The interview

Basics

Be polite to everyone you meet, including staff at reception. First impressions do count.
Smile at the interviewer, give positive answers to their questions.
Be enthusiastic about the job. Focus on reasons for wanting the new job rather than negative reasons for leaving your old job.
Answer questions clearly.
Be positive. Sell yourself. Stress your good points!
Respect the interviewer. Don’t be arrogant or argumentative.

At the end of the interview say 'Thank you'. Shake hands, if appropriate, and leave the room quietly and calmly.

Interview Questions - first job

If you have recently left school you are likely to be asked some of the questions below:

What are your favourite school subjects?

Think of reasons why you liked certain subjects. Explain how these subjects would be important in this job.

What work experience have you had?

Relate any part time work, work experience, voluntary work or Skillseekers to this job.

What do you do in your spare time?

Youth clubs, sports teams and any other interests. This gives an employer a rounder view of you as a person.

Why have you applied for this job?

This will depend on the job, but could be "enjoy working with people, good opportunity to get training and qualifications".

Why do you think you would be good at this job?

Think about school subjects, work experience, interests. Think about the type of person you are. Think of your good points e.g. patient, reliable, get on well with people.

What are your strengths?

Again relate this to school, work experience, interests. Give examples from these situations.

Interview Questions - with experience

If you have more experience you may be asked some of the questions below:

Why have you applied for this job?

Stress the positive aspects which have attracted you. Do not mention the negative aspects of your current job or this job.

What skills do you think are needed for this job?

The Job Description should give you some answers to this, but think of the other skills and qualities that may be required. These may include communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership ability, supervisory skills, problem solving and analytical skills.

What can you contribute to this organisation?

This is your chance to sell yourself. Stress your achievements in your previous jobs which are relevant to the new position.

Why do you want to work for this organisation?

Emphasise the positive reasons why you want to join this company. Stress opportunities for personal growth and new challenges. Avoid aspects such as more money or shorter hours.

What do you know about this organisation?

This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their company. Give them a run down of their products/services, sales figures, news, profits and major customers.

Why are you changing careers?

This question will only be asked if you are making a big change in your career. Always stress the positive aspects of the change rather than the negative aspects of your previous career. Say why you think you will be good in the new career - this should come from your experience and achievements, stress the transferable skills you have, such as leadership ability.

What are your career goals?

Link in your goals with the company who is interviewing you.

What would your ideal job be?

Describe the job in terms of the criteria they have used to describe their job. An ideal job might include things like challenging work, a fair rate of pay for the job, hard working colleagues, good career prospects, good team atmosphere, opportunity to learn new skills and develop current skills.

What was your greatest success?

Highlight an achievement which is related to their needs. Explain in detail how you achieved success.

What has been your biggest failure?

Choose a failure which you were later able to rectify or something that is not really important. State how you have successfully acted as a leader, giving examples of your successes.

Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities?

Highlight how you have progressed throughout your career and how you have accepted and taken on more responsibility. You should also mention other responsibilities you have had outside work.

How would you describe yourself? How would others describe you?

Pick your best attributes and achievements from your career.

What sort of manager are you?

Stress you are someone who listens to other people and can delegate whilst maintaining overall control of the task at hand, bringing in the project on time and to budget. Good planning skills are essential.

You could say that you must start with an agenda and stick to it. You could add that you would try to get the views and ideas from everyone present, working in an air of co-operation.

Are you over qualified for this position?

Tell the interviewer you feel that your extra experience would enable you to make a bigger contribution sooner than someone with less experience.

Are you willing to travel?

You want to sound positive, so find out how much travelling is involved before you turn down the job.

What did you earn in your last job?

You have to be very careful when answering this question because once an interviewer knows your current salary they will try and fix your next salary based on this figure. This may be OK if you only wanted a modest rise in salary and your current salary is in line with their salary range. But what if your current salary is quite a bit lower than the rate for the job, or if you want a larger salary rise? You would be best advised to say that you do not really want to pitch yourself too high or too low. Ask if you can discuss this later after the responsibilities for the job have been discussed; you may also want to ask them what the range for the job is (if you do not already know).

What level of salary are you looking for now?

Be very careful when you answer this question - you do not want to appear to be greedy. The same principles as above apply. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is.

Questions you should ask

Towards the end of the interview you will normally be given the chance to ask questions. The interview is not over so you still have the opportunity to impress. Asking well thought out questions can end the interview on a positive note.

Prepare a list of questions as some will be covered during the interview. Questions could include:

Who would I be working with?
How many employees are there in the section?
What are the opportunities for training?
Would I get the opportunity to gain qualifications?
What are chances for promotion?
What are the hours of work?
When is the anticipated start date?
When will I be notified about the results of the interview?