open approach • Think about what your hands are doing • Mirroring • Don’t fiddle! • Try to control any distracting habits

18. Skills Practise • In groups of 3 you will undertake a 5 min (maximum) mock interview. • Each person will have a role and you will rotate the roles so each person has a turn at each role. • Roles: Interviewee, Interviewer, Observer -Interviewee answers the 2 questions provided -Interviewer asks the questions -Observer makes notes on the interviewee’s performance and keeps time • Feedback is given by the interviewee 1st followed by the observer 2nd and finally by the interviewer 3rd

19. Skills practise cont. Giving feedback: 1st The interviewee should feedback on how they felt they did 2nd The observer should give feedback on the interviewee’s responses and their NVC 3rd The interviewer should give feedback on how they felt and any of their own observations not covered by the observer • Feedback should last no more than 5 mins after each mock interview

20. Skills Practise cont. Giving feedback – points to remember • Be specific – don’t generalise • Be constructive/helpful – no use mentioning something that the person can’t change • Be sensitive • Keep it brief • Feedback sandwich

21. Skills Practise Questions: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement in your career to date? Tell me about a time when you were in a challenging situation and how you handled it?

22. E&D • Add in bullet points from handout here