Key interview technique principles include

All of the principles in this module apply to every format of face to face interview

They also apply to the increasingly used remote interview formats including

Telephone interviews – the key additional points being

Vocal tone is even more crucial as it is your sole means of communicating

It has the advantage that you can have and use brief notes in front of you

Careful listening and responding is key in the absence of any visual signals

Audio visual interviews – the key additional points being

Make sure in advance that the technology and online access are working

Ensure the camera background, lighting and your attire are all appropriate

Log on a few minutes early to settle in - remember you're already on camera!

One Way interviews – the key additional points being

This is where you are invited to go online and record your question responses

Establish if you can re-record your responses or if it is a 'once only' recording

Either way, prepare and deliver assuming you're going to get it right first time

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail – structured preparation is key, don’t try to 'wing it'

You only get one chance to make a first impression – perform well right from the off

Listen carefully to questions – it’s crucial to ensure you provide the right evidence

Stay in control of yourself in interviews – you’re in charge of what you say and do

Use positive body language and eye contact – much info provided is non-verbal

Respond to questions, don’t answer them – like school maths, show your 'workings '

Respond to questions in the first 'golden' minute – when interviewers are most attentive

After interviews, review what you have learnt and keep improving your performance

Understand, recognise and respond to the eight groups of interview questions

Using the STAR model to prepare your evidence – Situation, Task, Action, Result

Let's now have a look at some of these principles and how to apply them in a bit more detail

The STAR model provides a simple and effective way to prepare your evidence when responding to interview questions

Situation – spend as little time as possible providing the background to your evidence, just enough to provide context

Task – explain the task but don’t dwell on it, give enough info for the audience to understand what you did

Action – provide a clear visual picture overtly explaining what you did to make a difference and to make it happen

Result – ensure you articulate and demonstrate the qualitative, quantitative and other measures of your success

All questions fall into one of eight groups of questions

Let's have a look at each group of questions and how to prepare for them

Also, you can access a bank of interview questions across all eight of these groups of questions by CLICKING HERE

'Opening' questions

Are asked at the beginning of the interview, usually after the introductions

Are often asked to settle you in and relax you – in reality they’re a vital stage

Your response is your first impression – and you only get one chance to make it

Interviewers’ subsequent judgements are influenced by your first impression

Your preparation needs to highlight what you most want them to know about

Briefly mention a few key skills, strengths, experiences and qualifications

Focus on what is important to the listener and most likely to differentiate you

Example ‘Opening' questions include

Please summarise your career

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

Talk me through your CV

'Can you do it' questions

Are about providing strong evidence of your ability and expertise to do the job

Prepare STAR responses for every skill, strength or experience they want

Use the job advert, job description, person specification, etc. to list them

Include academic and professional qualifications in your responses, if relevant

Give them the evidence that proves you should get the job ahead of others

It’s a big task, but the most straightforward group of questions to prepare for

Your key message to the interviewer(s) – ‘I did it for them and I can do it for you’

Example 'Can you do it' questions include

What are your most important skills and strengths?

Describe a work problem and how you solved it

What was your proudest achievement?

'Will you do it' questions

Focus on motivators and drivers and also what de-motivates you too

Spend time identifying past motivators that have enthused you at work

For each one, prepare STAR examples that give a clear visual picture

Identify past de-motivators and show how you have turned them around

Show energy and enthusiasm in your body language and vocal tone

Example 'Will you do it?' questions include

What are your ambitions?

Describe a time when you felt highly motivated

Why do you want this job?

'Will you fit' questions

Look at personality, character, relationships and how you relate to people

Include preferred management style and your spectrum or range of styles

Use successful past relationships e.g. colleagues, bosses, customers, etc

Demonstrate how the relationship worked and will now work in the new job

Prepare STAR examples that give a clear visual picture of how you will fit

When expressing values show how they fit the organisation’s culture and values

Example 'Will you fit?' questions include

Describe, with examples, your management style

How do you ensure positive stakeholder relationships?

How do you manage difficult relationships?

Your questions

Towards the end of the interview, you will be asked if you have any questions

Prepare questions and listen during the interview for more questions to add

Ask questions that will help you to make an informed 'buying’ decision

Your questions are a 'double edged sword'

You need info to make your 'buying decision' if the job is offered to you

What you ask and how you ask it must reinforce your other responses

Don’t ask if it contradicts your 'can you', 'will you' and 'will you fit' responses

If they’ve answered your questions, reinforce your key 'selling' messages

Negative questions

Designed to test self-awareness and seek evidence you have learnt and changed

Are sometimes used to test your reaction to pressure or hostility or aggression

With 'weaknesses' type questions, always answered in the singular as follows

Choose an appropriate, no fundamental, past example

Explain how you overcame it e.g. training, coaching , self-help etc.

