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?

The growing demand for graduates means employers rely on more rigorous selection processes to ensure they recruit the best candidates. Employers use a range of selection tools throughout the recruitment process to efficiently and quickly shortlist the most suitable candidates. These tools may include any or all of:

  • 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 will be assessed on many points, including your:

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

Approaching an interview

A positive way of approaching the 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 those factors under your influence. View the interview as a conversation with a purpose.

  • 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 references
  • bring a pen and notepad
  • prepare your own questions to ask the employer.

Types of interviews

Interviews take many forms, including:
• Face-to-face interview in either a one-on-one scenario, in front of a panel of employers, or in a group with other applicants.
• Telephone interview.
• 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 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.

What is Behavioural-Based Interviewing (BBI)?

An increasingly 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 will 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?

Let’s take an above question and give a sample response using the STAR technique as outlined below:

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 helped prepare and serve 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 both 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 the customer had been dining alone. The customer appreciated the effort and felt satisfied that future meals at the café would be enjoyed.

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