The Interview

Regardless of how good a match your skills and experience are on paper, your interview performance is often the deciding factor in whether you are offered the job, so you must get this right. This is easy to do if you prepare properly and put some thought into how you can best present yourself. Our consultants are always on hand to offer help and advice if you need it – we can even help you practice answering interview questions – so don’t hesitate to use us!

Interview nerves are normal and even helpful to some degree, as a little adrenalin goes a long way towards producing a top performance – ask any actor or athlete! However, you need to keep nerves under control to feel confident and perform well, so we have prepared some interview guidelines, which we help will prove useful, even if only to show how well-prepared you already are!

Practical tips

1. You will have been sent an interview confirmation letter by your consultant at Acuity, which you should take with you, as it will contain important contact information, including who to ask for when you arrive. Double check the date, time and location of the interview and memorise the name and title of the interviewer/s.
2. Plan for delays and arrive at your destination half an hour before your interview time, even if you have to kill some time with a coffee once you get there. Familiarise yourself with the journey so that you don’t have any surprises and if driving, try to do a 'dummy run' if possible. Check timetables and book train tickets in advance. If an unexpected delay is going to make you late, contact your interviewer as early as possible, as this does at least show that it isn’t your planning that is at fault.
3. Aim to arrive at reception 10 minutes before your allotted time, as this shows that you are punctual and also gives you the chance to visit the toilet and freshen up if necessary. Remember also that you start making an impression on your prospective employer the moment you arrive at reception. Be courteous to the receptionist and any other staff you may meet prior to your interview. Their opinion of you is often sought and may even have some influence on the final selection.
4. Ensure that your mobile phone is switched off!
5. Try to minimise the things you need to carry but do take any requested work examples, identification, an extra copy of your CV, a copy of the job description, writing materials and a list of prepared questions.
6. Aim to be standing before the interviewer arrives to collect you, as this gives you the opportunity to smooth your clothes, tidy yourself and have a hand free to shake as soon you meet them – you will look confident, composed and will make an instant, positive impression!
   Don’t forget that an interview isn’t just an opportunity for an employer to check your suitability for the job. It's also your chance to establish whether this really is the perfect next career move for you and whether this person is someone you could learn from and work positively with. Remember also that you are not a complete stranger to the interviewer; they like what they have seen of you on paper and you have been recommended to them by your Consultant, whose opinion they respect.

What to wear

Research has shown that people make their mind up about someone in the first few seconds of meeting with them, so you need to make a good first impression. Dress smartly and comfortably. When you look at yourself in the mirror, nothing should leap out at you. Aim to look polished, well put-together and professional. If you look good and feel comfortable, you will feel more confident.

1. For men: A suit and tie is never wrong, provided you keep it conservative and preferably single breasted in black, charcoal or navy blue. You can always remove the tie should you arrive at your interview and find that everyone else is in smart casual! A white or blue shirt is preferable and you should stick to a reasonably subtle tie in a widely acceptable colour.
   
2. For women: As for the men, a suit is always suitable! If wearing a skirt, the length shouldn't be less than two inches above the knee. If you don't have any suits then a skirt with a tailored jacket is the next best option. Ensure that your shoes are comfortable, not too high and in a good state of repair, as hobbling into an interview with a broken heel or blisters won’t create a good impression or bolster your confidence!
   
   If your jewellery is noisy or extremely eye-catching, that’s what will be remembered so keep it to a simple minimum. If you wear make-up, keep it discreet. Long hair looks more professional tied back or worn up. If it frizzes in the rain, remember to take an umbrella, or you will spend the interview worrying about your ‘bad hair day’

How to prepare

Preparation is the key to a successful, enjoyable interview. If you do this well you will feel confident and will be sure to impress your interviewer.

1. Research the company. Your Consultant will have provided you with some background information but you will still need to do some research yourself. Information about a company is freely available, via their website (particularly the press area), internet search engines and annual reports (which are often downloadable and are particularly useful in summarising key company information). It can seriously compromise your chances of success if you don’t take the time to research a little of your prospective employer’s market, major competitors and current issues. Being able to demonstrate awareness of the obstacles facing them currently and in the future will certainly set you apart from other applicants. If all else fails, call the company and ask if they can send you some relevant information.
   
