Interview Skills

Careers and

Employability Centre

Why interview candidates

Interviews are designed to find out :

• Can you do the job – experience and skills

• Will you do the job – motivation

• Do you fit in – culture and team

Two main types of question – general and competency

Types of interview

Ask what sort of interview to expect!

First interview Second interview

Telephone interview 1 to 1 or panel interviewCV or Application Form based Competency basedCase study Academic or technicalSelection tests Assessment centre

Types of questions

General questions

• Tell me about yourself

• Tell us about your relevant experience

• What is greatest achievement or career highlight?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• What do you know about our company/industry?

• What are your long term career goals?

General questions

• Give answers structure – don’t ramble

• Your chance to paint your own portrait

• Define the context

• Be prepared with specific answers

• Think about what they might ask you or what you have said already

Types of question

Competency based questions

• Use ‘past behaviour indicates future success’

• Objective way of comparing you to others

• Relate to skills and behaviour needed for the role

• Interviewers decide beforehand which type of answers score

positive points

• They look for structure, cause and effect and pragmatism

• Use real scenarios

Competency questions

• Identify competencies for the job you are seeking

•Company website

•Advert

•Job descriptions

• Compare these against your background

• Find your best example and prepare this in advance

• Keep the answer concise

• Avoid jargon

Some typical competencies

• Analytical skills

• Communication

• Problem solving

• Teamwork

• Leadership

• Creativity

• Adaptability

• Influencing

Examples of questions

General:

• Tell me about your weaknesses

• Why do you want to work here?

Competency:

• How would you deal with a team member who is

underperforming

• Describe a time when you had to find a solution to a problem

Before the interview

Be prepared!

• Find out about the organisation and the interviewer

• Rehearse your answers to typical questions with examples

• Remember it’s a two way process:

oWhat 10 (max) things do want them to take away?

oDecide what are your unique selling points (USPs)

• Know your CV inside out

Initial impressions are critical

You make an impression as soon as you meet someone:

The impact you make

•50% Body language

•40% Voice

•10% Words

Delivery of your message is key

Initial impressions

• Walk tall and straight

• Be grounded before you speak

• Make eye contact and smile

• Shake hands

• Say who you are clearly

• Remember to breathe

During the interview

What you say:

Use examples

Be informative – 10 points you want to tell them

Boast modestly

Take time over difficult questions - ask for clarification if necessary

How you say it:

Think about the words you use

Talk about I rather than we

Register – including appropriate language and vocabulary

During the interview – what you say

Situation: give a context by describing the situation

Task: what was your goal?

Action: tell the interviewer your specific actions

Result: shows yourself in a good light, even if the overall project was not a success

During the interview - behaviour

Sit reasonably upright

Keep hands on show

Maintain good eye contact

Keep an open posture

Minimise things you do when nervous

Speak clearly

Remember to breathe

Assessment Centres

Employers use various techniques as well as interviews

• Online and written tests

• Exercises – individual and in groups

• Social events

• Presentations

During the Assessment Centre

Review your behaviour

Talk to people

Co-operate with everybody!

Careers and Employability CentreFurther help

Short interview with a careers adviser

10 – 5 Mon – Fri (plus Wed 5 –7)

Events

Website www.sussex.ac.uk/careers

Careers and Employability CentreExamples of questions………

1. What has been your greatest achievement?

2. Describe a situation where you have dealt with confrontation

(for example a difficult customer).

3. What do you look for in a job?

4. Why did you choose your university and degree subject?

5. Tell me about yourself.

6. Describe a situation in which you led a team?

7. Is a jaffa cake a cake or a biscuit?

Careers and Employability CentreYour questions………

What would an average day be like?

How would my work be monitored and how often would I be

appraised?

What career paths have other graduates followed in this company?

Will I have any opportunity to use my foreign language skills?

Will I be working in a team? What is the make-up of these teams?

What are the company’s development plans and targets over the next

five years?

When am I likely to hear back from you?

Do you support study for external qualifications?