INFO GURU

When You Are Preparing For The Interview:

Great news, give yourself a pat on the back and well done you’ve got an interview for a new job. You have obviously impressed your future potential employer with your CV and your application form to be offered an interview in the first place. You have probably beaten many other applicants but something in your application has made you stand out from the other candidates.

An employer isn’t looking to employ any old person to fill their job hence they have already sifted through all of the applications and compiled a shortlist which you are on! Now all the interviewer needs to do is choose which candidate to fill their job and the only way they are going to do this is meet each applicant in person. There are many variables in choosing a new person for a job, what one employer classes as an important quality another may not. Some feel experience is an important factor others value qualifications or team management skills or a combination of both. What you have got to remember is that you will have to make a lasting impression on the interviewer to get you nearer to securing that new job. Your future employer is going to have to make a choice from several applicants one which inevitably will be a hard decision to make. After all, summing up candidates suitability in a few short hours isn’t easy for any interviewer so you must make an impression. Its no easier sitting in an interviewers shoes than being a candidate. If you go well prepared then you are able to manipulate an interviewer to your benefit to get across your strengths.

Prior To The Interview:

Remember your employer knows all about the job they are looking to fill - what it entails and what qualities they are looking for in a potential candidate. They also have a fair amount of information about you – your CV and application form and it’s always a good idea to take a copy of this with you to the interview. The interviewer will have a checklist of areas they are looking to satisfy themselves over to ensure you can do the job which will encompass some general interview questions and some questions specifically about you as a person such as your interests, hobbies and what you like outside of the workplace.

How Will The Interview Be Structured?

Most interviews follow a fairly similar simple format. Usually you will be invited into the interview room, offered a drink of tea, coffee or water etc and then sometimes a bit of casual chat such as “how was your journey?” – you get the idea! Next your interviewer will ask some general questions, such as “Tell me about yourself” or “Are you an organised person”. They may then ask you questions about your CV such as “You say you are good at time management can you give us an example”. Once the interviewer feels that they have satisfactory answers to all their questions they will then give you the opportunity to answer any questions you may have about the job, the company etc.

Convincing Your Interviewer & Offering Them Reassurance:

It is really important at the interview stage that the interviewer feels happy about all of the areas they have covered. They may keep going back to specific questions if they don’t feel they have got the answer they require – this is often a good sign as it means they are taking your application serious and they may just want reassurance in one or two areas. If you can put their mind at rest it will may you a far stronger contender. If you haven’t been asked any questions you have either done a fantastic job at clarifying all of their concerns and queries or you are unlikely to have got the job. So try and be as open as you can be – without going on and on. Also - and I know it’s not always easy to judge - if you think there is an area that the interviewer has covered and is uncomfortable with try get your point across. There are certain areas that can will cause concern to an employer such as lack of experience or missing periods or employment during your career which have simple answers to them but if your potential employer doesn’t have a good because they haven’t asked you a question about them they are going to be wary so if you think something is bothering the interviewer try and offer a good form of explanation. If you are well prepped before the interview and you think there is an area of your career history that might make your interviewer a little wary you will can have a sensible answer ready and avoid feeling left speechless when the interviewer says – “Why is there a 18 month gap in your employment history”.

Being Interviewed For A Job By Your Existing Employer:

An interview is an interview! Should you be applying for promotion or a change of job in your existing company then your existing employer will have a lot of the current information about you already, such as timekeeping or time management skills, your personal details etc, etc. Other than these details the interview will follow the same structure as any other interview however specific questions about your current position may well come into play and have a more dominant effect on the meeting. It may be that there are certain areas that the interviewer will already know about you but they still may ask you about them things like “How well do you work under pressure and meeting targets?” they will already know this as you work form them but it may well be that they want you to answer this question anyway so just go ahead and give them the answer they want to hear!

Just because you already work for this employer don’t treat the interview any differently to an interview being conducted by a new employer. Sure the interviewer may already know you so the start of the interview may well be a little less informal in their greeting but once you get down to business and the interview commences treat the interview as if you were applying for a job outside of your current employer. Good point of useful information; don’t crack jokes about people you work with or perform chit chatter about Joe in accounts – it isn’t perceived professional and it will do you no favours in your career advancement.

Be Prepared For The Questions That Will Be Asked:

It’s almost impossible to know exactly what questions are going to be asked at the interview but you can expect that there are certain areas that will be likely to be explored. So brief yourself on the skills required to do the job including the experience you have to do it. Think about questions that may arise from the answers you have given on your application and lastly consider any questions that may arise regarding your CV as previously mentioned such as breaks in your career, work experience and so on. If you work in a sales role you will already understand the importance of preparation prior to meeting a new customer or trying to close a deal and it’s no different when presenting yourself at an interview trying to win a new job. You need to “Prepare Your Offensive”, “Do Your Research”, and “Prepare For The Meeting”. The better prepared you are the more professionally and accurately you will be able to answer each question and this will put both you and the interviewer at ease.

Prepare Your Offensive:

Hey going into an interview is no different to going into battle and the end result is to come out the winner! The better your offensive is the more chance you have at winning the interviewer over. Your objective is to win. How are you going to do this? Well you need to know where you are going and how you are going to get there. You need to know what traps or pitfalls there are along the way so the best practice is to plan and be prepared. Simple isn’t it – so what have you got to do? Well you have got to win over the interviewer and the only way of doing this is by convincing him, or her, that you are the man, or woman, for the job. You are going to do this by showing the interviewer that you know about their organisation, know about the job, know how to do the job and would be the best person for the role. The only way you are going to do this is by preparation so you can present yourself as cool, calm, collected but not too cocky! If you have ever played a new computer game or purchased a new item of equipment you know that your job is going to be much easier if you get the instructions our first to work out how to operate the thing than to go rushing in all guns firing without doing any research.

Do Some Research About The Employer:

Now I am no easy employer to work for, I have allocated time to you to attend my interview and by doing so I have had to spend some time reading through your CV and particulars. So in return I think as I have invited you to attend an interview the least I expect is for you to have taken the time to do a bit of research about my company and what we do. Not every employer takes this stance but many do. If you do a little research this will show the interviewer or employer that you have at least put some effort into trying to get this job. Besides which, are you really looking to apply to work for a company you know nothing about, if so you can’t really be that serious about the interview. It’s really simple to do research on a company by getting hold of the companies sales brochures, report and accounts (not so easy if it is only a small employer), looking at the companies web site, or by researching local news items by visiting the local library and searching the newspaper archives outlining press releases – it’s easy to do just visit your local library and explain what your after and I am sure they will help you out. Remember you get out of life what you put in – invest time and effort and your efforts will be rewarded. If you want a copy of the report and accounts the easiest thing to do is ring up the receptionist and ask for a copy, you could say something like “I’ve got an interview with your company and I would like to find out a bit more about the firm so could you send me some information” hey, most secretaries are helpful if they think you are a potential “newbee” and in any case they usually have some info just lying around.

Be Prepared For The Interview:

There are several areas that you must be ensure you have covered when preparing for the interview, the first fundamental one being not to be late for the meeting!. A few days before the big day plan your route, if you are going by car have a trial run and see how long it takes you to get there, the same goes for if you are going by bus or train. When you have determined how long it is likely to take you add half an hour to the journey. If you’re early so what? You can always have a drink or read your magazine but one thing is for sure you will be calm and ready whereas if you are running late you will be on edge – not a good start to an interview. Take a phone with you (or money to use a phone box) just in case something happens. It is very discourteous to be late and it really annoys some people so you aren’t going to get off to a good start on that basis. Just as a pointer it’s always a good idea to take a pen and paper with you or alternatively a briefcase or handbag with a pen and paper in it.

Do First Impressions Count? You Bet They Do!

You would be very surprised at what can be ascertained from the first few moments in some ones presence. An interviewer or employer will discover a great deal about you in a relatively small amount of time by use of their experience in body language. It’s a bit like when you make new friends, generally speaking you know within a few moments of meeting a person for the very first time whether you will like them or not (despite knowing very little about their background). I personally think it is some form of basic primate instinct. So your first few seconds are fairly vital when you walk into that interview room or are greeted by your employer. We all give out different signals and these can be influenced by the way you dress to your body language. In my opinion good body language starts with a firm handshake (that’s firm - don’t shake their hand off!) and being smartly dressed. Don’t bathe in perfume or aftershave as strong smells often give off an overpowering smell and can be very off putting. Not everyone has the same taste in cologne and there is nothing worse than being stuck in a room with a smell that makes you feel ill. It’s always best to be clean and neutral!

