Interviewing
Every candidate needs to understand these basics at interview
What follows is what everyone should know as a bare minimum...
In my early days in recruitment, it soon became clear that most candidates were poorly prepared. That was the feedback I was getting from employers. Many technically able candidates were failing to sell themselves and so did not progress to the next stage.
As someone new to the job, I listened to my more experienced colleagues setting up candidates for interview. I didn’t think they were doing a good job of it. My Dad taught me the importance of great interview as he would frequently end interviews after 5 minutes if a candidate knew very little about the company he worked for.
I mentioned this to my boss and suggested we have a written interview guide for all candidates. He told me to write one. So that weekend I did and it became standard across the whole of my firm, Michael Page. It just covered the basics, which is what we are doing in the following.
There is a lot more that we can say on interviews – things that take the process to an entirely new level and give candidates a massive competitive advantage. But I’m afraid we’ve got to keep something behind the paywall.
Meanwhile, here are the absolute basics…
Do your homework
Start doing your homework and interview preparation as far in advance of the interview as possible. Study the company website and get a real feel for what they do and where they do it. Set up a Google news alert so you are up to date with recent developments, especially if it is a particularly dynamic industry.
You should try to get a sense of which parts of the business are the most important – you don’t want to say “I’ve always wanted to work on X” when that is only worth 2% of their revenue. Take a look at their annual report and see if they break down income by business line. Also read the narrative section at the start of the annual report to see how the organisation is presenting its last year. Being able to reference something that you’ve read in their last annual report is a good way of showing your commitment to the role.
Look up the interviewers on LinkedIn and all social media presence. You might identify some common ground, and will at least get a sense of how they and their skills fit into the organisation.
Finally, do your homework on yourself. Make sure you know your CV inside and out. Nothing is more embarrassing than an interviewer referencing a detail on a CV and the candidate having forgotten what that point was about.
Smooth your journey to the interview room
Check your route to the interview and allow plenty of time. Aim to arrive ten minutes before the interview. Pop a mint before you enter the building. You don’t want to risk being the ‘person with the bad breath’.
Be friendly with the receptionist. Employers frequently ask the receptionist for an opinion about you. Whilst your waiting, stand in reception as it makes you look more dynamic, and feel more energised. Takes some deep breaths to relax yourself.
Once someone comes to collect you, make sure to engage them in conversation. This gives you a chance to demonstrate your personality outside of the formal environment of the interview room.
Make a good first impression
First give the interviewer a firm handshake, smile and maintain eye contact. Thank them for inviting you. There is a risk in accepting a drink – you might spill something or it might show that you have shaky hands, but those things would be better than a coughing fit.
Sit up straight, keep your hands in your lap and don’t fidget. You don’t want to look too casual.
Tell stories but keep them tight
When asked questions, keep to the point but try and develop a conversation. The STAR technique helps you to keep to the point, but I prefer telling stories with a beginning, middle and end. Don’t ramble on. Ask them if they need any more information.
Finish strong
You will be invited to ask questions. The worst thing you can do is to say, ‘I think you have covered everything’. Ask about what success in the role looks like, what the team is like, what does the interviewer like about working there, just as a few examples.
At the conclusion of the interview thank everyone for their time and express a keen interest, even if you have reservations. The way you leave might be the way you are remembered.
Don’t just forget about it
As soon as you can, make a note of what you learned, your impressions and any further questions which pop into your head. Send them an email again thanking them for your time and expressing your hope that you progress to the next stage.
So, those are the basics. I realise that you probably already know this stuff. If you would like to learn our more advanced techniques, then you can book a session with us, or purchase the Interview Manual here.
A True Story to finish on
In the mid 80’s I was working with a newly qualified ACA who was seeking a move into industry. Let’s call him John.
I had arranged an interview for him at one of our best clients. The next day I called the client for some feedback The conversation went something like this:
Me: How did you get on with John?
Client: I liked them both.
Me: (Slightly confused). Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean by both.
Client: I liked John and Rusty.
Me: (Very confused). Who is Rusty?
Client: Oh. Rusty is his cocker spaniel. He was let down by his dog-sitter, so brought him along.
As it turned out John ended up getting the job. But do I now have to tell every candidate not to take their pets to an interview…or their Mum?
I was tempted to interview Rusty myself as I was pretty sure I would be able to get him a job.