Confirm that it is no longer an issue

Then stop speaking! Even the question is asked in the plural

Another technique to deal with negative questions is to replace the STAR model with the SOAR model

Situation – keeping it a short as possible

Obstacle – explain what it was that you needed to overcome

Action – describe what you did to overcome the obstacle

Result – showing that you overcame it and have learnt for the future

Also, you can access a bank of interview questions across all of the above eight groups of interview questions by CLICKING HERE

Negotiation questions

The only group of questions where it is OK to respond to a question with a question

If asked 'what salary' type questions it’s OK to bounce it back e.g.

'Perhaps you could explain the remuneration package elements?'

'Does the role fall into a salary band or range and, if so, what is it?'

If they persist, it is OK to give yourself 'negotiating room to manoeuvre' e.g.

'Depending on more package details, I’m looking for between X and Y'

'The opportunity the job offers me is the most important issue'

Useful links to research salaries can be found by CLICKING HERE

During the selection process, and especially once you get to the job offer stage, you need to proactively try at all times to keep yourself in the 'win-win zone'

The 'win-win zone is where your wants, needs and preferences overlap with the recruiter's needs, wants and preferences.

Perhaps the principle is best explained by the diagram below

If you have been successful and selected for the job, then either at the interview, or much more likely sometime after the interview you will receive either a written or verbal job offer

As illustrated in the diagram below, once you have got to the 'job offer' stage, there are five phases to negotiating a deal

Acknowledge – regardless of the offer's attractiveness to you, always thank them for it

Clarify – confirm any elements of the job offer that are unclear, unwanted or missing

Assess – if you can do so on the spot then fine, however, if you need time, ask for it

Negotiate – open, positive conversation, always keeping the door open

Decide – be clear on your decision and the rationale so they understand your reasons

Agreeing a deal in the 'win-win zone' will mean that both you and your new employer are happy with the deal and will significantly increase the chances that you will stay and enjoy the job for a significant period of time

Conversely, agreeing a deal outside of the 'win-win zone' will mean that one or both of you are dissatisfied with one or more aspect(s) of the deal and create issues and possibly truncate the longevity of the job

Before the interview finishes, you need to ask a few questions so that you understand

What the ongoing selection decision making process is

What, if any, further selection stages there are and, if known, any timings for them

If there are no further stages in the selection process, you should

Ask for clarification, if you don't already know, of when a decision is likely

Check that they do not have any concerns about any of your responses

Take the opportunity, if appropriate, to reinforce your key messages

Before the interview, research the

Original job advert, job description, person specification and any other documents and double check your response preparation

Skills, strengths, experiences, attributes or values they are looking for and make sure that you have prepared a strong STAR response for each of them

To assist you in preparing your STAR evidence you may find it helpful to use the 'Evidence Log' document by CLICKING HERE

Organisation offering the job – particularly information about their financials, range of products/services, culture and values

Interviewer(s) – it is useful (if possible) to know something about their current role, career background/progression and qualifications via LinkedIn etc.

Logistics – the route to get to the interview, timing of your travel to the interview, ensuring you allow plenty of time for possible delays

After the interview

Thank the interviewer(s) for giving you the opportunity to meet

Make notes a.s.a.p. afterwards of any key info or learning points

If appropriate, send a follow up email to reinforce key messages

Appearance

A clean and pleasant personal appearance is key

Know the dress code and wear appropriately

Better to be slightly 'over' than 'under' dressed

Be congruent, don’t make a 'fashion statement’

