Interview Guide Prepared by Claremont Consulting Ltd.

7/28/2019 Interview Guide Prepared by Claremont Consulting Ltd.

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Interview Guide prepared by Claremont Consulting Ltd

THE INTERVIEW

You are being interviewed because the interviewer has a position to fill. Through the interaction,which will take place during the interview, the interviewer will be assessing your strengths andweaknesses. In addition, specific characteristics will be probed such as attitude, aptitude, stability,motivation and maturity. Other areas that will be evaluated will include progress in your career to date,

job changes, and progress and achievements within each job that you have held.

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

Preparation is the first essential step towards a successful interview. Interviewers are continuallyamazed at the number of candidates who have not prepared and who possess little or no informationabout the company. It is imperative that you go to the interview armed with as much information aspossible about your potential employer.

Ensure that you know the exact location and time of interview, the interviewers full name, t hecorrect pronunciation and title held.

Find out specific facts about the company where its offices are located; what its products andservices are; what its growth has been; and what its growth potential is for the future. Thesimplest way to obtain this information is from the company's own web site, one of the biggestcomplaints from clients interview feedback is that candidates have not even looked at the theirwebsite.

Refresh your memory on the facts and figures of your PRESENT/FORMER employer. You will beexpected to know a lot about a company that you are currently working for or have previouslyworked for. Be fully prepared to discuss the contents of your CV in detail.

Prepare the questions you will ask and remember that an interview is a two-way street, in otherwords it is for giving and receiving information. The interviewer will try to determine throughquestioning if you have the qualifications necessary to do the job. You must determine throughquestioning whether the company will provide you with the opportunity for growth anddevelopment that you seek. Remember, asking intelligent and probing questions demonstrates tothe interviewer that you have thoroughly prepared for the interview, you are showing a genuineinterest in the company and that you take your career seriously.

Probing questions you might ask.

Can you describe the culture of the company? A detailed description of the position and the technology environment? Can you show me an organisation chart of the department? Why has this position become available? Can you tell me about your induction and training programme? If I exceed expectations where can I expect to be in two years time? What types of people have done well and why? Company growth plans? Best-selling products or services? The next step?


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Dress in a smart business suit with black shoes and tie (if applicable) and a clean, ironedshirt/blouse. Dont wear casual clothes even if you know its the company policy.

FUNDAMENTAL S OF A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW

To a large degree, the success of your interview will depend on your ability to discover needs andempathize with the interviewer. You can do this by asking questions that verify your understanding ofwhat the interviewer has just told you, without editorializing, or expressing an opinion. By establishingempathy in this manner, youll be in a better position to freely exchange ideas, and demonstrate yoursuitability for the job.

In addition to establishing empathy, there are four intangible fundamentals to a successful interview.These intangibles will influence the way your personality is perceived, and will affect the degree ofrapport, or personal chemistry youll share with the employer.

1. Enthusiasm. Leave no doubt as to your level of interest in the job. You may think its unnecessary

to do this, but employers often choose the more enthusiastic candidate in the case of a two-way tie.Besides, its best to keep your options open -- wouldnt you rather be in a position to turn down anoffer, than have a prospective job evaporate from your grasp by giving a lethargic interview?

2. Technical interest. Employers look for people who love what they do; people who get excited bythe prospect of tearing into the nitty-gritty of the job.

3. Confidence. No one likes a braggart, but the candidate whos sure of his or her abilities will almostcertainly be more favourably received.

4. Intensity. The last thing you want to do is come across as flat in your interview. Theres nothinginherently wrong with being a laid-back person; but sleepwalkers rarely get hired.

Both for your sake and the employers try not to leave an interview without exchanging fundamentalinformation. The more you know about each other, the more potential youll have for establishingrapport, and making an informed decision.

BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE

What do you know about our company? Why would you like to work for our company?

What interests you about our product/service? Why did you choose a career in IT? Why do you want to leave your current job? What have you learned from some of the jobs you have held? Which did you enjoy the most and why? What have you done that shows initiative in your career? What would you say has been your greatest achievement in your career to date? Describe your strengths and weaknesses. What do you think determines a persons progress in a good company? Where do you see yourself five years from now? What does teamwork mean to you?


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What style of management gets the best from you? What are your hobbies and interests? Can you give a breakdown of your current remuneration package? When was your last salary review?

THE SHORT AND LONG OF IT.There are two ways to answer interview questions: the short version and the long version. When aquestion is open-ended, the recommended suggestion is to say, Let me give you the short version. Ifwe need to explore some aspect of my answer more fully, Id be happy to go into greater depth, and

give you the long version.

The reason you should respond this way is because its often difficult to know what type of answereach question will need. A question like, What was your most difficult assignment? might takeanywhere from thirty seconds to thirty minutes to answer, depending on the detail you choose to give.

