Acing the interview

WHAT’S NEXT?

Interviews can sometimes feel like outof-body experiences, where a ghost-like version of yourself floats above you, facepalming when you say the wrong thing or whooping when you nail it. You can generally tell when you’ve had a good interview by how you feel when you leave the room. Like a good date, it makes you walk down the street a little taller, feeling rather pleased with yourself. On the other hand, a bad interview is much like a bad date that makes you cringe and feel dispirited. You can’t help replaying the bad moments in your head and groaning audibly at something you said or didn’t say.

There is always an element of luck to an interview. Maybe it’s the kind of day you had or the personality of the interviewer, but these things can end up unnecessarily defining your experience. This need not be the case. If you prepare thoroughly and really know what you’re talking about, you can take luck out of the equation and ace that interview every time.

THE DOs AND DONTs

A lot of the advice for acing your assessment-centre experience applies to the interview scenario as well. In an interview, there is less time to recover from mistakes. On the bright side, you only have to stay focused and attentive for one to two hours max instead of a whole day, which is often the case for assessments.

Sometimes, knowing what not to do is as helpful as knowing what to do. We’ve given you some do’s and don’ts to guide you through the interview process.

Research and prepare meticulously: find as much information as possible about the company and job. If possible, look for the interviewer’s name to address the person properly. You should convince the recruiter that you are well-informed about the job’s requirements. Aside from that, be ready to prove how you can become valuable and a good fit to the company. ■ Do check if the company has been in the news. If appropriate, drop that into the conversation to show that you’ve done your homework. ■ Don’t go into an interview with a halfbaked idea of the role you’ve applied for and what the company does. You may certainly have questions about the company or may like some clarity on certain aspects of the role. As long as they are intelligent questions, the recruiter will be impressed that you were interested enough to ask.

Update your professional networks: these should be consistent with the CV you used to apply for the job. Any stark differences or an obviously out-of-date professional profile may frustrate an employer who is trying to find out more about you.

Remember everything you need for the

interview: if there are physical documents or devices you were asked to bring, do not forget them! Otherwise, this will immediately start the interview off on a bad footing, with you coming off looking forgetful and disorganised – not attractive traits of a future employee!

Prepare yourself mentally: this is an often overlooked tip that could make the world of difference. Take the time to de-stress. Talk the butterflies out of your stomach, think constructively about what you’ll say and how you’ll act in the interview, and put yourself in a positive and confident state of mind. This will help to put you at ease when you get to the interview stage.

Be professional and relaxed in your

attitude: you want to give off an impression of being happy and enthusiastic about proving yourself. Employers may be able to detect that you are nervous, which is to be expected, but they will be looking to see how you conduct yourself under pressure. ■ Don’t dress too casually. This gives off an impression that you are not taking the interview seriously. Aim to look neat, smart and composed. Also, be respectful during the interview. Keep your phone on silent mode and out of sight. Be prepared to talk! Recruiters often bemoan the fact that candidates come in for interviews only to answer questions or finish a conversation with one-word answers. The whole purpose of the interview is to give the employer a sense of what you are like, how you communicate and what you are capable of. They can’t do that successfully if you barely speak to them!

Relevance is key: talking about something irrelevant to the job or company you’ve applied to is taking away precious minutes that you could be using to position yourself as the perfect person for the job.

Be prepared for technical and behavioural

questions. Research some practice questions, so you know what to expect. Practise logically talking your way through a problem or situation and ensure that your communication is clear and concise. ■ Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity. Take notes if you need to, but ask your interviewer if that’s okay beforehand.

Show positivity: always answer in the affirmative when an employer asks if you have any questions for them. If you say no, this communicates a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the role. While you’re doing your research and prep for the interview, note down some questions along the way.

■ Do use language that reflects the image of an ideal employee based on the employer’s mindset. Something like, ‘So

I’ve come into work, settled in with my coffee and checked my emails for the morning. What would I be doing next?

What does a typical day in my role look like?’ ■ Don’t get too caught up on questions about company perks because this may be off-putting to a potential employer. You can still find ways to indirectly draw out this information, but a better focus would be on company culture.

Have a strong closing: This is your last shot at setting yourself apart as an ideal candidate. Express your enthusiasm for the role and your interest in working for the company. Inquire about the next steps and commit verbally to following up with an e-mail. Once you do this, however, that e-mail must get sent as quickly as possible. ■ Don’t just say ‘Thanks’ and leave the room.

This doesn’t leave much of an impression at all.

WHAT SORT OF QUESTIONS CAN I EXPECT TO BE ASKED?

■ Why did you leave your last job? Try not to be too negative here, especially if what made you leave your last job is something you are likely to encounter in the new role. ■ What did you like most about your last job? Is there any aspect of this new role that resembles your last job?

Mentioning something like this would definitely please an employer who wants to feel that you will enjoy your new role if you are the successful applicant. ■ What did you like least about your last job? Again, don’t be too negative and try not to pin the blame on anyone.

Stating that you are simply looking for a different challenge usually suffices. ■ Do you prefer to work alone or as part of a team? It’s probably recommended not to commit to one or the other.

Convey your ability to do both. An ideal candidate is one who adds value to any team they are in but can also work individually without too much handholding. ■ Where do you see yourself in three to five years? If your mid- to long-term plan has nothing to do with the industry or field you are in, do not mention it.

Stick instead to a safe option like becoming a people manager or working in another side of the business. ■ What are your weaknesses? One of the biggest pet peeves of employers are candidates who answer this question with claims like ‘I’m a perfectionist’. Think seriously about what you may find challenging in your professional life and be honest about it, but mention what you are doing to combat that difficulty. ■ Questions about your technical skills: have situational examples ready from your previous experience that clearly demonstrate your skills and capabilities.

As a graduate, you may not have 100 per cent of the prerequisite skills being asked for in the job description. Don’t worry. Be honest about this knowledge gap and make it clear that you are committed to solving it as you progress in your career. ■ Technical tests/questions around technical challenges: what an employer is looking for here is not so much the correct answer but the correct approach and communication.

They want to see how your mind works when you have a problem to solve, as well as how clearly you can articulate that problem and develop an approach for fixing it on the spot. ■ Questions about salary: research beforehand what the market salary rate is for your role, so you will have an idea of whether the company’s offer is above, on par with or below the standard rate.

Especially in a graduate role, you may not be able to negotiate a higher salary but knowing the industry standard will be useful for your own decision-making.

If the salary is way below the market rate, this should be a red flag for you. ■ Brainteasers: these can be pretty disconcerting when you’re not expecting them. Part of their purpose is to show employers how you react and communicate under pressure. Ask for clarity if you need to and then work through the puzzle or riddle slowly, so your interviewer can get a sense of your problem-solving approach.