Prior To Attending Your Job Interview:

It’s always a good idea (and I think a courteous one which shows manners and initiative) to confirm with your prospective interviewer the interview arrangements by letter once you have been invited to attend the interview. This doesn’t need to be a long winded letter it can just be brief confirming the time and place of the interview. It also gives you the opportunity to send in any documents that the interviewer may wish to see in advance or anything you may have omitted to send when you originally enclosed your CV and job application form.

Dress Code - What Clothes Should You Wear For Your Job Interview?

It’s always a tough call when trying to decide what to wear for a job interview. Traditionally men always wore their smartest suit and tie and the same could be said for women – either a nice skirt and blouse or a suit. However things have changed a lot since the old days, for example if you are going to work for an IT firm or Graphic Designers then the dress code may be smart but casual - by the same token if you are going to work for a firm of Solicitors, Accountants or Insurance Brokers then the chances are the dress code is going to be formal so it can be a hard call to decide what to wear for your interview. If you are applying for an internal job then this won’t apply to you as you will already know what standard of outfit is or isn’t acceptable at your place of work. There are two fairly simple ways to ascertain what type of dress code your potential future employer demands and these are as follows:

1. Drive up to the offices or workplace at a time when the staff will be arriving or leaving – this will give you a good indication of what types of clothes the other employees are wearing.

2. Pick up the phone and ring up the interviewers’ secretary and ask her what is the typical dress code of the company – as previously mentioned secretaries generally speaking are always keen to offer assistance to the “newbie’s”!

As a pointer it’s always a good idea to “Dress Above The Rest” at an interview – remember you are out to make a special impression so although you will want to fit in if you get the job you need to be appointed first! So a pretty simple rule - if the companies dress code is casual then you need to be dressed casually but a little smarter, for example if the other employees are wearing trousers and open neck shirts then it would be a good idea for you to wear trousers, a tie and a smart jacket. If the dress code is a suit and tie then you need to wear your best suit and tie – get the picture it’s pretty easy for you to judge for yourself. Another good point is when you are invited into the interview don’t ever remove your jacket without be asked. If the room is hot – well quite frankly that’s just a bit of tough luck. I have to admit I have always kept my jacket on even when my interviewer has offered for me to remove it – my reason being that we all perspire during stress and there is nothing worse than seeing perspiration marks around the arms of your shirt!! So what type of clothes should you wear at your interview? Well it’s an individual’s choice really. However I would steer well clear of bright outrageous ties if you are a man as not every interviewer will share your love of cartoon characters such as the Simpson’s - try and settle on neutral colours. Finally as previously mentioned it’s a bad idea to wear overpowering aftershave or perfume – it can be very off putting to others.

On Arrival At Your Job Interview:

If you are organised you will have arrived at your interview in good time and if so you will have a few moments to compose yourself and utilise the rest room before your big moment. If at the office there are some bathrooms in the waiting area (or if not just ask someone to direct you to them) go and make a few final checks on your appearance. You might want to comb your hair, use the lavatory (make sure you do up your zippers) or adjust your make up if you are a lady. This time will give you the opportunity to make sure you are ship shape and looking a million dollars, it will also give you reassurance so that once you are in the interview you don’t have to worry about whether you have done your zips up or whether your hair looks tidy – issues that are important but that you don’t want to have to worry whilst trying to win over the interviewer. It’s always a good idea if you have a briefcase and are wearing a tie to take a spare just in case you spill something down it before going into the interview. It’s easily done I was once attending an interview and on the way I stopped to drink a can of coke as I had arrived early. To say I was mortified when I spilt it down my tie is an understatement. I had no spare and apologised profusely to my interviewer who was very kind and said it didn’t matter but I still spent the entire interview worrying about it and my performance was definitely hindered by it. A lesson learned to say the least!

When Your Interviewer Comes Out To Take You Into The Interview – Or When You Are Called Into The Interview Room:

OK, in my opinion this is the most stressful time of the interview – and when my heart beats the most! This is the time when you are entering the unknown – new surroundings, new people (sometimes as many as four or five) a strange room. As I have stated before you need your maximum concentration at this point as “First Impressions” do count. So how do you greet your interviewer? Firstly look your interviewer in the eyes and smile, everyone likes a smiley face, I don’t mean beam like a Cheshire cat - just a pleasant friendly smile. Secondly, offer your hand out to shake (remember don’t squeeze the interviewers hand until it turns blue – just a firm professional handshake) and offer a greeting (“Hello very pleased to meet you” or something like that). Your interviewer will then either take you into the interview room (or you may already be in there as you have been called in) and offer you a seat. Please do not just sit down when you enter the room, wait to be offered a seat – it’s good manners.

The interview is going to start along the lines of chit chat, you will probably be asked how you journey was etc, etc and then offered a drink. Depending on the type of person you are and how well you cope with nerves (and remember we all have them, from the person applying for a job flipping burgers in a burger house to the Executive applying for a new £ 250K per year position) it’s up to you whether you decide to accept a drink. You won’t be thought of any less should you not accept a drink (and if you think your hands are going to be shaking like a coconut tree in a hurricane every time you pick your cup up) it’s probably a good idea to decline. That way you won’t chance spilling the liquid all down your front should you really lose your nerves!

Nerves – Yep love them or hate them we all have them and they apply to everything we do in life – whether it’s a new job, a date, going to the dentist or being reprimanded. What are nerves? Well they are your bodies’ way of dealing with stress usually caused by a fear of the unknown, your body putting up a protective barrier to help you deal with the unknown. Symptoms include; dry mouth, shaky hands, sweating, thumping heart, faintness, feeling like you need to go to the bathroom – sound familiar! Everyone is nervous when attending a job interview – after all you are doing all this because you want to get that new job. Your body is releasing chemical called adrenalin which assists you in focusing your mind completely on the situation that you are dealing with. The secret is being able to manipulate and control your frame of mind and use that adrenalin to your advantage and not let it take over completely.

How Can I Control My Nerves?

The secret to controlling your nerves is to convince your brain that you have little to worry about. The reality is that we all get ourselves worked up far too much in the first place – we convince ourselves that we are going to under perform or embarrass ourselves beyond belief. After all I am sure you will have been in many situations where you have been a nervous wreck and once the situation is over (like at the end of an interview or coming out of the dentists) felt the overwhelming experience of calmness. Yes this is caused by your body relaxing and the adrenalin ceasing. So how can you combat this? Well it is really simple - all you need to do is be prepared and calm yourself and the nerves, to a degree, will be far less. I am sure you will have heard of the term “Mind Over Matter” well it is true. The brain and body are complicated things, you can convince yourself of anything if you want to and this can have a negative as well as positive outcome. So to deal with this issue and put your mind at rest (hence reducing your nervousness) it’s always a good idea to try and address the areas you need to deal with where you feel you will be an absolute failure if things go badly wrong. So lets just look at the major areas:

1. Drinks - should you or shouldn’t you? As I have mentioned before if you are offered a drink, be it tea, coffee or water and you think you are suddenly going to have an explosive fit and chuck your cup three foot in the air then don’t accept one. The only exception I can recommend here is Water. The reason being is that if you have a glass of water no one is going to notice if you did or didn’t drink it. However if you get stuck for something to say when asked a difficult question or you find your mouth is getting irritably dry it’s a good excuse to take a sip. While it doesn’t buy you a great deal of time it does give you chance to pause and reflect on the question a few moments before you give an answer.

2. Awkward Questions – Well unless you have a crystal ball you are not going to know what questions you are going to be asked at your interview. However if you know anything about the job then you can have a good second guess at what sort of questions are likely to come up and figure out some answers accordingly. Just remember how it was when you sat exams at school – you didn’t know which questions were going to come up so you revised all of them. Again as previously mentioned if there is a discrepancy in your CV and you think it may be an issue then try and think of an appropriate answer – don’t just ignore it and think to yourself “I hope they don’t mention that” – be prepared it will take the worry.

