INTERVIEW EXECUTION

We’re going to now look at howe we can ace an interview on the day. From our previous article which can be found:

HERE

Be 5-10 minutes early. Not too long as it can put the interviewer on the spot to respond and they may have had things they wanted to address before meeting with you. It should go without saying, but we’ll cover it just in case; don’t be late!

Be cordial with anyone upon arrival – reception or the person that first greets you. They are often asked for their views, as it can be a good barometer for personality and nervousness.

Shake hands firmly without overdoing it. Once client wasn’t impressed with ‘The Vice’ as the particular candidate
became known.

Look for queues as to where to sit and wait for the interviewer(s) to be seated before you. Body language is important. Don’t slouch, and don’t get too comfortable. At the same time, being uneasy and too upright can have a negative influence on the course of proceedings too.

Maintain eye contact. If there are multiple people interviewing – keep frequent eye contact with the person that asked the question, but don’t ignore the other people on the panel.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a few seconds to think on your answer if need be. Rushing to answer and losing your train of thought can be all to easy in an interview. They are looking for the exact right answer, and having a few seconds to appreciate the real question is better than falling short of the mark.

Don’t be too familiar – there’s no such thing as an informal interview.

Even if you have a negative association with your current or past employer – either people or the organisation as a whole – keep it to yourself. If asked why you are leaving, be truthful but not negative. “I feel that I have given everything I can to my current organisation, and I have certainly met and exceeded what was required of the position. I feel it’s time to move on to a new company and a new challenge.” Or something akin to this will be viewed better than “They really don’t know what they are doing and they made my life difficult.”

Never interrupt anyone. It’s hard to hold-back sometimes during an interview when you think you’ve something to add, but it’s imperative that you give the person time to finish talking.

Ask questions about the company and the position. It’s very easy to have most questions answered during the course of a good interview, so have some general questions ready;

New locations planned,
Total headcount and breakdown,
Company structure and business lines,

and couple that with some more penetrating questions;

Can you describe the pervasive culture here?
What direction is the company heading?
Who do you see as your direct competitors, and what sets you apart?
Who do you consider to be your customer base?
What is the policy on attending workshops, seminars, and other formal training?
What sort of improvements in the business do you expect from the person in this role?

 

If you use the above as a template for your meeting, you’ll likely do quite well. Blend in your own ideas and personality, and you sohuld get a good idea of how best to approach things.

In our next article, we’ll walk you through the final steps and the best protocols we’ve found for each juncture.