APPLICATION ESSENTIALS
Confident interviews If you have been invited to interview, you have convinced the employer that you are suitable for the role on paper. An interview is your opportunity to confirm this impression, and demonstrate that you are what the hiring manager is looking for.
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Remember interviews work both ways: you’re interviewing the prospective company as well as being interviewed. I built up a good rapport during my Arup interview and knew the people I’d met would be great to work with but it definitely wasn’t like that for all other interviews. Don’t be afraid to turn down a job offer if you don’t think it’s the right fit for you. Tabitha Kennedy, Environmental Consultant, Arup. BA Geography, Hertford, 2016
Read more about Tabitha’s recruitment experience in the energy sector alumni profiles.
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How to prepare
Repeat the preparations detailed throughout this section, but in more depth. Re-read the job description and candidate specification, and ensure that you understand the job and the competencies required. Be clear about the points you absolutely want to make, and practice building them into different answers. As a starting point, prepare some answers to typical questions, and practice answering them aloud. Articulating your answers is harder than thinking them over in your head, and saying them aloud will help you to sound more convincing and fluent on the day. Be clear on your motivations: why you want to work for the organisation and do that specific job. Be ready to show commercial awareness: Consider how recent global events, current affairs and the economy may affect the organisation.
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www.careers.ox.ac.uk