3. Shaky Hands! – Well I have to admit I always get shaky hands (and I am sure I am not alone on this issue!). There is no real definitive way of dealing with shaky hands really the only thing you can do is keep them under control by placing one hand on top of the other and keeping them on your lap. As you gain confidence throughout the interview and your mind drifts away from the issue you will find that the shaking will naturally ease and it should no longer prove a problem.

4. Dropping Or Tripping Over Your Briefcase Or Handbag – Come on, there’s absolutely no need to be clinging onto that briefcase or handbag. Place them on the floor (under your chair preferably) that way you aren’t going to drop them or fall over them when you get up! If you need a pen and paper (and it’s always good to have one) take them out of your attaché at the start of the meeting

5. Fear Of Sneezing or Having a Runny Nose – Again it all comes down to being prepared, make sure you take a handkerchief or tissue and have it somewhere accessible. It’s no good locked in your handbag or briefcase, place it in your pocket so you can get at it quickly should you need to.

Make Life Easier For Yourself At The Interview:

Now I am not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs but the night before your interview try and get a good nights sleep. Eat your evening meal earlier than usual and go to bed a bit earlier. Don’t go out on the lash with your mates until 2.00 am in the morning or for a curry or other meal that gives off a strong smelling after odour. As you will no doubt be aware garlic smells dreadful the next day and will ooze out of your pores for a good 24 hours after eating it so try and steer clear of meals that include this. Also alcohol stays in the blood stream for a fair while and you don’t want to be turning up at your new job interview feeling hung over and tired. If you are worried about your breath smelling then eat a mint before you go into the interview or use a menthol spray, you can but little handy ones from the chemist which will fit in your pocket.

On the morning of the interview (if the interview is in the morning) try and have some breakfast, I know it’s difficult to eat on a stomach that’s turning around faster that a washing machine on a full cycle spin, but food is for the brain and it will help you keep your mind on the job. Besides which if you don’t eat and have an empty stomach it is very likely that you will experience that intensely dreadful sickly feeling. If you have an interview during the afternoon see if you can catch an early lunch or if the interview is early evening try and eat a decent breakfast and catch a late lunch. Ideally you don’t want to eat more than two hours before the start of the interview to give your body the chance to digest your food.

If you are really strung out and feeling uptight just before your job interview begins then you can always try some breathing exercises. Now I am no therapist but I always find that breathing in deep breaths through your nose, holding it in for a few seconds and breathing out through your mouth helps. My doctor told me to try this when I was a bit younger and had problems dealing with stress and it seems to work for me to help me relax. Try and think happy thoughts whether they are about your children, your wife, husband, partner or whatever but try and think of something that makes you smile. It takes far more muscles to make you frown than it does to make you smile and using this technique you will automatically begin to feel the element of wellbeing. It will also temporarily take your mind off the situation ahead which will ease your stress and worry. When you get into the interview and are seated try and relax and get comfortable, I don’t mean slouch in the chair, but try and pick a position where you are not all screwed up like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Being comfortable will help relax all of your muscles including your legs, abdomen and chest ultimately making your breathing more relaxed. During your interview make sure you listen to each question posed to you properly, don’t try and think of an answer while your interviewer is still asking the question.

During The Interview – Selling Yourself:

So I have explained the ins and outs of preparing for your new job interview and dealing with the stress element leading up to and entering into the interview environment. You are now well dressed, have greeted your interviewer (s) correctly, created your comfortable sitting posture and are now ready to convince your interviewer that you are the man or woman that they have been searching for to fill that job opening. To some the actual performance comes easily, for others they have to work at it. Some people are natural born sales people and know how to sell themselves others are not so lucky. Generally speaking if you already work in a sales role (as I do) what I will explain next is really second nature and it is unlikely that I will be offering you anything that you don’t already know. Sales people are natural born performers whether it be due to their personality or due to the nature of the work they have previously carried out but the term “life is a stage and your on it” has never spoken truer than at a job interview. I have been on hundreds of sales courses and read many sales books over the course of my career such as “how to win friends and influence people” but it all comes down to one thing and that is getting a stranger to believe in you and or your product. At an interview you are one in the same and you therefore need to put on a good performance. There are many different qualities the interviewer is going to be looking for in their potential candidate which will encompass qualifications, experience, you as a person and the way that you integrate with others, your previous employment history, and your enthusiasm towards your career along with many, many other factors. So here are a few areas to consider – they are all really interlinked and if you can employ all of them at interview stage you are well on your way to getting that new job:

Show Your Interviewer That You Are Enthusiastic:

So what exactly is an interviewer employer looking for? Well firstly I would say enthusiasm. If someone asks you a question and you give a one word answer it doesn’t really look very enthusiastic. So the way to deal with this is to answer the question as deeply as you can. For example; Interviewer “Your background is in commercial liability underwriting but I see you are now involved in commercial property underwriting” don’t simply answer with a Yes or No answer, expand on it – so you could answer something along the lines of “Yes I was originally trained in liability underwriting, an area I spent several years working in which I thoroughly enjoyed. However I had the opportunity to expand my overall underwriting skills to encompass property underwriting so I jumped at the chance as I felt it would enhance my experience overall within my team”. Obviously you can tailor this to your own circumstances but you see what I am getting at – be enthusiastic don’t just give one word answers, make your interviewer interested in you and what you have done, show him that you really are passionate about everything you do. To the interviewer this shows that you will have enthusiasm and dedication to your new job should they decide to employ you.

Show Your Interviewer You Are A Confident Candidate And That You Know Your Stuff:

Another area where all sales people are naturals – confidence! I know it’s not always easy when you are under pressure and nervous to ooze confidence, but this is a really important area. The more confident you are (and I don’t mean being cock sure of yourself and making the interviewer look an idiot by being a smart arse!) the more chance you will have of bagging the job. Try and expand on your answers again in this area if you are asked a negative question try and respond with a positive confident answer. For example; Interviewer “You don’t appear to have done much cold calling for a while and this job will involve quite a large amount of self lead generation how do you feel about that” – you could answer along the lines of “Yes I haven’t been involved in cold calling for 6 months which has been quite disappointing to me as I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt that it was one of my strong areas. I really have missed this element of my work because I got the opportunity of speaking to new people each day and I really got a buzz when I finally closed a deal that I new I had generated from start to finish. Cold calling is an area I am keen to get back into and it’s a talent that I feel comes naturally to me”.

Show Your Interviewer That You Are Positive:

It’s easy to become negative about anything in life but in work life and a career environment but a positive person in the workplace can be a real asset to an employer. Positive people give off positive vibes and those good vibrations nearly always rub off on other employees. The end result creates a happy, proactive, enthusiastic work force which ultimately creates a better working environment and more efficient team. If you can demonstrate this quality to your interviewer at interview stage you will definitely impress them.

Watching Your Body Language:

Body language is an area that many interviewers will take seriously. What we do and how we do it can show underlying areas that do not have to be spoken to be picked up upon. Body language is an area that has been analysed for many, many years by professionals and interviewers alike and really is amazing what you can learn from someone just by their mannerisms. Just to give you an example - and as I have previously stated before I am no expert my knowledge has been gained from experience and research but if you ask a person a question and their eyes gaze up thoughtfully to the left hand side of their eyeball you know that the chances of there answer being true are high. If on the other hand they look up to the right of their eyeball the chances are they are searching for a made up answer to your question! There are certain exceptions to the rule but the theory is based upon the fact that the left side of your brain is where you retrieve data from, the right, is the fictional side of your brain! Interesting isn’t it and one to be aware of! Other areas that give off body language signals (without you knowing about them) are as follows:

Don’t:

1. Crossing Your Arms: Makes you look defensive.

2. Sit on the edge of your seat.

3. Mess with your face or play with your jewellery or hair.

4. Rock on the seat.

5. Interrupt when being asked a question.

6. Give one word answers (unless the answer dictates a one word answer!)

Do:

1. Smile as frequently as possible (especially when you are asked a question and respond to the person who has asked the question) but don’t over do it!

