Employability Skills

1. Employability Skills Session 8 Interviews

2. Research and preparation Before you go to the interview……………… Research the employer: Recruitment brochureand website Job description Annual company report GPNU Student Affairs/Careers and Employability Office Newspaper articles in papers such as the China Daily www.chinadaily.com.cn and China Times ww.chinatimes.com • Research the job: • If you do not have much information provided by the employer on what the job role will involve then you can use the database of graduate job profiles on the Prospects website • www.prospects.ac.uk– Click on ‘Jobs and work experience/types of jobs/job categories’

3. Interviews - introduction • Interviews • Preparation • Technique • Questions… • Further Resources

4. How do interviews make you feel?

5. How do interviews make you feel? • If you have had an interview take some time to reflect/review these common fears people have when they are about to go to an interview………… • Fear of the unknown – what will they ask? • Intimidating interviewer • Tests – i.e. numeracy, verbal reasoning • How to prepare • Finding it hard to ‘sell’ yourself • Mind goes blank • Something negative in your past – e.g. poor exam results

6. Interviews • What are your experiences of having an interview? • Spend a little time reflecting on your good and bad experiences of having an interview. • What made them good and bad?

7. Interviews • If it was a good experience – was it because you had prepared really well? • If you had a bad experience – be honest with yourself – how well did you prepare beforehand? If you had prepared better could you have answered most of the questions? • Was it the way the interview was conducted? How effective were the interviewers at making you feel relaxed, enabling you to make the most of yourself? • Did the physical set up of the interview room make it difficult? Was it too formal? You can do a lot to change seemingly hostile interviewers by being as positive as you can. • Think about your body language too – if you use welcoming postures your interviewers will usually make the interview a less threatening experience for you. Remember to show respect to your interviewers.

8. Interviews • Be Positive! It is a not an examination. • If they didn’t think you could do the job they wouldn’t invite you to interview. Interview preparation • Dress • Presentation • Location • Research – Company, job and Myself

9. Interview preparation • An important element of an interview is persuading an employer that you will fit in with their company ethics. So dressing in a manner which they feel comfortable with is going to help make a good impression and will also help you to feel more at ease. • A general rule is for men to wear a suit with a tie, while it is acceptable for women to wear a skirt or trouser suit or similar smart outfit. Avoid bright colours and patterns and minimise jewellery. You want to be remembered for who you are, not what you wore. • Arrive in good time. Before you go, remember to allow time for all stages of the journey. You don’t want to arrive late and flustered.

10. Interview preparation • Remember that first impressions are very important. Take a deep breath before you enter the room. Try to smile when you enter and establish eye contact as you shake hands. Be confident – they will be assessing how you would deal with clients or customers, so this first contact can be crucial. You must be polite to absolutely everyone you meet! • Leave unnecessary bags and coats in reception. Fussing over lots of things ruins your professional appearance. • Confirm to them in writing or by telephone that you will attend, even if they do not request that you do so. • Research – company - do you know something about the organisation?, have you researched their website and/or company brochure? Do you understand what the job is about? What your role would be? Do you understand what kind of skills they require and how you match these? Remember you will need to be able to provide evidence of these skills during your interview.

11. Interviews • The Interviewer(s) may ask… • Questions about you • Questions about the organisation • Questions about the job • Technical / Specialist questions • ‘On the Spot’ questions

12. Questions about you • Can be prepared for in advance • What do they know about you so far? • Everything on the application form or CV? • Have all the interviewers read your application? • What else might they want to know? • Motivation, ability to learn, personality, etc. • Link your answers to the job you want or the organisation where you are being interviewed.

13. Questions about the organisation/job. • Can be prepared for in advance • What do you already know? • Where can you find out more? • Sales material, brochures, annual reports, recruitment brochures/advertisements, www…, visits, telephone calls. • Show your knowledge, interest and enthusiasm • and that you have the right skills and attributes for the job.