Therefore, you must always remember that the interviewer is the one who asked the question. So youshould tailor your answer to what he or she needs to know, without a lot of extraneous rambling orsuperfluous explanation. Why waste time and create a negative impression by giving a sermon whena short prayer would do just fine?

NEGATIVE FACTORS TO WATCH FOR

During the course of an interview, the interviewer will be evaluating your negative factors as well asyour positive attributes. Listed below are negative factors frequently evaluated during the course ofan interview and those that most often lead to rejection.

Poor personal appearance and hygiene. Overbearing, aggressive, conceited superiority complex, opinionated. Inability to articulate thoughts clearly, poor diction or grammar. Lack of planning for career no purpose or goals.

Lack of interest and enthusiasm about the company and the opportunity. Lack of confidence nervousness, shyness. Over-emphasis on money interested only in remuneration. Evasive making excuses for unfavourable factors in record. Lack of tact/diplomacy/maturity/courtesy. Condemnation of past employers. Failure to look the interviewer in the eye. Limp handshake. Failure to ask good questions about the job and company.

Lack of preparation for interview failure to get information about the company, resulting in aninability to ask intelligent questions.


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DONT GIVE THE INTERVIEWER AN EXCUSE TO REJECT YOU!

SOME DOS & DONTS CONCERNING THE INTERVIEW.

Pre-Screening preparation Increasingly clients are using social media (Facebook, LinkedIn,MySpace, Bebo, Twitter etc) to pre-check on candidates, please ensure that your Social Networkprofiles dont contain anything that could be considered unprofessional or give a negativeportrayal of you.

DO plan to arrive on time or a few minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is neverexcusable. Arriving too early can also be disruptive.

If presentedwith an application form DO fill it out neatly and completely. Even if you have yourown CV, you must fill out the companys own application form as this is often a Personnel/HumanResources requirement.

DO greet the interviewer by their surname, if you are not sure of the pronunciation; ask theinterviewer to repeat it. Shake hands firmly.

DO wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright in your chair, look alert andinterested at all times. Be a good listener as well as a good talker. Smile.

DO look a prospective employer in the eye when you converse.

DO follow the interviewers leads but try to obtain a full description of the position and dutiesexpected early so that you can relate your appropriate background and skills.

DO make sure that your good points get across to the interviewer in a factual, sincere manner.Keep in mind that only you can sell yourself and make the interviewer aware of the potentialbenefits that you can offer to the organisation.

DO always conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are discussing. Neverclose the door on opportunity. It is better to be in the position where you can choose from anumber of jobs rather than only one.

DONT answer questions with a simple yes or no. Elaborate whenever possible. Describethose things about yourself, which relate to the position. A trained interviewer will ask you openquestions, which will give you the opportunity to do this.

DONT LIE. Answer questions truthfully, frankly and to the point.

DONT make derogatory remarks about your present or former employers.

DONT enquire about SALARY, HOLIDAYS, and BONUSES etc., at the initial interview unlessyou are positive the interviewer is interested in hiring you. However, you should know yourmarket value and be prepared to specify your required salary or range. Dont price yourself out ofcontention for the job.

If you are offered to be shown around the department, DO accept the invitation it showscommitment and interest.


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CLOSING THE INTERVIEW

IF you are interested in the position enquire about the next interview stage if applicable. If theinterviewer offers the position to you and you want it, accept on the spot. If you wish for sometime to think it over, be courteous and tactful in asking for that time. Set a definite date when youcan provide an answer.

DONT be too discouraged if no definite offer is made or specific salary discussed. Theinterviewer will probably want to consult with colleagues first or interview other candidates beforemaking a decision.

IF you get the impression that the interview is not going well and that you have already beenrejected, dont let your discouragement show. Once in a while an interviewer who is genuinelyinterested in your possibilities may seem to discourage you in order to test your reaction.

THANK the interviewer for the time spent with you.

How to Answer Competency Based Interview Questions

This is a description on how to succeed at competency based interviews, and gives advice on how touse the STAR technique in order to structure your answers to demonstrate effectively your ability todo the job.

In an interview situation you may be faced with competency based questions, which at first may seema little daunting, and can potentially be fairly disastrous in you dont know how to make the most ofyour answer. However, using the right technique this type of questioning at interview actually givesyou an excellent opportunity to provide evidence of your suitability to the job. In this article I will

explain what a competency based question is, why interviewers use this technique and how thesequestions can be easily and effectively answered. The aim of this article is to help you prepare andstructure your responses, make the best use of the opportunity you have to demonstrate yoursuitability and very importantly to avoid the dreaded nervous rambling response!

What is a Competency Based Question?

Competency based questioning is a technique used by interviewers to assess your suitability to thejob you have applied for, by using questions based on the competencies required to performthe job. These competencies will relate to the job role and the values of the company. Keycompetencies are specific skills you need for the job, i.e. decision making, leadership, problemsolving, conflict resolution, customer service skills, management, project management, budgetary

control or team working.