2. Keep your hands in your lap don’t wave them around all over the place.

3. Keep eye contact at all times (I don’t mean stare out your interviewer). If there is more than one interviewer flick from person to person.

4. Be articulate and listen carefully to each question before giving your answer.

5. Keep calm and don’t panic!

General Interview Guidelines – The Do’s and The Don’t’s!

Once your interview gets under way and the list of general questions that need to be asked by the interviewer are answered and providing at his point you haven’t managed to throw your tea cup 6 foot into the air because you have the jitters you should, if you have taken in what I have already said, begin to be feeling a little less nervous so you can really get down to business. Try and answer all of the questions the interviewer throws at you in a precise and confident manner. If your interviewer is asking a question and halfway through you wish to make a comment don’t interrupt (unless you really think that it is very, very appropriate – it’s bad manners). Ideally wait for the question to be fully delivered to you and give your answer even if it means saying to your interviewer “can I just pick up on the point you made in a previous question”. It is really difficult in this instance where you feel you want to pass comment on something you really feel passionate about but you have to try and bite your tongue. Nobody likes being interrupted and in my experience interviewers are all full of self importance and feel that their question is more important than your answer!

Answering Questions Posed To You By The Interviewer:

Your potential new employer is looking for a candidate that can do the job and will fit into his or her business. The chances are that the candidate is undoubtedly going to need to be a team player and a person who can listen and give enthusiastic and positive input into their job and daily work life. As the questions start to flow try and remember not to go on and on when giving your answers.

Try and keep your answers as precise (but not yes and no answers) as possible. If you are asked a specific question that requires you to provide an example of how you have dealt with a situation or closed a sale then give an example that makes your achievement stand out, if you have won the salesman of the year award then give a little background into how you achieved it. Inevitably there will be times when you run out of steam and these moments can be quite frustrating so just sit back and relax and take a few seconds to compose yourself before you deliver your answer to the question.

There are some people think that talking is more important than listening but they would be totally wrong. Being able to listen to a question without interruption is an art especially if you are genuinely interested in the subject but showing this quality will impress. If you are asked a question that you do not know the answer to try not to be tempted by lying and if you do you better make sure you keep your story straight. Answering a question with a lie can get you into big trouble and really achieves very little, after all the questions have been laid down to see if you are the person the interviewer is looking for and if you can’t give a straight answer then the chances are you are not the person for the job – don’t do it, it will all end in tears!

There are some employers that will ask you what you think of your previous boss. This is a trick question! They are really not in the slightest bit bothered whether you think your previous boss was a complete moron all they are trying to ascertain is whether you were a loyal employee and can act in a professional and neutral manner. After all if they offer you the job they will be your next boss! You also have to bear in mind that what goes around comes around – slating your old boss won’t achieve anything other than making you look petty and bitter – save that experience for when you are in the pub with your mates!

Different Types Of Interview Questions:

An interview will have a structured format and there will be several different types of interview questions set to enable the interviewer to gauge your response to technical as well as hypothetical questions. For example a Technical Question may involve specifics about the way a certain type of application is dealt with. Lets say you are applying for a job in the construction industry there may be certain questions set out to see how you would deal with a particular problem within a mechanical process. Hypothetical Questions can apply to any type of job role and they are designed to ascertain how you would deal with a situation or chain of events. Some less professional interviewers may also throw questions at you which are deliberately set to get your back up to judge how you deal with the situation but this is fairly rare and in any event to be honest any interviewer who engages in this type of underhand manoeuvre I don’t think would be a particularly good employer – just my opinion.

Types Of Interview:

If you haven’t had a lot of experience with attending interviews then you will not be aware of the different ways that employers are able to conduct interviews and the way that they are held. Aside from a traditional interview – one candidate and one interviewer, there are three different types of interviews and dependent upon the position involved will depend upon the type of interview you may have.

Firstly there is the Telephone Interview. This involves an interviewer calling you up and having a chat with you over the phone to judge your telephone skills. This often happens where the job may entail working in a call centre and the emphasis is on how well you perform on the telephone. This method is also sometimes used if the interviewer is trying to shortlist a group of candidates in a quick manner and is often carried out by an external recruiter such as an agency. You may or may not be told that you will be having a telephone interview it depends on the employer but if you have applied for a job where heavy telephone use is likely to be a major part of the job then this may be an option your interviewer will choose. The interview should be treated as any other interview and it’s a good idea to make notes as you go along if you can. If you are successful it may be that your interviewer will ask you there and then to attend a face to face interview so make sure you have a pen and paper to hand.

Another type of interview is what is known a Panel Interview. These are a bit more tricky and stressful than a one to one interview. A panel interview will usually have anything from three to six interviewers sitting in on the meeting. Basically this is a way of cutting down on time where the decision for the applicant needs to be discussed by several different members of the business. It could be that you are applying for a sales post and the interview needs the Sales Manager, HR Manager, Head Of Department and if the role involves some form of IT work one of the IT Managers. It’s always difficult attending these interviews as it can feel like you are one against many but it’s not set up like this for any nasty reason it’s just easier for the company. If you are faced with a Panel Interview try and always answer each question posed by each member of the panel back to the individual who has posed the question whilst casually glancing at the other members of the panel. Also when you enter the room you will obviously shake hands with the head of the panel or the person who has taken you in but whether you decide to shake all of the panels hands is a decision you will need to make at the time. If they all stand and offer their hands your decision will be made easier.

The final type of interview is a Sequential Interview. This can also be a tough type of interview leaving you feeling absolutely drained. Basically how this works is you will be interviewed by a series of different people, it might be that the HR Manager interviews you first, then the Sales Manager interviews you and then the Local Director. The chances are that each member of staff will have a different question to the last but there may be some overlap and you might find yourself answering the same questions twice!

Closing And Leaving The Interview:

Once the interview has finished and this should be fairly obvious as the interviewer will intimate that it has you will want to stand, pick up your briefcase or handbag from under the chair (if that’s where you put them) and shake hands with the interviewer (again in a firm but not grip wrenching manner!). Try and avoid the temptation to wipe your sweaty hands on your clothes in front of the interviewer – a better tactic is to just clench your hands together and rub them a couple of times gently to remove any wetness. Thank the interviewer for the time that they have afforded to you, say goodbye in a nice smiley manner and leave the room. Some people will escort you out onto the main floor others may see you out of the building but whichever try and stay as professional as possible – the jobs not yours until you have signed on the dotted line!

Generally speaking there are going to be certain questions that arise at your interview that you can pretty much expect to get asked at any other interview you attend. The great thing about this is the fact that you can rehearse your answers to these questions and with enough practice they will flow off your tongue easier than honey sipping down your throat! These questions are likely to be fired at all candidates applying for the job so although they may sound personal to you and they are to a degree these are pretty standard interview questions. So here goes you have to bear in mind that these are the responses that I would consider giving, they are obviously not set in stone and you will need to adapt answers according to your situation:

Tell Me About Yourself – Sounds a bit like the sort of question you get asked on a date! This isn’t as straight forward to answer as at first it might seem. Don’t start rambling on about how much you love watching the Simpson’s on the TV that isn’t what the interviewer is looking to hear. You probably need to answer this question with a question. Perhaps you could try saying “What would you like to know about me?” This then gives your interviewer the chance to get you to tell him exactly what information he is looking for. If possible try and keep this part of the interview to a minimum, you will know what the interviewer is looking for following his additional question which will probably have been something based around your job. If you can see if you can build into your response positives which relate to the job you are applying for. For example if it’s a sales role you could say “I am a very organised person who enjoys finding a new prospect, working with it and closing the deal, carrying out the completion from start to finish”. Sometimes your interviewer might ask about your hobbies and again you should pick out points that relate to the job your are applying for whether remote or not.

What Is the Most Enjoyable Part Of Your Current Job? - This is a fairly straight forward question but has a bit of a double meaning. Obviously there are going to be parts of your existing job that you don’t like doing – or you wouldn’t be applying for this new position would you, but your job can’t be that great either or you wouldn’t be applying for this job! Don’t get led down this route, just answer something along the lines of “your existing job is great and you can’t really put your finger on any part of your current job that you dislike you are just looking to further your career” and leave it at that. It is possible to use this question to your benefit but you need to make sure you pick something that is going to compliment the job you are applying for.