Breathing

Arrive early to avoid breathlessness or exertion

Controlling your breathing will help enormously

Breathing releases energy and reduces stress

Take a few slow deep breaths before the start

Exhale slowly to calm your nerves if you need to

Focus on breathing out slowly, not gulping in air

Head

Frequent smiling at the right times is a good positive

Even a nervous looking smile is better than none

Ensure facial expressions are consistent with words

Nod to agree when pertinent, but don’t overdo it

Tilt the head when relevant to indicate interest

Eye contact

Essential that it is regular and comfortable

Being genuine and sincere doing it is key

Little or no eye contact is a huge negative

If you struggle, look at their ear instead

Upper body

Shake hands firmly, with appropriate eye contact

Use your hands sparingly to express yourself

Keep your hands at, or below, elbow level

Find a natural, relaxed position for your hands

Don’t cross your arms – it indicates negativity

Learn forward judiciously and only as applicable

Lower body

Choose a comfortable leg position e.g. a low ankle cross under the chair

Fidgeting legs indicates discomfort or unease, so stick with one position

Sit back in the chair, not on the edge of the seat and don’t slouch either

If you receive a rejection after an interview

Don’t be disheartened, it isn’t personal, its part of a process

Remember, it means you are one step closer to a job offer

Send another application out a.s.a.p. afterwards to replace it

The only bad experiences are the ones you don’t learn from

Ask for feedback, so that it becomes a learning experience

If you don’t learn from the experience you may repeat your mistakes

In the event of receiving negative feedback

Accept the feedback at face value and don’t be offended or defensive

Take the information with openness and as an opportunity to learn

Take time to reflect and fully digest the information

See the feedback as a learning and growing experience

Be led by your thinking response, not emotions, during feedback

Ask for specific examples in an open and non-defensive way

You will successfully differentiate yourself from other candidates by

Being better prepared than the other competing interviewees

Feeling confident with your preparation and your evidence

Listening to questions and responding rather than answering

Articulating your skills, strengths and achievements effectively

Using the STAR model consistently to present your evidence

Demonstrating good eye contact and positive body language

Focusing on the three key questions in the interviewer’s mind

Can you do it?

Will you do it?

Will you fit?

Prepare yourself the same way using the STAR model and the eight question groups regardless of any 'label' that is attached to the interview e.g.

Reduce repetition by having a different STAR example for each skill, strength or ability

But don’t worry if you end up using the same example or evidence more than once

Don’t feel intimidated by panel interviews

Focus on the person asking each question

Include the other panelists with eye contact

Prepare for remote interviews (e.g. Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, etc.) with practice runs with somebody to get comfortable with the format and the technology

Underlying all of the principles concerning interviews and presentations we have covered in this module, there is a further intangible yet important issue - likeability

Ultimately and invariably, it is extremely rare that an employer will appoint somebody to a job unless they like them, unless they are desperate or are filling a short term gap

Or, to put it another way, if two candidates are very similar and difficult to separate to make an appointment decision, then invariably an employer will pick the one they like the most

Similarly, if you have two job offers to consider and they are difficult for you to choose between, then you it is likely that you will go the job with the people that you liked the best

Likeability is a potentially complex subject area so, to keep the issue practical and easy to apply, we are just going to look at nine important components of likeability, namely

Authenticity – this attribute is about whether, or not, you are perceived by others as being genuine and sincere in your words, behaviours, actions and attitudes

Congruence – do your words, behaviours, actions and attitudes 'marry up' in a coherent and consistent fashion or, alternatively, do they contradict each other and leave people confused about who you are, what you believe in and and what you represent?

Respect – is about the extent to which you are accepting of other people's points of view and can maintain positive regard for their point of view, with the ultimate measure of respect being the ability to maintain unconditional positive regard

Empathy – true empathetic understanding is about having the desire to try to understand and respond to other people's feelings plus the skill to project your understanding

Relatability – at the core of this attribute is the ability to build rapport and establish positive relationships

Values – the issue here is not what your values are but, rather, how they match up (or do not match up) with the values of other people

Ego – we all have an ego (a sense of self) which, to a greater or lesser extent, drives our words, behaviours, actions and attitudes, however, in the context of likeability, the issue is the extent to which others warm (or not) to our sense of self

Alignability – to what extent do you already align to the likeability factors of others or are prepared to shift yourself to be more aligned with them

Intent – at a very basic level, others will perceive you as either fundamentally of either benign or malign intent and, depending on their intent, will either warm to, or distance themselves from, you

If you have ever encountered people in the past who have disliked you, or that you have disliked, it may well be because one or more of the above factors was possibly involved

Likeability is not about trying to pretend to be somebody your are not or being dishonest, quite the opposite, it is about being true to yourself and being honest with yourself

Managing your likeability is about

Being self aware of how the above nine likeability factors relate to you generally and especially concerning interviews, meetings, presentations and selection processes

Understanding what they mean in terms of your relationships with others generally and, in particular, in relation to how you manage recruiters and prospective employers

Tests can be a single activity or, alternatively, a series of activities - sometimes called an assessment centre. Either way, the most common test instruments used include

Personality tests – assess typical behaviours, preferences, thinking and judgement

Ability tests – measure general or specific skills, strengths, capabilities and acumen

Aptitude tests – examine potential capacity to learn or apply key capabilities

Specialist tests – explore particular areas e.g. motivation, leadership, strategy etc

Case studies or in-tray tests – look at analytical, organising and prioritising types skills

Role play exercises – testing your responses to specific work situations or problems

Group or team exercises – probe interpersonal, relationship and social abilities

Drafting exercises – testing how well you 'tune-in' to and deal with issues and people

Situational judgement exercises – testing how you behave in different work scenarios

Top tips for managing whatever tests you undertake include

Don’t panic – be calm, be methodical, be in control and don’t be afraid

Be clear – if possible, in advance, find out the test purpose and format

Be prepared – practise via books/online if they are using standard tests

Don’t rush in – on the day, allow time to acclimatise before 'diving in'

Follow the instructions – make sure you know the 'rules of the game'

Keep track of time – ensure you progress at a rate to complete the test

Pressure tests – be aware that some tests can’t be completed by design

Some tests – don’t have right/wrong answers, go with your 'gut reaction'