Career Strategy
Every candidate needs to understand these basics at interview
What follows is what everyone should know as a bare minimum...
In my early days in recruitment, it soon became clear that most candidates were poorly prepared. That was the feedback I was getting from employers. Many technically able candidates were failing to sell themselves and so did not progress to the next stage.
As someone new to the job, I listened to my more experienced colleagues setting up candidates for interview. I didn’t think they were doing a good job of it. My Dad taught me the importance of great interview as he would frequently end interviews after 5 minutes if a candidate knew very little about the company he worked for.
I mentioned this to my boss and suggested we have a written interview guide for all candidates. He told me to write one. So that weekend I did and it became standard across the whole of my firm, Michael Page. It just covered the basics, which is what we are doing in the following.
There is a lot more that we can say on interviews – things that take the process to an entirely new level and give candidates a massive competitive advantage. But I’m afraid we’ve got to keep something behind the paywall.
Meanwhile, here are the absolute basics…
Do your homework
Start doing your homework and interview preparation as far in advance of the interview as possible. Study the company website and get a real feel for what they do and where they do it. Set up a Google news alert so you are up to date with recent developments, especially if it is a particularly dynamic industry.
You should try to get a sense of which parts of the business are the most important – you don’t want to say “I’ve always wanted to work on X” when that is only worth 2% of their revenue. Take a look at their annual report and see if they break down income by business line. Also read the narrative section at the start of the annual report to see how the organisation is presenting its last year. Being able to reference something that you’ve read in their last annual report is a good way of showing your commitment to the role.
Look up the interviewers on LinkedIn and all social media presence. You might identify some common ground, and will at least get a sense of how they and their skills fit into the organisation.
Finally, do your homework on yourself. Make sure you know your CV inside and out. Nothing is more embarrassing than an interviewer referencing a detail on a CV and the candidate having forgotten what that point was about.
Smooth your journey to the interview room
Check your route to the interview and allow plenty of time. Aim to arrive ten minutes before the interview. Pop a mint before you enter the building. You don’t want to risk being the ‘person with the bad breath’.
Be friendly with the receptionist. Employers frequently ask the receptionist for an opinion about you. Whilst your waiting, stand in reception as it makes you look more dynamic, and feel more energised. Takes some deep breaths to relax yourself.
Once someone comes to collect you, make sure to engage them in conversation. This gives you a chance to demonstrate your personality outside of the formal environment of the interview room.
Make a good first impression
First give the interviewer a firm handshake, smile and maintain eye contact. Thank them for inviting you. There is a risk in accepting a drink – you might spill something or it might show that you have shaky hands, but those things would be better than a coughing fit.
Sit up straight, keep your hands in your lap and don’t fidget. You don’t want to look too casual.
Tell stories but keep them tight
When asked questions, keep to the point but try and develop a conversation. The STAR technique helps you to keep to the point, but I prefer telling stories with a beginning, middle and end. Don’t ramble on. Ask them if they need any more information.
Finish strong
You will be invited to ask questions. The worst thing you can do is to say, ‘I think you have covered everything’. Ask about what success in the role looks like, what the team is like, what does the interviewer like about working there, just as a few examples.
At the conclusion of the interview thank everyone for their time and express a keen interest, even if you have reservations. The way you leave might be the way you are remembered.
Don’t just forget about it
As soon as you can, make a note of what you learned, your impressions and any further questions which pop into your head. Send them an email again thanking them for your time and expressing your hope that you progress to the next stage.
So, those are the basics. I realise that you probably already know this stuff. If you would like to learn our more advanced techniques, then you can book a session with us, or purchase the Interview Manual here.
A True Story to finish on
In the mid 80’s I was working with a newly qualified ACA who was seeking a move into industry. Let’s call him John.
I had arranged an interview for him at one of our best clients. The next day I called the client for some feedback The conversation went something like this:
Me: How did you get on with John?
Client: I liked them both.
Me: (Slightly confused). Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean by both.
Client: I liked John and Rusty.
Me: (Very confused). Who is Rusty?
Client: Oh. Rusty is his cocker spaniel. He was let down by his dog-sitter, so brought him along.
As it turned out John ended up getting the job. But do I now have to tell every candidate not to take their pets to an interview…or their Mum?
I was tempted to interview Rusty myself as I was pretty sure I would be able to get him a job.
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