Tell Us About The Biggest Challenge You’ve Ever Faced In Your Career? - Oh wow, this is a really great question to help you shine! You are more than likely to be asked this question and it is a really great opportunity for you to blow your own trumpet or so to speak. Pick a challenge where you have been successful and explain how you overcame the challenge and the outcome. This question can also be used by the interviewer to gauge what you consider to be a challenge so this is a bit of a crafty one as well.

Why Do You Want To Leave Your Present Job? - This is a bit of a stupid question really as the chances of the interviewer getting a straight answer are fairly limited. Lets face it if the job your in doesn’t pay very well and you want more money you are going to be looking for a new job. It might be that your current boss is a complete idiot and you don’t like him, it could be you can’t stand working with John in accounts, lets face it you aren’t going to say any of these are you. I think a standard response along the lines of “I feel that I have outgrown the company I am in and I feel my contribution as part of a team could be put to much better use with a larger or more focused company where I can expand my skills further. I am really interested in……..but my existing employer doesn’t have the resources to let me advance in this area” and leave it at that. Just try not to be negative about the job you are leaving it doesn’t look good.

What Is Your Present Boss Like? - Another question posed by interviewers to gauge your loyalty and integrity. It is not a good idea to be critical about any of the employers you have ever worked for. Lets face it very few of us actually like our bosses (well most of us just placate them and tell them what they want to hear), after all why would you possibly want to be best buddies with a person who holds you career prospects in their hands! If you get asked this question the most appropriate reply is “I like my boss and get on very well with him, I respect his experience and he is good at his job”. You really don’t need to expand any further on this issue at interview stage. You have to remember that the person interviewing you may well, at some point in the near future, become your boss and they are weighing up your loyalty and integrity.

What Do You Think This Job Entails? - Now when you are applying for a new job the chances are you are going to know something about what your new job would entail. For example, if the job is a secretarial role and you are a secretary you will know what sort of work you are going to be involved with. In any case you will have been given a brief description of the job role and what responsibilities it carries with it so you should be able to make a fairly calculated guess at what the job entails.

What Do You Know This Organisation? - Now if you have taken my earlier advice you will have done your research and read up about what the company is involved in, its products, its turnover and its strategy. You will really impress your interviewer if you are able to show that you have done some research about their company. As previously mentioned people like to think that if you are really eager to work for them you will have done some research about what they do and how they do it. So lets say you are applying for a job with someone like Marks & Spencer you could say something like “I notice that you are one of the leading stores who operate a “Fair Trade Policy” when purchasing your goods from third world countries I have to say that I am very supportive of this and it’s nice to work for an employer who cares about the impact their business has on people in the outside world”.

What Made You Apply For This Job And Why Do You Want It? - This is a bit of a double edged question. Your interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for an answer here that is straight forward – you know you are applying for the job because you think you would enjoy doing it, the package is right and you think you would be able to advance your career with this firm – but the interviewer wants to see if there are some specifics that really attract you to it (other than the £ 50,000 per year and BMW 3 series!). So dependent upon what the role is you could use an answer such as “I am a very well organised person and this role involves exceptional management skills. I thrive under pressure and it makes me perform to my full ability which makes me think that I would really enjoy it”. Obviously you can tailor this answer to whatever role you are applying for.

What Qualities Do You Think You Can Bring To This Job Position? - Again, you know that you can do this job and that is why you have applied for it. Not only do you know that you can do the job, you will do it better than any one else so you will be aware of the qualities you are going to bring to this business. You will have reviewed the job spec and the key responsibilities so you will be able to select several areas where you feel your qualities will stand out. Perhaps you could therefore give an answer along the lines of “I have experience working in the complaints department where a sympathetic touch is required dealing with disgruntled customers. I am very tactful and am able to defuse situations using my personal skills”.

How Long Would You Expect To Work For Our Organisation? - Let’s face it no employer wants to go through the hassle and cost of hiring a new candidate if the candidate only stays with them for 6 months and then decides to apply to another firm. The recruitment process is a long an expensive one especially where agencies are used to introduce the candidate. This could cost your potential employer as much as 30% of your first year’s package! It’s probably a good idea therefore to intimate that you would like to work for this firm for several years minimum and you could provide an answer along the lines of “I like the way your company is continuing to expand and I would like to be part of that on a long term basis. So I would like to think that I could continue to work for you for a lengthy period of time providing my career continues to progress”.

What’s Your Greatest Strength? - Only you can answer this question, but it is a question that will more than likely be asked, after all, the interviewer wants to know what you are good at. This question gives you pretty much an open mandate to really show off, or so to speak. When answering this question try and provide strengths that relate to the role that you are applying for, so if the job requires the need to be organised and a good team leader provide these as strengths within your answer.

What Is Your Biggest Weakness? - Bit of a tricky question this, after all no one wants to show their weaknesses but we all have them. The most comprehensive way of dealing with this question is to try and turn it into a “positive” from a “negative”. So you could perhaps say “my biggest weakness is buying the kids sweets when they ask for them in the shop” or “I really dislike washing the car at the weekend but once I have done it I always feel a real sense of satisfaction”.

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years Time? - Don’t say as I have heard so many times “sitting in your job!” although I have a sense of humour most interviewers don’t. The remark often has an element of truth hanging in the background and you don’t want your interviewer thinking you are potentially a threat to his or her job in the future. I am sure you will have ideas about where you want to be in a few years most people, whether they put them down on paper or not, have a good idea of their long term career objectives. Try and answer the question positively but not too arrogantly – perhaps you could say offer an answer such as “I have always been very career minded and ambitious. I would like to keep progressing up the career ladder and feel that your organisation will be able to offer me that opportunity”.

What Would Your Work Colleagues Say About You? - This question provides another opportunity for you to demonstrate that you are easy to get on with, a team player and a generally amenable person who works well with other people. You could answer this question with a quote such as “I am an organised, approachable, dependable, easy to get on with team member who is always willing to offer my advice or assistance to colleagues where needed”. Don’t go over board with your answer making out you are something you are not – you may get away with stretching the truth but if you are not a “natural team leader” don’t say you are!

What Would Your Friends Say About You? - Obviously this question is similar to the one above. If you are a popular, kind, caring person who can be counted on and would help a friend out at the drop of a hat then let your interviewer know.

What Interests Do You Have Outside Of Your Work? - This will be a definite question (in my opinion) and is posed by your interviewer to try and ascertain what you are like outside of your working environment. If you don’t like football or snooker don’t say that you do, just provide honest answers. There is nothing worse than saying you follow a sport and then it turning out that the interviewer is mad about the subject and starts asking you questions you can’t answer you will look a fool and your honesty will be under scrutiny!

What Type Of Books Or Publications Do You Like? - This question needs and honest answer. Just because you think the interviewer is looking to hear you tell them that you have just finished “Marketing Skills Made Easy” and that it was the best read of your life it isn’t a good idea to make it up. If you have genuinely read “David Jason’s” autobiography or “Stephen Kings” latest books then tell the employer what you enjoyed about them. Of course if you work within certain industries, read the trade publications and have recently read an interesting article about the latest “blue widget release” then by all means use this as an example.

We know all interview questions are tough but these are the real hard ones! Generally these questions aren’t asked to make your life difficult or to make you squirm they are simply asked so that the interviewer can find out what he wants to know in the best possible way. When you are posed with a difficult question which you find awkward to answer it puts you under pressure. Therefore there may be certain questions that are delivered to you to see how well you deal with that pressure – not an unreasonable request if the new job you are applying for is likely to carry and element of pressure. Just remember there is no need to get worked up or frightened, as I keep saying, if you have done your research and prepared properly for the interview these questions won’t be half as difficult as you think. When a question is posed to you try and keep calm, think about the question for a few moments and deliver your answer accordingly. So here we go!

Are You A Good Leader? - Your interviewer is looking to ascertain whether you can manage or lead well in your job and how you deal with the people who work under you. Perhaps you could answer this question along the lines of “I feel that my team leading qualities are exceptional. I am always firm but fair with the people who work for me and find that I get a good deal of respect by operating in this manner”.

