Congratulations, you have been offered an interview. You have the time and date, and details of where your interview will take place. What next?
From the interviewers perspective, the interview has three main purposes. First, they will need to find out whether the candidate has the necessary skills and qualifications for the position being offered.
The second objective is to inform the candidate and promote the organisation. They will try to ensure that all questions are answered, so that the candidate knows what to expect if they are offered the position and accept it..
The third objective is to ensure the candidate will ‘fit' into the organisation. A candidate may have perfect skills and qualifications, although something in their personality may not be suitable for the position on offer.
The following may be obvious, but you would be surprised how many people turn up for an interview unprepared.
Pre-interview preparation
If possible, try to find out who will be interviewing you. Do some research on the company, and be prepared for the common question ‘what do you know about our organisation?'. Investigate their market positioning and consider the question ‘what do you predict will happen in our market sector during the next five years?'.
On the day of your interview
Ensure you know where your interview will take place. Allow for traffic and public transport delays, allowing plenty of time to find the venue. Plan on arriving about fifteen minutes before your confirmed interview time. Check that you have the correct date and time.
Your presentation
Look smart! This may be very obvious, however, first impressions really do count, and the first 2-3 minutes of your introduction and presentation will set the tone moving forward. Try to relax….counting to ten just before you enter the interview room often helps. Are your shoes polished? Is your dress code appropriate for the position? Are your glasses clean? Did you eat garlic bread the evening before....peppermints! Pen and paper to make some notes? If you have to give a formal presentation, do you have a back-up copy on a memory stick? Do you need to take any additional information - proof of identifiction, acandemic certificates etc.,
The interview
Let the interviewer drive the speed and direction of your interview and most importantly, answer the questions. You would be surprised how many interviewees give a great answer, but to the wrong question! Attention to detail is important and never lie or over exaggerate an answer. However, be careful not to undersell yourself, there is a fine balance between the two.
Do not be aggressive if challenged on a particular subject. You have time to think before answering a question, so do not say the first thing that comes into your head. Be sure to ask for clarification if necessary. An experienced interviewer will not be impressed by an obviously 'rehearsed' or 'text book' answer. Unless the question requires it, avoid "yes" or "no" answers which are guaranteed conversation stoppers. If you don't know the answer, it is better to say so rather than guessing or arguing the 'relevance' of the question - maybe you can suggest how to find out the answer.
Candidates benefit from showing enthusiasm for a job. So when an interviewer uses the common winding-up technique of asking "do you have any questions about us?", you should always have a couple 'in hand' just to demonstrate your interest. Do not, however, proceed to interrogate the employer at length.
And most importantly, be yourself. Unless you are a trained actor, your attempts at acting will be unconvincing and you will fail in the interview.
After the interview
After your interview, make some additional notes of what was discussion. At this stage, we suggest you write to the organisation to thank them for their time in meeting you. This letter should not be over-the-top but kept relevant to the position applied for. PayNET Recruitment wish you success on the day.