14. Technical/Specialist Questions • Designed to test specific knowledge / skills that are required in the job. • Direct question about your knowledge / experience • Hypothetical situation –’how would you react if?…….’ You are being tested on your ability to think quickly. • Actual issue on which they seek your opinion • There may not always be a right answer • They might be assessing your potential • Consider what you already know about the job & what else you need to find out beforehand.

15. On The Spot Questions • Questions that put you ‘on the spot’. • Intended to check your personal qualities, e.g. logical approach, calmness, ingenuity, common sense, speed of thought. • Difficult to prepare for - but usually linked to job requirements • There may not be a right or wrong answer

16. Typical questions • Why do you want this job? • What attracted you to our organisation? • What are the main challenges facing our organisation over the next 5 years? • How will you cope with the steep learning curve of this job? • What do you see as the priorities for this job? • We’ve got some high calibre candidates for this position, in a couple of sentences summarise why we should offer you the job. • Your initial research into the company, job and yourself will prepare you for these very common interview questions and are really wanting to find out the following about you: • Your motivation • Your level of interest in the company • Self-awareness, awareness of your strengths and • weaknesses, any support you will need to carry out the job • and if you understand what the key priorities are • How you will set about doing the job and if you understand • Your ability to market yourself effectively for the position – if • you understand what skills and experience is required and • how you evidence these

17. Difficult interview questions • From the thought provoking….. • To the bizarre….. Use one word to summarise why you feel we should offer you this job How would your friends describe you? What is your greatest weakness? If you won a lot of money, would you still work and why? If you were a biscuit what kind of biscuit would you be? How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible? If you could go anywhere for 24 hours with an unlimited budget where would you go?

18. Interview Technique • Create a good impression: • relax, smile & appear confident (but not too confident…!) • be aware of body language & personal habits • shake hands • be respectful • Listen to the questions • Speak clearly • Speak to the interviewer • Maintain eye contact

19. Interview Technique • Never offer negative information - make your response positive and sell the ‘benefits’ you offer. • Expand on yes / no answers - have examples from your experience. • Ask for clarification of questions, if necessary. • Don’t talk for too long • summarise answers & ask if they want you to continue. • Relate answers to requirements of the post

20. Interview Technique – STAR Model • Situation or • Task • Action • Result • A good model to show your skills & highlight past evidence – allows you to show your experiences, what you were faced with, what you did and the positive outcomes you generated.

21. The STAR Technique • Answer the question as a situation, looking at the actions that you took and the results that you achieved. Normally, setting out the situation and task should only take about 20-30% of the answer. • The actions you took should be about 60-70% of the answer - i.e. the main part - and the results achieved about 10% of the answer. Your answers should refer to particular situations, not general ones and should be as recent as possible. • You should always refer to ‘I’ and not ‘we’, even when answering questions about team-working. Try to give answers which relate to extra-curricular activities and work/practical experience as well as to your academic studies.

22. “Any Questions…” • Prepare one or two in advance • Write them down and ask to refer to notes • Areas could include:- • Training and/or future opportunities • Points raised in the information / not covered earlier • Further questions about the job role which have not already been answered in any recruitment information or during the interview itself.

23. “Any Questions…” • “I have looked at your web site, and it was very • interesting. Can you tell me more about ______?” • “I am very interested in . . . . and . . . What • opportunities are there for people like me?”. • ‘’Could you tell me about a typical day/week in this • role?’’ • Avoid asking questions about holidays, pensions, salary and other benefits – these are questions you can ask if offered the job. • Also, make sure you don’t ask questions which the company has already covered in its promotional literature and information about the job – this could look as if you haven’t done your homework.

24. After the interview • List down as many questions (and your answers) as you can remember. • Use them for preparation next time. • Think about what you would do differently next time. • Be positive - don’t forget the things you did well! • Contact the interviewer for feedback (even if you get the job!). ACT on your feedback. • Thank the interviewer for the interview.