How Do You Feel About Taking Direction From Your Superiors? - This is a very valid question from any potential employer. If you have a boss who is delegating work to you your boss will want to know that you are able to deal with his requests and execute them in the manner dictated. You will therefore want to be answering this question along the lines of “I take direction from my superiors well. After all no team can work properly unless they are able to accept instructions from their superior”.

How Do You Feel About Carrying Out Mundane or Repetitive Work? - Nearly every job carries an element of routine to it so this could well be a frequently asked “difficult” question. The answer could be something like “I understand all jobs have some element of repetitiveness but I take all aspects of my job seriously regardless of whether they are mundane or not and I always give 100% to my job”.

Are You A Natural Born Leader? - Some of us are natural born leaders and they are usually the people heading up teams or managing departments. Natural born leaders are chosen for the role of management or leadership because of their ability to guide and deal with people. They are usually people who possess enthusiasm, confidence and good leadership qualities. Try and build something into your answer that shows these qualities, it hasn’t necessarily got to include areas of your work life, however it’s better if it does, but you could use and example of something in your personal life such as being “head of the local under 16’s football team” or “head of your local cricket team” but whatever you choose try and choose something that makes your leadership qualities stand out.

How Well Do You Handle Criticism? - Everyone gets criticised in the job they do at some point in their career whether you feel that the criticism is right or wrong there are always two sides to every situation. An ideal answer to this question might be “We all at some point make mistakes and I am more than happy to take on board any constructive criticism that is given to me as it helps me understand and learn from the situation”.

How Well Do You Work Within A Team Environment? - Teamwork is very important to an employer. A properly functioning team will create a happy workplace and smooth, efficient production regardless of the product or service involved. Everyone has a different approach to how they deal with their colleagues so you will need to tailor the answer to this question to your own approach. Perhaps you could offer an answer like “I really enjoy working as a member of a team. There is a feeling of comradeship in that we are all working towards the same goal and that when we meet our objective we all benefit from the feeling of success”.

What Motivates You? - Your interviewer is not looking for an answer along the lines of “£ 100,000 per year and a Bentley Turbo!” lets face it that’s what we would all like! Try and give a constructive answer such as “I get a real kick out of completing a project. This drives me along the way and I get satisfaction at each stage of the project knowing that I will have made a contribution to the end result”.

Are You Good At Getting The Best Out Of Your Team? - An interviewer asking this question is looking for an answer that shows how you manage and run your team that work for you in order to achieve the best performance out of them. Your answer should include areas that show your leadership qualities and how they benefit the people that work for you such as communication skills and praise.

You Have Only Been With Your Employer A Very Short Time - Why? - As I have mentioned before the recruitment process is a long and expensive one. Where recruitment agencies are used to source candidates their fee may be as much as 30% of your first years annual package let alone the costs associated with any additional training you may need so the last thing an employer wants to do is employ a candidate who is only going to work for them for five minutes and then look for another job! If you have been with previous employer for a short period of time then you need to find an answer that is going to reassure the interviewer’s doubts and put his mind at rest. It is possible in this situation that you could use a line such as “Yes I have only been with my existing employer a relatively short period of time and have found that I have had to more to gain more experience and enhance my career but I feel that I am now ready to settle down in a position I am comfortable with for a long period of time”.

How Do You Deal With Interpersonal Problems Within Your Team? - Nothing runs smoothly all the time and from time to time there will be disputes amongst members of your team. Obviously your answer will probably come from your own experience here but areas such as being fair by hearing both sides of the dispute, dealing with the problem in private and not causing embarrassment in front of others and looking for a compromise between the individuals may all come into play.

How Would Your Current Boss Describe You? - “Your useless and should look for another job before I fire you!!”. Just kidding (or maybe not in some cases!!). Remember at some point in the future the man or woman sitting in the chair opposite you could well be your future employer. When you answer this question provide an answer in a way that you think you would like your boss to actually think of you. So perhaps you can say something like “I get on very well with my boss and we have an excellent working relationship. I think that the reason we get on well is due to the fact that we have mutual respect for each other. My boss considers me as a hard working, loyal and efficient employee who is able to work well using my own initiative and can trust me to carry out the work given to me without having to bother him”. It’s not a terribly good idea to blatantly lie about your relationship with your boss if it’s horrendous as it may come out in references that are taken later however under the employment law past employers have to be very careful how they word references and are not allowed to tear your personality apart!

What Part Of Your Job Do You Dislike The Most? - Well the answer to this can’t be “I am completely happy with my job and I enjoy every aspect of it as it fulfils my daily working hours with joy and happiness and I just wish I could do it 24 hours a day 365 days a year!!”. Why not? Because you wouldn’t be applying for this job if it was would you!? Don’t give answers that are purely motivated by money and benefits – even if that is the case. You might genuinely love your job but the money is crap but that isn’t what the interviewer wants to hear. Perhaps you could use a line like “I really do enjoy my current job and quite frankly there aren’t really any areas of my work that I can honestly say I dislike. However, the company I work for is small and I don’t get much chance to deal with new business very often which is an area I really find exciting and feel that this job would be able to offer me that opportunity”. Of course there may be an area you dislike in your job but if you decide to bring it up then try and create a positive out of it. For example “I used to find doing my filing at the end of the day a bit time consuming as I would always get distracted by more important issues to deal with so I decided that I would come in a bit earlier each morning to deal with this enabling me to start the day fresh and be left with a bit of spare time at the end of each day should something really important come up”.

If You Were Starting Out Again In Your Career Are There Any Decisions You Would Choose Differently? - Hey come on what a nonsense question really. No one can turn back the clock so it’s completely irrelevant isn’t it but this is one of those questions some interviewers like to pose. The only answer I can think of giving is “I wouldn’t change anything. I have been more than happy with all of the decisions I have made in my career and don’t feel that I can gain any benefit out of looking back and analysing something I cannot change”.

You Have Been With Your Employer A Long Time - Why? - To be honest I think this question is a bit unfair. There could be many reasons why you have shown loyalty to your existing employer for a lengthy period of time – it may be that you just liked your job and the people you have worked for but circumstances have changed or it might be that you have had a wide and varied career working in different parts of the company doing different job roles or you may have worked overseas for the same company. People don’t generally stay with the same employer in this day and age predominantly because it isn’t always easy to get promoted internally within an organisation so it could look to an interviewer that you have been unable to get another job. Of course this probably isn’t the case so build your answer around the facts.

Do You Feel That Your Career Has Been A Success To Date? - Again, another no brainer question that really has no bearing on whether you are capable of doing the job you are applying for or whether or not you are the right person for the job! Success can only really be measured by the person who it applies to, what one person thinks is successful another may think is unsuccessful and I genuinely think very few people actually feel that their career has been a failure. The only way to address this question is to say “Yes I feel my career has been successful to date and I have been more than happy with my career progression. I have always put emphasis on enjoying the job I do and not how much it pays or what benefits I can gain from it and have found so far that this strategy has worked well for me”.

We Think You Might Be Overqualified For This Job! - If you were overqualified for this job would you be applying for it? Well I guess in an interviewers mind it could be that you are desperate, or it may be that you are desperate! A future employer doesn’t want to think he is going to take you on if you are going to get bored in five minutes because the job is too easy and then start looking elsewhere again. This is a difficult question to answer but you could intimate that you have a very low boredom threshold and that everything you do, you do to the best of your ability.

If You Were Appointed To This Position How Long Would It Be Before You Would Expect To Be Promoted? - Lets face it most of us want promotion as soon as possible. Promotion usually leads to more money and better employment benefits (of course it also usually entails more work and stress!) but you should consider your answer to this question carefully. If you answer “I’d expect promotion within 12 months of being appointed” you allocate a timescale which of course may not be acceptable to your future employer – they may not be looking to promote you for a good few years and they may feel that you would become despondent and leave if you didn’t achieve what you want. In all honesty the right kind of answer to this question is going to be something like “I couldn’t give a timescale in which I would expect to be promoted as I feel I would need to prove myself to the company in terms of my ability, leadership skills and experience I would bring to the business. I feel that promotion is a reward, not a right and as with all rewards I am a great believer in that you have to earn them”.