Don't worry if a test doesn't go well – it's your overall performance that is being judged

It's OK to ask questions if you need to clarify your understanding, but do it sparingly

Avoid making assumptions or trying to second guess the test or the testers

After the completion of the psychometric tests, spend some time

Reflecting on what you feel you have learnt from the tests and what you will do differently the next time you undertake any of them

Seeking feedback from the test administrators on your performance so that you can learn and improve your performance next time

Reflecting on what the tests and the test process have taught you about the organisation and the job on offer

More detailed information on psychometric tests and the opportunity to complete some sample tests can be found by CLICKING HERE

This module has enabled you to

Understand and apply key best practice interview technique principles

Prepare yourself and your evidence rigorously and thoroughly for interviews

Perform confidently and well at interviews to ‘get you ahead of the pack’

Prepare for and handle presentations and psychometric tests effectively

Well done on completing module four, you now have the key info to ensure that you are both the best interviewee ‘in the room’ as well as being the best candidate

In the next module we will look at where to source job opportunities and how to raise your profile to ensure you are 'on the radar' with decision makers, somewhere out there is your next job and you need to find out about it and it needs to know about you

Go to the next module by CLICKING HERE

Interview Technique

Welcome to this fourth module, focusing on improving your interview technique, making sure that you are the best interviewee as well as the best candidate

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​

This module will

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​

All questions fall into one of eight groups of questions

Let's have a look at each group of questions and how to prepare for them Also, you can access a bank of interview questions across all eight of these groups of questions by CLICKING HERE

During the selection process, and especially once you get to the job offer stage, you need to proactively try at all times to keep yourself in the 'win-win zone'

​

​

The 'win-win zone is where your wants, needs and preferences overlap with the recruiter's needs, wants and preferences.

​

​

Perhaps the principle is best explained by the diagram below

If you have been successful and selected for the job, then either at the interview, or much more likely sometime after the interview you will receive either a written or verbal job offer

​

​

As illustrated in the diagram below, once you have got to the 'job offer' stage, there are five phases to negotiating a deal

​

​

Acknowledge – regardless of the offer's attractiveness to you, always thank them for it

​

​

Clarify – confirm any elements of the job offer that are unclear, unwanted or missing

​

​

Assess – if you can do so on the spot then fine, however, if you need time, ask for it

​

​

Negotiate – open, positive conversation, always keeping the door open

​

​

Decide – be clear on your decision and the rationale so they understand your reasons

​

​

Agreeing a deal in the 'win-win zone' will mean that both you and your new employer are happy with the deal and will significantly increase the chances that you will stay and enjoy the job for a significant period of time

Conversely, agreeing a deal outside of the 'win-win zone' will mean that one or both of you are dissatisfied with one or more aspect(s) of the deal and create issues and possibly truncate the longevity of the job

Before the interview finishes, you need to ask a few questions so that you understand

​

​

What the ongoing selection decision making process is

​

​

What, if any, further selection stages there are and, if known, any timings for them

​

​

If there are no further stages in the selection process, you should

​

​

Ask for clarification, if you don't already know, of when a decision is likely

​

​

Check that they do not have any concerns about any of your responses

​

​

Take the opportunity, if appropriate, to reinforce your key messages

Before the interview, research the

Prepare yourself the same way using the STAR model and the eight question groups regardless of any 'label' that is attached to the interview e.g.

More example interview questions can be accessed by CLICKING HERE

Underlying all of the principles concerning interviews and presentations we have covered in this module, there is a further intangible yet important issue - likeability

​

​

Ultimately and invariably, it is extremely rare that an employer will appoint somebody to a job unless they like them, unless they are desperate or are filling a short term gap

​

​

Or, to put it another way, if two candidates are very similar and difficult to separate to make an appointment decision, then invariably an employer will pick the one they like the most

​

​

Similarly, if you have two job offers to consider and they are difficult for you to choose between, then you it is likely that you will go the job with the people that you liked the best

​

​

Likeability is a potentially complex subject area so, to keep the issue practical and easy to apply, we are just going to look at nine important components of likeability, namely

​

​

Authenticity – this attribute is about whether, or not, you are perceived by others as being genuine and sincere in your words, behaviours, actions and attitudes

​

​

Congruence – do your words, behaviours, actions and attitudes 'marry up' in a coherent and consistent fashion or, alternatively, do they contradict each other and leave people confused about who you are, what you believe in and and what you represent?

Let's have a look at each group of questions and how to prepare for them

Also, you can access a bank of interview questions across all eight of these groups of questions by CLICKING HERE

Understanding what they mean in terms of your relationships with others generally and, in particular, in relation to how you manage recruiters and prospective employers

Go back to the Job Hunting main menu by CLICKING HERE