25. Before the Interview you might be given: • A tour of the company • A company presentation • Introductions • Drinks/Meal • Relax but remember you are still being assessed even during the more informal stages of the job recruitment. • First impressions count!.

26. You might have to visit a ‘Selection Centre’ before the interview • These are a more detailed way of assessing your suitability for the job. They are more commonly used by large multinational employers for graduate level jobs. • They very often occur after a successful first interview but not always. • Sometimes selection centres follow an initial online psychometric test.

27. Selection Centres • Selection Day(s): • Introduction • Group Activities • Psychometric Tests • Individual Interviews / Presentations • ALL contribute to your overall evaluation • Debrief • Feedback

28. Selection Centres – Group Activities • What are they looking for? • Communication & Interaction • Confidence • Team Work • Leadership • Planning • They will judge you against their competency based criteria (what you can do).

29. Selection Centres – Group Activities • What if… • Other people are talking so much there is not time for you to speak? • You don’t understand the topic being discussed? • You think you have the right answer and the others don’t? • You don’t have anything at all to say? • See the Prospects website for some invaluable tips on • handling selection centre days: • Tests and exercises: Assessment centres

30. Selection Centres – Group Activities • What about… • Other people dominating the discussion? • Other people not getting involved in the discussion? • Time-keeping and keeping on track? • Contribute – Don’t dominate – • Show respect and understanding

31. If you have to do a presentations at an interview: • Structure • Introduction • Main Content • Conclusion • Applies to all presentations whether 3, 13 or 30 minutes! • You may have to do one if it is a feature of your job. • Strategy: • Tell them what you are going to tell them • Tell them • Tell them what you’ve told them.

32. Presentations • Visual Aids • PowerPoint slides – keep them clear • and brief • Handouts • Take PPT on a USB or pen drive • Think about an alternative plan if the equipment fails • On the day – you could print off your PPTs on paper; give these out to your interviewers and talk through your points.

33. Presentations Summary • Deliver to the audience not the wall/your feet/the roof! • Keep composed • Know your subject • Use cards/PPT slides with key words • Do not read from a full script • Test any equipment/back-ups • Don’t use quotes from your favourite films • Handle humour with care • Don’t be put off by audience looking bored or asleep • STICK TO THE TIME LIMIT

34. Ability Tests / Personality Tests • Ability Tests • numerical/verbal reasoning – general abilities, logical/diagrammatic reasoning – more IT related • Lots of questions in a short time • You are not always expected to answer them all • Work quickly – don’t waste time over difficult questions – move on and return to other questions if time allows. • Always follow instructions. • Your score is irrelevant – how you compare to others.

35. Ability Tests / Personality Tests • Personality Tests • No right answers. • Interviewer is looking to identify personality traits. • Want to find out what kind of person you are. • How you would react/cope in different situations (group activities, working on your own, etc.) • Have a look at KPMG’s self selection questionnaire which helps you to understand what a major graduate employer is looking for in its graduates and how to prepare for the interview: • http://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/Graduates/default.aspx?pg=10181

36. Ability Tests /Personality Tests • You should be offered feedback. • If you are, take it. If not, ask for it. • Tests will be part of a selection process – other activities are as important. • What can you do to prepare? • Brush up on Maths/Verbal skills. • Do practice tests – see the Further Resources list.

37. Sample aptitude tests www.shldirect.com www.targetjobs.co.uk Career Report Careers report The above websites give detailed information on tests and personality questionnaires, advice on how to prepare for them and access to free practice tests: Personality questionnaires Motivation questionnaires Interview-style Tests Speed and accuracy tests Inductive reasoning tests

38. Further Resources • www.prospects.ac.uk/links/AppsInterviews • Internet search for “Tough Interview Questions” • e.g. http://www.job-interview.net/ - Lots of example questions and answers (USA site) • BeMyInterviewer - http://www.bemyinterviewer.co.uk/ • an excellent practice interview resource which gives you chance to practice your interview technique on some famous interviewers.