INTERVIEW SKILLS

1. INTERVIEW SKILLS Bruce Woodcock University of Kent Careers Advisory Service bw@kent.ac.uk

2. HOW NOT TO INTERVIEW • Candidate wore a Walkman explaining that she could listen to the interviewer and music at the same time. • Announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and chips during the interview. • Bald candidate excused himself and returned to the interview a few minutes later wearing a wig. • Interrupted interview to phone her therapist for advice on how to answer specific questions. • Brought a large dog with them. • Dozed off during the interview. • Said he never finished high school because he was kidnapped and kept in a wardrobe.

3. PREPARATION - THE KEY TO SUCCESS • Research the employer and the job • Prepare answers to obvious questions • Think of your unique selling points • Think of how you would answer questions about your weaknesses • Prepare some questions to ask • Dress smartly • Leave plenty of time to get there

4. RESEARCHING THE EMPLOYER AND THE JOB • Internet - Organisation Web Site • Quality Newspapers • Search on BBC News Business Sectionhttp://news.bbc.co.uk • www.google.com& other search engines • May not be able to find out much about small organisations - research the industry and ask questions.

5. Dress Smartly • Men - conventional suit with a conservative shirt - plain pastel shades or modest stripes and dark shoes. Don't wear light coloured socks or too much aftershave! • Women - conventional suit or coordinating jacket and skirt. Dark colours suggest authority but bright can work with care. Wear tights. Don't wear lots of frills, trousers unless very smart, very high heels or lots of make-up, perfume or jewellery.

6. BODY LANGUAGE • Shake hands warmly, but wait to be invited to sit down. • Smile • Try to relax - don’t sit on the edge of your chair, but don’t slouch. • Speak clearly and not too fast • Don’t fidget • Keep up good eye contact with the interviewer – men! • Head nodding – women!

7. PREPARE ANSWERS TO OBVIOUS QUESTIONS • Why are you applying to our organisation? • Why do you want this job? • What makes you suitable? • What other jobs are you applying for? • Where do you see yourself in five years? • What do you do in your spare time? • What do you get out of it?

8. COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS Describe a situation where you had to ..... • show leadership • make a difficult decision • overcome a difficult obstacle • refuse to compromise • work with others to solve a problem

9. COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS • Start by briefly outlining the situation • Keep the focus on your specific tasks or responsibilities • Say what action you took, then try to summarise what you achieved • Give concrete results when possible. • If you cannot be totally positive about the experience, say what you learned from it. • Situation/Tasks/Action/Result www.kent.ac.uk/careers/compet/skillquest.htm

10. HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS • BA pilot interview - asked what he would do if he met the captain wearing a dress in the hotel bar. • "How would you deal with an irate customer?” • "How would you solve London's traffic problems?”

11. HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS • Used precisely because it's impossible to work out your answer beforehand. • Test your ability to think quickly, logically, produce practical solutions. • Don't panic! Take a few seconds to think - this shows confidence. • Just try to think of one or two sensible things to say to start off. • There may be many possible solutions.

12. OTHER DEMANDING QUESTIONS • What are your weaknesses? • Why should we take you? • Tell me something about yourself? • Who else have you applied to?

13. REAL QUESTIONS FROM CANDIDATES • What is your Zodiac sign? • Do I have to dress for the next interview? • I know this is off the subject, but will you marry me? • Will the company pay to relocate my horse? • When is pay day? • Would it be a problem if I'm angry most of the time? • Why am I here?

14. PREPARE QUESTIONS TO ASK • DON’T ASK about holidays, pensions and parking facilities. • DO ASK about training, career development and the work itself.

15. PREPARE QUESTIONS TO ASK • How is performance at work assessed? • What is a typical career path in this job? • Can you give me more details of your training programme? • What is the ‘‘work culture’’? i.e. informal, formal, do people work autonomously, does everyone come in early, stay late? • What are the challenges that your organisation is facing? • What is your personal experience of working here?

16. FOLLOWING UP • The interviewer will probably let you know when you’ll know the result. If they haven't made this clear, ask! • After the interview, make notes on the questions asked and what you could have done better.

17. VIDEOS • APPLICATIONS • INTERVIEWS • ON-LINE APPLICATIONS • SELECTION CENTRES • All last about 25 minutes and are excellent! www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm

18. CAREERS SERVICE WEB Large applications and interviews section: www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm • Interview Skills • Employer Aptitude Tests • How to answer skills-based questions • Interview Reports • CVs and Application Forms • Assertiveness in Interviews www.kent.ac.uk/careers/assertiveness.htm • Practice Interviews www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm • Skills Inventory www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ask/skillsinventory.html • Mature Students Page www.kent.ac.uk/careers/mature.htm

19. INTERVIEW SKILLS Bruce Woodcock University of Kent Careers Advisory Service Email bw@kent.ac.uk