How Have You Managed To Attend This Interview In Works Time? - Another naughty question often posed by interviewers but at the same time it does bear some relevance. If you are attending an interview when you would normally expect to be in work then your potential employer wants to know what type of excuse you have come up with to blag your existing employer. Really this is a question of honesty and the reality is that you won’t have asked your existing boss for time off to attend an interview for another job. It may well be that you have blagged the time by telling your boss that you have had to take your pet anaconda to the vets or you might have thrown a sicky but that isn’t what your future employer wants to hear. One straight forward answer to this question is “I have taken some holiday to take part in this interview”. If you are feeling really clever and you want to impress your interviewer you could say “Unfortunately I didn’t have any holiday left so I asked my employer if I could take a days unpaid leave because I had a personal issue I needed to deal with. I preferred to take that action as I don’t feel it fair on my existing employer to attend this interview whilst he was paying me – I do not think its right to cheat”.

You Have Read The Job Description And A Summary Of The Job Role So What Areas Of This Job Appeal To You The Least? - Hmm….It’s a nasty one this isn’t it! At this point in your interview you don’t want to go and start making out that there is anything at all that you don’t fancy doing in this new job. I am not one for one sentence answers but if you get this one dropped on you I think it’s good to get off the subject as quickly as possible and use the damage limitation technique. I think a simple “Having reviewed the job summary and description I have to say that I can’t find anything that doesn’t appeal to me in this job at all”. If you do find something about the job that looks less than appealing make sure it isn’t a major part of role and if you can’t find anyway of turning the duty from a negative to a positive leave it well alone.

What Sort Of People Do You Find It Difficult To Work With? - There’s always someone in the office that doesn’t work with the team and the rest of the team ends up carrying but that’s life at the end of the day and it’s up to your boss to sort that problem out. This often causes bad feeling amongst the team and irritates the other members. However, when you are attending an interview you really don’t want to be seen to be moaning about individuals in your current organisation. The easiest way to deal with this interview question then is to give your answer based on the fact that although you are a very amenable and easy to get on with person, you are very much a team player and the most difficult people to work with are the ones that do not carry the same high standards in their work that you do.

Have You Attended Other Interviews As Well As This One? - This is a great question and one that you can manipulate to your advantage. If the interviewer thinks that one of their competitors is after you it makes you a much better catch should they get you. You have to remember many (not all) employers are like sheep and the bigger the company the more likely it will be that they are after a stereotypical candidate – but one that’s just a little bit better than the last. If you give the impression that you are talking to other firms as well and that you have made the last batch of interviews with them you are going to be a far more attractive prospect. So whether you are or are not talking to other companies make sure you give the impression that you are in demand.

What Do You Think About The War In Iraq, Privatization (or something that has a social political bearing) - The idea behind this question is for your interviewer to see if you take an interest in what goes on in the world, current affairs and so on and to show that your interest in the world doesn’t stop when you shut your front door at night. Your answer is likely to give your interviewer an insight into your values whether they be moral or otherwise and how you address life itself. Politically correct answers aren’t always the right ones, what you need to do is show the interviewer that you have the ability to see recognise all sides of a debate, that you don’t see things simply in black and white and that you have the ability to debate a subject properly and at the same time that you are open minded enough to form your own opinion on a subject. What you don’t want to do is jump on your high horse and fire off with your own political views without being able to show that you understand the subject. This question can be particularly relevant to certain industries, for example if you are applying to work for an oil company you may be asked your opinion on global warming and whether the work green peace does is right or wrong alternatively if you are applying for a job working for a company that manufactures for example make up you may be asked for your views on whether the work that animal rights campaigners carry out is justified – you get the picture.

What Sort Of Decisions Do You Find The Most Difficult To Make? - “Should I have prawn or beef sandwiches for lunch!” or “Should I buy the 28 or 32 inch flat screen TV!” Most of us at some point have had to make difficult decisions whether in our personal or work lives. If you have ever had to fire someone or make them redundant it’s not a nice decision to make, or job to carry out for that matter, not from the point of view that you don’t really like the person but most people have a conscience and realise that if they take away a persons job it will have a direct impact on their whole life. This is therefore a good example to use as an answer to this question.

What Is Your Current Bosses Biggest Weakness? - Wouldn’t you just love to say it - “Lunchtime Binge Drinking!” You must remember regardless of what a dick you think your boss is the person that is sitting in front of you may one day be the same boss you are criticising and anyway it wouldn’t achieve anything and would only make you look cheap. So if you get this one thrown at you why not try something like “My boss is great really and we get on very well, he is pretty damn good at his job, one which he wouldn’t have got it in the first place if he wasn’t, and I respect him for that. I am sure he may have weaknesses but I have to say that if he has I haven’t picked up on them”.

What Do You Think Of Your Existing Company? - Now you might think that your existing company are cheap skates, run old machinery, never want to invest in the plant or the future of the business, use every spare amount of cash they have to improve the cars parked in the Directors car park and so on and so forth. However that just isn’t the right answer! Your standard response to a question such as this should be that you have really enjoyed working for your current company and that you are thankful for the opportunities, training and career progression that they have afforded you to date.

What Is Your Current Salary? - It’s a bit of a cheeky question this one and you want to give a non committal answer. You must try and remember that all companies want to save as much money on salaries as they can and if you are offered the job the chances are they are going to indicate a package either similar or slightly more than the one your on. If you go straight in with “I earn £ 23,000.00 plus expenses plus a BMW 318I and free weekend tickets to the Manchester United games” you are setting a bench mark that you may find difficult to the negotiate around. Therefore an appropriate answer to this interview question might be “it’s not really the salary that is important to me it’s the whole package that I would be more interested in”. By saying this you are being non committal and it will make negotiating an acceptable package far more easy.

What Salary Would You Be Expecting For This Position? - Again another cheeky one which, ideally, you don’t want to be too committal over. If you commit to a salary at this stage you wont be able to negotiate later on and if you ask for too much they will think they cant afford you! If you don’t know what level of salary a position pays you can do some research on the internet there are several sites that collect data about average industry and job role remunerations. So you could ask the interviewer a question in response to his question such as “What level of salary would you be expecting to pay for this position?” If the interviewer doesn’t want to divulge this then it’s not unreasonable for you to decline to answer too. If your interviewer quotes you a salary of say £ 19,000 then try and come back with something like “Well I was looking for a salary in the region of £ 22,000 to £ 24,000. Your employer will always start with their bottom figure first so by asking for a little more it sets you a slightly higher bench mark. It may be that your interviewer can only go to the level he quotes but it’s fairly unlikely.

I have A Pen Here – Sell It Me! - I’ve been on loads of sales courses and this has always been a question posed to me to see how good I am at selling the benefits of a product – not just the product itself. This is an interesting question and some employers will ask you to do this even if you aren’t applying for a job that involves selling. As I have said the reason behind this is to see if you can sell the benefits of the pen rather than the object itself. For example as a pen itself – it is just a Bic biro with a roller ball and plastic coating. However, its benefits would be – it’s a Bic biro and the roller ball is really smooth and gives excellent presentation, it is leak proof and slim and sits discretely in your pocket. This is all about the bigger picture. If you are able to outline the benefits of the pen you will impress your interviewer. Obviously if you are applying for a sales role the chances are your interviewer will definitely ask you this question, however, it might not necessarily be a pen it could be something else sitting on your interviewers desk.

How Well Do You Work In A Stressful Environment? - Most jobs carry an element of stress whether its working to very tight deadlines or your in a position where by you are handling lots of different projects and having to manage your time effectively. Your answer to this question should encompass examples of situations where you have operated well under stress and also point out that you get a buzz out of a working in stressful environment as it keeps you mind focused and it assists you in your performance.

Some of the things you should ask at the time include:-

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Don’t:

1. Crossing Your Arms: Makes you look defensive.

2. Sit on the edge of your seat.

3. Mess with your face or play with your jewellery or hair.

4. Rock on the seat.

5. Interrupt when being asked a question.

6. Give one word answers (unless the answer dictates a one word answer!)

Do:

1. Smile as frequently as possible (especially when you are asked a question and respond to the person who has asked the question) but don’t over do it!

2. Keep your hands in your lap don’t wave them around all over the place.

3. Keep eye contact at all times (I don’t mean stare out your interviewer). If there is more than one interviewer flick from person to person.