   Questions that you should ensure that you know the answers to are:
      · What is the company's main market?
      · What are their key product/service lines?
      · Who are the company's biggest competitors
      · What recent product launches or advertising campaigns have they had?
      · Why do you want to work there?
    
2. Analyse yourself. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses shows maturity and being able to illustrate these with relevant examples will impress your interviewer. A weakness can become a strength once you have identified and taken steps to counter it and companies need people who can show that they have learned from experience, are adaptable, and willing to change where necessary. It sounds obvious, but make sure you identify strengths that are directly relevant to the role for which you are applying!
   Regardless of the position, most companies will require some generic skills, so think of examples where you can illustrate how you have been successful in:
      · Team Working
      · Organisation
      · Problem Solving
      · Communication
      · Planning
   
   Think also about why you are applying for this particular role. What will it do for your career? What do you need to learn next? What’s missing from your experience that you can gain in another company? Why, honestly, do you want to leave?
    
3. Practice answering some typical questions. Whilst there are all sorts of ‘off the wall’ questions to test how you think on your feet, there are some very common questions that you can and should prepare for. The key things to remember when responding to any interview question are to keep your answers relevant, brief and to the point. For instance:
   Tell me about yourself. Describe your career history, your qualifications, and the skills you have acquired, particularly those relevant to the job on offer.
   
   What do you like about your present role? Make sure that what you like about your current role corresponds to what is on offer in the new one – don’t tell your interviewer how much you enjoy market analysis, for instance, if there won’t be any in the job you’re interviewing for!
   
   What do you dislike about your present job? You need to be careful with this one: the more you say, the greater the chances of something being similar in this new role! You need to give the impression that you respect and have learned from your current company, but are ready to move on now, so try to thing of a general characteristic of the company itself e.g. too small to enable you to progress.
   
   Can you think of an achievement you are particularly proud of? Keep this work-related, recent and, ideally, quantifiable e.g. “I devised a launch campaign which resulted in the highest ever sales for a new product “. Be prepared to explain how you achieved it and what you think the critical success factors were.
   
   What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it? This has two purposes – to establish what you consider to be ‘difficult’ and to find out how you approach problem solving. Choose an example which you didn’t cause, which can quickly be explained and had a positive outcome! Outline what the problem was, what the options were, why you chose the solution you did and what the final outcome was.
   
   What are your strengths? You’ll always be asked this, in one form or another, so be prepared. Pick 4 of your attributes which illustrate how good you’d be in the role and be prepared to give examples! Good attributes to mention include: ability to work well in cross-functional teams; ability to stay focussed under pressure; determination; consistently positive attitude; ability to adapt to change etc.
   
   What is your greatest weakness?  Everyone has them and you’re likely to be asked, so don’t flounder here. Your interviewer is looking for self-awareness, so go back to the self-analysis you did earlier and pick a weakness that has become a strength because of the efforts you’ve made to combat it e.g. being a perfectionist may well caused you to miss deadlines in the past, but if you’ve learned where to draw the line, this will have become ‘attention to detail’ and a considerable strength! Citing a lack of expertise is fine, as long as it’s not in an area critical to the role you’re interviewing for!
   
   Why do you want to leave your current employer?  This must always be positive: e.g. seeking a new challenge, more responsibility, experience or a change of environment. Never criticise your current employer and be wary of citing salary as a major reason.
   
   Why have you applied for this particular job?  The employer wants to be confident that the investment they are considering making in you will be rewarded with long-term commitment, because you are happy and competent in the role! Make sure you have a good understanding of the role, and highlight those elements that fit in with your aptitudes and long-term goals and involve doing things you enjoy.
   
   Other common questions include:
      · This organisation is very different to your current employer - how do you think you are going to fit in?
      · What will you bring to this role?
      · What do you enjoy about this industry?
      · Give an example of when you have worked under pressure.
      · What kinds of people do you like working with?
      · Give me an example of when your work was criticised.
      · Give me an example of when you have felt anger at work. How did you cope and did you still perform a good job?
      · What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
      · Give me an example of when you have had to face a conflict of interest at work.
      · Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss.
      · Give me an example of when you haven't got on with others.
      · Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
      · What are you looking for in a company?
      · How do you measure your own performance?
      · How would you demonstrate that you are a self-starter?
      · What changes in the workplace have caused you difficulty and why?
      · How do you feel about working long hours and/or weekends?
      · Give me an example of when you have been out of your depth.
      · What have you failed to achieve to date?
   
