PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

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Introduction – Understanding the Interview Process

When you make the commitment to seek a job interview, you are entering a process which will test you, a process which requires you to focus on your career, your achievements, your preferences at work and your behaviours. Most importantly it will require you to be objective about your skills; abilities achievements and personality, what you really enjoy and prefer to do at work and in what company and team culture you will be successful.

Again, we stress that you read the book, ‘What Color is Your Parachute?

What will you be asked at the interview?

Many good candidates let themselves down by not thinking through the interview process. In broad terms the interviewer wants to understand:

  • How and why your career has developed the way it has.
  • In concise, accurate terms the scope of your key responsibilities in your recent roles (particularly over the last ten years).
  • The depth of your industry and technical knowledge.
  • Details of your key achievements in each role.
  • The skills and knowledge you would bring to a role.
  • What you seek in your next company and position.
  • Who you are.
  • The way you operate at work (for example, detailed, analytical, a finisher, cares for and supports the team, problem solver, entrepreneurial, leader, driver of customer service).
  • How you like to be managed.
  • How you manage others.
  • How you want your career to develop.
  • The details of your remuneration package and the package you will accept if offered the position.

b. Typical interview questions
c. What to do before the interview
d. What to do during the interview
e. What to do after the interview