4. Be articulate and listen carefully to each question before giving your answer.

5. Keep calm and don’t panic!

Oh No – I hear you cry help! Well you shouldn’t. Psychometric testing is becoming more and more popular now to vet potential candidates and you can use these in your favour. If you’ve never taken one before it can be a little bit worrying, it’s a bit like going back to school and sitting an exam doing those multiple choice questions with puzzles! These need not be a worry and are not once you understand what they’re for, how they work and what they are set out to achieve. In my experience it is really no wonder why companies have taken to using these tests to gauge applicants as nowadays there are some many well qualified applicants for each job that if you were to interview them all you would be there until doomsday. These tests are a good way to assess which candidates are most likely to be the best for the job. If you are the right person for the position then it will just give reassurance to the interviewer and you will be in a good position. On the basis that you have never sat a psychometric test or heard of one for that matter I will give you some brief information about them.

A psychometric test isn’t really a test and that is because you cannot really fail one. It is called a test because - well in all honesty how else can you categorise something where you are asked to carry out a task which you will then be assessed on. What these do is ascertain how you think and whether you think in the same format as the company you are applying to but these tests don’t tend to be used on their own in the interview and selection process. Basically psychometric tests – are split into four areas and can include one or all of the following; An Ability Test, A Personality Test, An Aptitude Test and Motivational Test. Each test speaks for itself really, the ability test is looking to assess your overall general ability, the personality test is assessing what type of personality you have, the aptitude test is carried out to test the skills you have that are specific to areas of the job that you are applying for and the motivational test which is set to find out what motivates you. Don’t panic if you are on your way to an interview and you suddenly get a thought go through your head like “oh no I wonder if I will be asked to sit a psychometric test at this interview”. It is very unlikely if you haven’t been informed that a psychometric test will form part of the interview that it will be sprung on you – after all that would be a bit of a dirty trick to play on an unsuspecting candidate. These tests are often carried out on the same day as the interview but generally speaking you will be given advance warning if this is going to form part of the day.

Should you be asked to sit a test as part of the interview then the chances are your interviewer of the HR manager will brief you beforehand as to what the test is about, what you need to do to complete the test and which type of test you will be asked to complete. If they do not brief you (which is fairly unlikely) then you might want to ask them a few questions about the test – things like how will the test be taken, what type of test will you be taking and what will the information be used for etc, etc. There is plenty of information readily available about psychometric tests on the internet so if you want examples or more information on this subject just go to Google and search for “psychometric tests”. If you know you are going to be taking a test then make sure you have everything you need before attending (it’s just like going into an exam without a pen or your glasses) make sure you are prepared you don’t want to add to your worries by leaving something important at home that’s going to hinder you. You should use the same type of formula when taking the test as you would if you were taking an exam – for those of you have been left school or University for a while and forgotten then here are a couple of pointers:

1. Sit down, keep your cool and follow all of the instructions given on the paper. Read them thoroughly and take them in. If you rush you may misunderstand the way in which the test is being set and end up answering questions incorrectly.

2. If at the start of the test there is an area that you are unsure of or do not fully comprehend then ask the assessor for help.

3. As with any exam you need to answer as many questions as possible correctly so be careful if the time spent on each question. If you are not sure of the answer or don’t understand the question don’t get flustered, leave it and move on, you can always return to the question again at the end if you have time left over.

4. Finally, if when you have finished all of the questions there remain some unanswered ones go back and have another go and by all counts if you still don’t know the answer just guess – you might come out lucky!

I will try and give you some insight into what you can expect from the different types of tests and how to answer them, I am no expert at the end of the day I can only go off my past experience and information I have read up on the subject.

Ability/Aptitude Tests:

Ability and aptitude tests are set to assess your specific skills. You will sit the test and the resultant mark you get will indicate to your future employer your overall level of ability. The content of the test may be general questions set to see how you think, how you deal with specific circumstances and what type of logic you are using to come up with your answer. These tests are frequently designed using multiple choice questions (or what we called multiple guess questions in my day at school!). Sometimes these tests will be set using far more questions than can possibly be answered in the allotted time but it is quality not quantity the examiner will be looking for as your overall score will be a percentage of the right questions answered not how many questions have been answered. It is fairly easy to do some preparation for aptitude tests, most of these tests are based around logical thinking which is something that we all do in everyday life. If you really want to try and increase your logical thinking you could try the doing the daily crossword in your newspaper, Sudoku which you can get from most local shops (or even play it on the internet for free) or you could try buying one of those puzzler magazines from WH Smiths or Sainsbury’s. What I am getting at here is that you need to get your mind working in a logical thinking way and by carrying out exercises that involve mathematical puzzles and problem solving you will give yourself a good start. Remember the more practice you get the better you will become at doing these tests.

Motivation Tests/Personality Tests:

Motivation questionnaires are set to specifically analyse what “motivates” or “drives” you as a person and how you are likely to integrate that into your work, how much stamina you have or how much enthusiasm you dedicate to a project. These tests are likely to set using a question followed by several possible answers. Personality tests are very similar to Motivation Tests and are designed to assess what type of person you are, unlike Aptitude tests which are created to analyse what type of logic you use to address problem solving. There are no right or wrong answers to Personality tests because everyone thinks differently and these tests are designed more to see if you will fit in with the companies way of thinking or the type of job you will be doing. Generally speaking there will be no time limit set at a personality test so they are not as pressurised as aptitude tests. It is not possible to analyse what sort of information the employer is looking for when you take a personality test as different employers will be looking for different qualities and they may be aimed at how well you are going to fit into their team and company. However, the general type of areas your employer may be looking to quantify are what your attitude is to your work life and personal life, how well you communicate with others, what drives you and how you deal with sorting out and solving problems.

There are many different ways for an interviewer to shortlist candidate’s, I have looked at general interviews, telephone interview, psychometric testing and so on and so forth. Another area that potential employers use, to assess potential candidates capabilities, are what’s known as assessment centres. Again these are not generally used in isolation they will form part of the whole selection process. An assessment centre is a place where you will take a test but it will probably involve some form of practical work.

Some jobs, by their nature alone, are going to be dependent upon a fully interactive well oiled team and it may be very, very important to the employer that the candidate who is offered the job is able to thoroughly interact with his colleagues to ensure that each project that is carried out runs smoothly and efficiently. For example you may be put with a group of other candidates and given a project to do – it could be something fairly simple like you are give a model bridge to build and you have to construct it as a team but there is a deliberate problem built into the project. What will happen is you will work together as a team to solve the problem and complete the project while you are being observed by the assessors or interviewer. What they will do is make notes about each candidate and the chances are they will be looking out for certain aspects, such as who takes the lead of the team (who is the natural born leader), how well you interact with each other etc, etc.

It is often the case that you will get two or more people with the same type of leadership skills in one of these projects (hence possibly causing a clash of personalities) so your assessor will also be looking at how well you can communicate with the other people. If you are a true team player or a natural leader then these type of tests are a real opportunity to show your skills off and I think are far less imposing than some of the other tests. If you enjoy being creative and interacting with others these assessments can be quite enjoyable. Aside from carrying out little projects you may also have to get involved with group discussions, tasks where you are given a situation that has to be resolved and role play amongst many other exercises. Some tests may involve physical exercises which take you away for a couple of days and involve getting from one destination to another via an assault course to evaluate your team and leadership skills etc, etc.

Remember that you are under scrutiny by your assessors for each and everything you do whilst you are carrying out your tasks. Don’t try and pretend you are a different person or something you are not, these tests can take anything from several hours to several days to complete and trying to make out that you are a natural born leader when you are not will show through and your assessor will spot it a mile off.

Finally one thing I would add is that even if you are not a natural born leader you must contribute and get involved, if you just sit there and have no input or say nothing it won’t look good at all. Remember not to get into arguments with your team mates – try and discuss any issues calmly – as I have mentioned it’s always easy to start getting frustrated if you find yourself clashing with another team member and it is an issue that is fairly likely to raise its ugly head. If you get involved, stay cool headed and professionally and try and enjoy the experience then it is a great way to enhance your interview skills and even in some cases make new friends!