Why do Interviewers use Competency Based Interview Questions?

Faced with perhaps 6 good candidates who on paper may all have similar or equal attributes for thejob, the hiring manager will have to make a decision based on a meeting with the candidates oftenlasting no more than an hour. The outcome of this meeting will be the appointment of one of thecandidates. The hope is that the successful candidate will become a valuable and long lastingmember of their staff. This person will be able to fulfil the role, fit in with the company ethos, proveprofitable, be happy in the role, and not present unexpected problems or require training anddevelopment above and beyond what the hiring manager had initially envisaged for the role.


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Competency based questioning is an effective way to assess the suitability of candidates in a shorttime, and is an unbiased method of comparing one applicant against another. The interviewer will aska series of questions relating to the key competencies for the job. The best indicator for the futureperformance of an applicant is to look at their previous performance in these key areas, this willdemonstrate clearly if they have the required experience, behaviours and potential to fulfil the newrole.

How to AnswerCompetency Based Interview Questions

You will be able to easily rehearse for this type of interview, and some good preparation at this stagewill help you answer your interview questions fully and also reduce your interview nerves. The firsttask is to identify the competencies for the job. Look for the competencies for the particular job youare applying for, you should be able to spot these in the job description. You may come up with a listsomething like this: team working, project management, quality service, liaising with clients, workingto deadlines, commercial awareness. You should also identify the mission statement and values ofthe company as you will probably be questioned on these too, remember they are looking for a fit forthe company as well as the role. The type of areas company values and mission statements oftencover are quality, team working and budgetary considerations, so be sure to revise these too.

The key to answering this type of question is to be specific in your response. You should avoidgeneralisations, it is important to remember why they are using this technique and what they arelooking for. So do not generalise, use actual specific instances when you have demonstrated thecompetency they are questioning you on.

The STAR Technique

I would strongly advise you to use the STAR technique. By sticking to this method of answer you willbe able to keep your response to the point and structure your answer effectively.

To explain, your answer should incorporate the following elements:

S Situation

T Task

A Action

R Result

Situation

For the particular competency describe the background of a particular situation when you used the

key competency in question. For example if the competency is budgetary control , you may answer In my last job I was appointed to lead a project involving a 600,000k engineering factory shutdownlasting 2 weeks, and I had overall responsibility for the budget for this project. I did face somechallenges on this project which required careful management to keep to budget.


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Task

Describe what you particular task was in relation to this, i.e. My responsibility was to ensure that theproject came in on time and to budget, which required very close liaison with the discipline heads,maintenance managers and cost and planning team. As it was very important the project ran totimescale and costs were maintained as per estimates. This was my ultimate responsibility. Any

overspend, delay or conflict had to be resolved immediately to keep the project to budget. 1 weekinto the project we were faced with unexpected delays due to unavailability of essential maintenanceequipment which threatened the completion of the project on time and would ultimately haveprevented the plant from becoming operational again on time. This would have obviously created aloss in production and so revenue.

Action

I worked long hours with the buying and contracts manager, sourcing alternative suppliers andnegotiating price, to keep to the original estimates. I worked closely with the planning team to

reschedule some of the other work to ensure no time was lost. It was key that I kept in very closecontact with the whole team throughout, as any delay would affect the budget. I examined all aspectsof the project to ensure that there were no wasted costs and that despite the tight budget safetystandards were never compromised.

Result

I am pleased to say that through perseverance and my determination to deliver on time and tobudget, the long hours paid off and a new supplier was found who have since proved to be a new andmore effective supplier for us. The project was completed to time and came in a little under budget,and the whole project was carried out without accident or injury.

Remember the interviewer will probably score your response, and you will gain marks by giving aspecific instance, quoting what the situation was, what you did and what your motivation was to dothis. Think about what did you say and what was the outcome? You might also add yourobservations about what you learnt from the experience. If you give a generalised answer it will bevery difficult for the interviewers to award you any points on this part of the interview. Try not to useany scenarios which are too personal and which will cause any awkward moments in the interview.Try to think of a situation that you are quite familiar with, and one which involved interacting with otherpeople, you may also be asked about your personal feelings in this situation, i.e. how did you feelabout that? be prepared for this.

Finally, the interview may not be overtly competency based and if your interviewer is not veryexperienced may include questions such as: This job deals with a lot of confidential information, haveyou done this before? This question is in fact a closed question which could be answered with a yesor no. However, in order to make the best of this opportunity to demonstrate your suitability, think of itas a competency based question and answer with a specific example of when you have dealt withconfidential information. Use the STAR technique and you will find that you will be able to stick to thequestion, demonstrate your suitability and present clear evidence to show you are capable of fulfillingthe role.

Good Luck, although Im sure using the STAR technique and with some good preparation into the keycompetencies and the mission statement of the company you will succeed.


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Interview Guide Prepared by Claremont Consulting Ltd.

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