   One word of warning – do remember that much of what you do in your role will be confidential, so don’t give away precise data e.g. sales figures. Offers have been lost due to indiscretion!
    
4. Prepare your questions. Your interviewer will expect that if you are genuinely interested in the role and the organisation, then you will need to ask some questions. Have some intelligent questions ready – it is fine to write them down and bring the sheet of paper out – some interviewers love to see physical evidence that you’ve been thinking hard about the company and the interview questions in advance. Open questions will encourage the interviewer to provide you with additional information. 
   For instance:
   
   What direction does the company want to take over the next few years?  This demonstrates that you have been thinking about the future of the organisation and the part you might play in it. It is also an excellent opportunity to show that you have been thinking about the obstacles the organisation might face.
   
   What training and professional development opportunities do you offer?  It is reasonable to expect that a company will take an interest in your development and therefore they can reasonably expect you to ask about it! Be careful that you don’t give the impression that you feel under-qualified for the role, however.
   
   Why has the role arisen?  This can provide you with valuable information about the company you’re potentially going to work for – is it a newly created role? Has the previous person been promoted? If they left to pursue another opportunity, you should get a sense of whether it was premature or just natural attrition.
   
   Other examples include:
      · How will my performance be assessed?
      · What do you think will be the main pressures of this role?
      · How often do you conduct appraisals?
      · Will there be opportunities for me to work with colleagues from different areas of the company?
      · How much decision-making authority will be appropriate for this role?
      · What are the long-term promotion opportunities?
      · How much travel will I expected to do for the role?
      · How would you describe the company culture?
      · Do employees socialise outside of work?
      · What sort of budget responsibility will I have?
      · Will there be opportunities for me to deal directly with customers?

The Interview

If you’ve prepared thoroughly, then this should be a mutually beneficial, enjoyable meeting where both parties share information and establish whether this is the right role for you. All interviewers have their own style, however, and some are more experienced than others at getting the best out of an interviewee. Try to remember that they would like nothing better than for you to be the answer to their recruitment problem and that even the tough ones are just trying to see how you react under pressure.

Practical tips:

1. Interview format. A standard interview will generally start with an introductory chat, moving on to questions specific to your application and experience. General information about the company and role may follow, finishing with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions. If your interview includes some kind of written or technical aptitude test, your Acuity Consultant will have informed you in advance.
2. Greet your interviewer standing, with a strong, firm handshake and a smile! Good body language is vital. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Speak clearly and confidently. Try and maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout.
3. Know your CV and be prepared to answer questions on it. The interviewer will use this as a basis for the interview. Also ensure you have read the job description thoroughly and have prepared examples of how your experience will benefit your potential employer.
4. Answer the question you were asked rather than the one you wish you’d been asked! It is easy to panic if you don’t know the answer, but don’t be tempted to real off something else just to fill the gap. If you don't understand something, ask. If you can’t answer exactly, make it clear that you're not sure, but try and say what you would do in the circumstances. How would you find out? Who would you ask?
5. Take your time. Rushing to give answers will make you sound nervous and will increase the likelihood of you making a mistake. Always give yourself time to think. Pause after the question, clarify it if necessary and then answer. If you are faced with a difficult question, make sure you stay calm, don't get defensive, and take a moment to think about your response before you answer.
6. Show confidence. Smile, make eye contact, ask questions. Don’t underestimate the power of breathing to control your nerves! Try to remember that no-one is confident all the time, even the people interviewing you. If you can imagine yourself as a confident person, you are half way there. If you have prepared properly, you have no reason not to be!
7. Thank your interviewer for their time in meeting with you and express your enthusiasm for the role. Ask what the next stage will be and when you might expect to hear from them. If you have any reservations, save them for discussion at a later stage, once you’ve had a chance to consider them thoroughly. Unless you are asked about salary, you should also leave this for discussion later.