Preparing for Job Interviews

Whether looking to progress within your own organisation or searching for a new role completely, interviews are a key element of the job finding process and will usually be the main factor in deciding whether you get that all important job or not.

It’s a fact that people who are good at job interviews will have the opportunity to progress their career and those that don’t, find it hard to get on. Therefore, the skills required to perform effectively in job interviews are critical to your progression at work and in life.

Topics covered:

The Benefits and Limitations of Interviews

Helping participants appreciate the positive and negative elements of job interviews, what this means to them and how to ensure they overcome any shortfalls of the process, ultimately identifying the core aim of interviews and working towards this.

Presenting Yourself Effectively

Establishing what interviewers are looking for, how to avoid putting on an act, whilst ensuring that the candidate makes an impression.

• Halo and Horns – Understanding the concept of halo and horns and how it affects an interviewer’s judgement.

• Setting Yourself Apart – Identifying individual style statements that could set a candidate apart.

• Honesty, Credibility & Consistency – The importance of demonstrating a credible professional presence.

Preparation Before an Interview

Knowing the key things a candidate should do to prepare for an interview, so that they are relaxed and portray a positive and professional image.

• Dressing Appropriately – Not only what to wear, but how to wear it and several key things to remember.

• Planning the Journey – Critical preparation to ensure candidates arrive on time to interviews.

• Revisiting Your CV, Cover Letter & Application Form – Reviewing personal information and experience to ensure consistency and prepare for interviewer questions.

• Researching the Organisation – Identifying methods of researching the organisation that the candidate has applied to, which helps demonstrate their enthusiasm for the role and desire to fit in with the company.

• Understanding Your Strengths and Weaknesses – Determining the elements an interview is likely to focus on and either mitigating weaknesses or promoting positive aspects.

• Preparing the Key Points – Planning the key elements that the candidate wants to get across in the interview in order to better sell themselves.

• Preparing Questions to Ask – Clearly establishing the questions the candidate should ask during the interview, so that they can demonstrate their interest and establish if the role is suitable for them.

Typical Interview Questions

Focusing on typical questions that interviewers ask and perfecting a response.

• Additional Questions – A look at some ‘alternative’ questions an interview might ask and preparing for them.

Attending Preliminary Interviews

Reviewing the challenges of preliminary interviews and how best to approach them.

Meeting the Interviewer

Establishing first impressions and perfecting a greeting, including; eye contact, a warm smile and the handshake.

• Getting Body Language Right – Knowing how to sit, use your hands and relax into a comfort zone.

Closing the Interview

Developing the questions that a candidate should ask towards the end of an interview and how to approach the close, leaving a lasting impression.

The Second Interview

What to do when invited back for the all important second interview and knowing how it differs to a preliminary interview.

• Your Unique Selling Points – Recognising what sets you apart and how best to present this to the interviewer.

• Getting Feedback Before the Second Interview – Establishing feedback sources and in preparation for the second interview.

After the Interview – Not Getting the Job

How to conduct yourself after hearing the bad news and creating a plan for maintaining visibility and putting yourself in the frame if the preferred candidate turns the role down.

After the Interview – Getting the Job

Developing a list of pros and cons to help determine if you want to take the role.

• Renegotiating Salary – Knowing how to negotiate if salary is the only stumbling block to taking the role.

A Model for Interview Success

Bringing the learning together through a fun activity that highlights the key points from the training.