INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

I have prepared this as a general guide to help you get the interview process right. Some points are glaringly obvious, but it does not hurt to spend time thinking about all aspects of interviewing, for you rarely get second chances in this game.

PREPARATION

Think of an actor, musician or sports person and the amount of time they spend preparing in relation to the time spent performing. You only have 45 minutes to 1 hour to perform in your interview and it is therefore imperative that you have planned what you want to say and how it is going to be said. There are three main areas to preparation:

0 Researching the company for which you are interviewing. Not only will you have a better idea of what you are potentially letting yourself in for, but it provides you with ammunition to drop into either your answers, or your questions at the end of the interview: eg. ‘I understand that last year your company merged with Company X. How do you see this affecting the finance department and what will it mean in terms of opportunities for advancement?’ It is obvious that if an interviewer is faced with two candidates who are equally suitable for a role, they will favour the one who has put in the effort to research the company. Either use the Internet as a resource or contact the company asking them to send relevant information. If you can’t be bothered to do the research, expect the job to go to someone who can.

1 Preparing yourself. It is now common practice for interviewers to focus on key competencies - skills or attitudes that are necessary to the role in question. Most interviews will follow a structure that is designed to bring out those qualities. The questions should be answered by giving specific examples from your background that highlight the relevant competencies. Therefore it is