The Interview Process

Congratulations – your application checked all the boxes and you’ve reached the next stage of the process. But what should you expect from this stage, and how do you prepare?

Employers use a range of rigorous selection tools throughout the recruitment process to efficiently and quickly shortlist the most suitable candidates. These tools may include any or all of the following:

  • application form
  • telephone or face-to-face interview
  • psychometric assessment
  • assessment centre
  • final interviews.

What is an interview?

A job interview is basically about selling one thing – YOU. It’s your chance to convince the employer you are the right person for the job. Through your interactions with the employer you’ll be assessed on many points, including your:

  • skills
  • strengths
  • weaknesses
  • qualifications
  • attitude
  • aptitudes
  • motivation
  • maturity.

Approaching an interview

A positive way of approaching an interview is to see it not as a contest but more a marketing exercise – a performance. By concentrating on the performance rather than the outcome, your focus will stay on the areas under your influence. View the interview as a conversation with a purpose.

Pre-interview preparation checklist

  • Review your résumé for key points.
  • Review the job description.
  • Dress professionally and appropriately – it shows you’re serious about the position.
  • Know where to go.
  • Be on time.
  • If possible, know the name of the interviewer
  • Bring extra copies of your résumé and reference list.
  • Bring a pen and notepad.
  • Prepare your own questions to ask the employer.

Types of interviews

Interviews take many forms, including:

  • face-to-face interviews in either a one-on-one scenario, in front of a panel of employers, or in a group with other applicants
  • phone interviews.

Ask the format ahead of time, as this can help you prepare.

Phone interviews

These should be conducted as if you were meeting the interviewer(s) face-to-face:

  • find a quiet place to set up
  • have a copy of your résumé ready
  • prepare notes on any points you’d like to make
  • prepare questions to ask the employer
  • you can even dress in business attire to put yourself in a more focused, professional frame of mind.

During the interview

Be aware of a few key points when in the interview room:

  • give a firm handshake
  • maintain eye contact
  • remember names
  • keep on topic with your conversation
  • don’t waffle
  • thank the interviewer(s) at the conclusion.

Types of questions

Common to most interviews are the types of questions that might be asked. Examples might include:

Why should we employ you?

This is an invitation to sell yourself based on your knowledge of the organisation, your interest in the position, and attributes relevant to the employer’s needs.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

This question draws out your ambition, motivation and ability to look ahead. Be realistic in your expectations and demonstrate you have given some thought to your future.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

The employer is interested in your assessment of your own abilities. Use examples for reinforcement. When speaking of weaknesses answer in a positive way – express your desire to learn more about a certain area, or describe the action you have taken to address a weakness.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

The employer is interested to know why this achievement is important to you and what obstacles you had to overcome to succeed.

Behavioural-based interviewing (BBI)

A popular interview technique used by employers is behavioural-based interviewing. BBI assumes that future behaviour is most accurately predicted by past behaviour. Through questions designed to probe for specific skills, employers assess your prior experiences to anticipate future actions. This technique provides insight into your professional and personal conduct from a case study perspective. Review your résumé and think of specific situations that demonstrate certain personal/professional qualities.

Examples of BBI-style questions include:

  • Describe a time you worked in a team environment. How did you contribute? What did you learn?
  • Describe an important goal you set for yourself, and your success in reaching it.
  • Describe a difficult situation in which you had to think quickly to resolve the issue.
  • Give an example of a situation in which you successfully communicated with a person with whom you had personal differences (or vice-versa). How did you achieve this?
  • Describe a time when you had an unhappy customer/client who proved difficult to satisfy. How did you handle the situation, and what was the result?

How do I respond to BBI questions?

STAR TECHNIQUE:

Situation: a specific scenario you were in
Task: the role or project you were required to complete
Action: what you did to complete this task
Result: the outcome of your action and what you learnt

Let’s take one of these questions and give a sample response using the STAR technique outlined above:

Question: Describe a time when you had an unhappy customer/client who proved difficult to satisfy. How did you handle the situation, and what was the result?

Situation: I worked in a café as a waiter. A customer placed an order at the counter and, after receiving a table number, complained that personal service was disappearing from many eateries. The customer felt diners were treated simply as numbers, rather than individuals.

Task: Provide a positive experience for the customer.

Action: I explained that table numbers were provided because multiple staff prepared and served food, and it helped prevent confusion if a different waiter visited the table. I told the customer that in spite of this I understood the concerns. I made sure to personally deliver the meal to the table, offered to refill the customer’s water, and checked on the table during and after the meal to ensure the customer was comfortable.

Result: The customer approached me after the meal to thank me for the personalised service and for taking the time to converse, as they had been dining alone. The customer appreciated the effort and felt satisfied that they would enjoy future meals at the café.

This example illustrates various skills you possess: initiative; willingness to address the needs and concerns of others; ability to provide quality customer/clientele service; communication skills; and problem solving capabilities. Each provides the interviewer with insight into your professional and personal acumen.

Your questions

An interview is a two-way street. Asking the interviewer questions reinforces your interest in the position and organisation, and also provides an opportunity to find out more. Avoid asking questions that indicate ignorance or lack of preparation, that have already been answered, or that focus on the benefits (e.g. salary). Examples of questions to ask include:

  • What induction/training programs do you have?
  • How are industry changes impacting on organisational direction?
  • What do you enjoy most about working for the organisation?
  • I’ve read your organisation highly values its community involvement. Tell me about participating in these projects.

Post-performance

Treat every interview as a learning experience. Take notes on difficult questions, and if possible, seek feedback from the interviewer and incorporate their suggestions in your next performance. Immediately after the interview you may like to send a short, professional email thanking the interviewer for their time – it’s a perfect way to reiterate your interest.

The numbers

grads do better
Research has shown that the median salaries of younger bachelor degree graduates are consistently higher than those of 20-24 year olds in the wider population.

(Graduate Salaries 2009, GCA; bachelor degree graduates aged less than 25 and in their first full-time job; Australian citizens and permanent residents only.)