It’s not news that Job Seekers typically hate interviewing. While a non-negotiable aspect of recruitment, it’s enough to make most people sick to their stomach. I personally love interviewing. I find I’m at my best when telling someone about how amazing I am, but that’s just me. For the most part people find the entire process nerve-racking! We have 10 top interview tips that will get you interview ready!
It’s not all as dooms-day as it seems and the way to tackle your interview head on is to ensure you are prepared for anything that may arise. This article is all about getting you prepared and ready to kick some interview backside.
Before attending an interview you should think about your responses to the following interview tips. Write them down and practice the way you would communicate these very important interview points. Your answers must be specifically related to the job and organisation in question.
1. Why do you want this job?
This question is really important. You should communicate very clearly to your interviewer why you feel passionately about this specific job opportunity. Stress the positive aspects to your application. Do not mention the negative elements of your current/previous job or the job to which you’re interviewing for.
2. What qualities do you think will be required for this job?
The job advertisement will definitely help you here. You should think of the qualities that may be required to fulfill this role. These may include your leadership ability, supervisory skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc.
3. What can you contribute?
This is your chance to really shine. Tell your interviewer about your achievements to date in your previous or current positions. I like to pre select at least two professional stories that talk to my high-achieving nature. Ensure these complement the job description at hand.
4. Why do you want to work for this company?
Emphasize the positive reasons contributing to your application. Ask yourself why you want to join their company, culture, industry and brand. Avoid aspects such as more money or shorter hours.
5. What do you know about this company?
This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their company. Make sure you do your research and give your interviewer a run down of their products/services, sales figures, news, company figures, customers, etc.
6. Why should we employ you?
The answer to this question will be based on your previous experience and achievements related to the company. At the end you could add that you think there is a good fit between you and the job, and feel free to ask the interviewer if they agree.
7. Why did you choose a career in…?
Be positive about your reasons. If you have changed careers make a logical argument as to why you did so.
8. Are you considering any other positions at the moment?
If you are say so, but do not give too many details away - it will weaken your negotiating position later. If you do not have any other job offers at the moment just say that you have a few irons in the fire.
9. 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 remuneration based on this figure. This may be satisfactory 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 substantially lower than the rate for the job, or if you want a substantial salary rise? In these cases you would be best advised to say that you do not really want to prejudice yourself by being 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).
10. 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. If you are applying for a specific vacancy you could ask them what the salary range is. Once they have answered you could say "I think my experience would place me at the top end of your range, don't you?" If they ask you this question fairly early on in the interview you could delay answering by saying "It is hard to discuss salary without first knowing a little bit more about the job and the responsibilities."
For more detailed information feel free to contact us or apply for any roles at Reddotrec