Job Interviews

Well done, you’ve got the interview!

Now it’s time to do your research and prepare for any tricky questions they might ask you.

Preparation

Firstly, find out as much as possible about the company. Search their website and if there’s time before the interview request their company brochures or if possible pick one up.

Search on Google. Is the company owned by a parent? If so, take a look at that website too.

Who are their major competitors? Where are they based and what are they doing that is the same or different? What is the overall market like for this sector? Look at trade publications to get a rounded picture. News reports will tell you about the latest company developments, announcements of any expansion plans or any market problems they may be experiencing.Take a look at their financial reports too.

Make sure you also search for your interviewers name on the company website and Google them. It will help you to build up a picture of who you will be asking you questions.

It is amazing how often interviewee’s fail to do the most basic of homework. Walking into an interview with a hotel and asking them how many bedrooms they have is guaranteed to to result in a quick exit. Homework should also include your route to the company office. There is nothing worse than arriving late with a red, hot face and feeling flustered. It is hardly showing your organisational skills in the best light. Plan your route and remember, 10 minutes early for the interview is on time.

Decide on what you’re going to wear a day or so before and try it on. If that shirt is just too tight, choose another one. Have everything ready the night before. If you’re swapping handbags don’t leave your purse, directions, house keys in the other bag.

Take a raincoat or an umbrella if the weather looks dodgy. Don’t chance arriving looking like a drowned rat. Take a little handbag mirror and check your appearance before you enter Reception.

If you look good you’ll feel good.

I’m Feeling Nervous

It is understandable that you will feel nervous. A few nerves are a good thing, they will keep you on your toes. You cannot prepare for every question they will ask but if you have done your company research and thought of possible questions your answers will sound confident that you know your stuff.

Make sure you know your CV inside out and rehearse your answers to any possible questions surrounding career gaps and reasons for leaving past employment. Run your answers past a trusted friend or relative and ask them whether you sound positive. Do not be apologetic for any gaps. You don’t need to be. There should be a logical story running through your CV.

The Interview

You’ve arrived on time and you’re looking good. 

Body language is all important so with head up, shoulders back and a smile introduce yourself to the Receptionist and tell her who you are here to see. Engage with the Receptionist, comment on what a nice area/office it is. Your interview starts from the minute you walk through the door. The Receptionist may be asked her opinion of you. A few friendly words will also help to put you at ease.

Use your waiting time to observe what is going on around you or read any company literature on display. If you’re taken by another member of staff to meet your Interviewer, greet him or her with a smile and a word or two. You may be working alongside them if all goes well.

When you greet the Interviewer smile, offer your hand and give a firm handshake. No one enjoys a limp wristed introduction and it tends to suggest that you are a rather wishy washy person.

If they ask you how your journey was don’t spend five minutes telling them about the hell on the M25. This is your opportunity to portray yourself in as positive a light as possible. Think of the interview as a performance with you looking confident (even if you don’t feel it), smiling, engaging in eye contact, sitting up straight and not fidgeting or fiddling with your suit or your hair.

If there is more than one person interviewing, direct your answers to both of them. If your hands have a tendency to shake when you’re nervous, keep them in your lap.

Interview Questions

As well as questions surrounding your CV and work experience, there are a number of classic interview questions which you are likely to be asked and that should be prepared in advance.

” Tell me a bit about yourself”

This is the classic opener. The interviewer is looking at how you handle this question. No need to waffle on forever, take a few minutes to sum up your work experience and skills learned starting with your highest qualification. Include your carer gap years, your reasons for taking a career break and the experience you gained in this time.

“Why do you want to work here?”

Having done your homework you will have a good idea of the company ethos. Talk about how their plans, products and goals inspire you and how your skills and ambition can help them achieve their aims.

“What are your weaknesses?”

Don’t be frightened by this question. They are already interested in you or you wouldn’t be sitting in the interview. Everyone has weaknesses but try to turn this into a positive, for instance, “I can get irritated if I feel that not everyone is pulling together as a team” or ” I am used to working with email and I am comfortable with Word and Excel, but my IT skills would not stretch to redesigning the company website.”

“What are your strengths”

Match your answer to what they are looking for in the Job Description.  “I work well in a team but I am equally happy working on my own initiative”, or “I am a very organised person and work well to deadlines” or “I am able to listen to what the client is saying, interpret their needs and build long lasting client relationships”.

“How would your friends describe you?”

Loyalty and sense of humour should both figure in your answer. Being able to knock back a bottle of wine or two on a Friday night should not.

“If you were an animal what would you be?”

This may sound daft but if you describe yourself as a mouse, what is that telling them? Again, think of the qualities they are looking for and choose an animal that will reflect them.

“Where do you see yourself in five years time?”

The interviewer is looking for ambition, determination and evidence that you have thought about the steps you need to take to achieve your goal starting with the position you are applying for.

“Why should we employ you?”

This is a question that you need to be absolutely clear and comfortable with. You must blow your own trumpet even if you may feel a little boastful and awkward in doing so. You need to convince him or her that you are the best person for the job and they wont believe you if you don’t sound as if you believe in yourself.

If you feel very uncomfortable with this idea it may be because you have stopped believing in yourself or having a bit of a crisis of confidence. Taking part in a confidence workshop before you embark on interviews will help enormously.

“What salary are you looking for?”

Be very careful with this one. Most women have a tendency to undersell themselves. A recent study of interviewees found that the female candidates asked for an average £5000 less than their male counterparts.

If the job is showing a salary range in the interview, then that is what you are looking for and pitch yourself at the high end of that scale. You may be desperate for the job but don’t let on. If you pitch yourself too low and you are their ideal candidate you will have lost out on many thousands. If you ask for the lowest figure they may be tempted to undercut you even further. Look at our section on negotiation for a few tips.

Returning To The Office After Running Your Own Show

There is one question that you are sure to be asked if you are going back into the workplace from being self employed, “Wont you find it difficult not to be the boss and have to take orders from other people?”

Answers that work here include

 ”There are a lot of headaches associated with running your own business. Here I can put all my energy and enthusiasm into my job without having to worry about staff going off sick and rents going up. I can really enjoy the job without the downsides of being an employer.”

” Having run my own business I can really appreciate what it takes to run an efficient company or department. I believe that extra perspective will enable me to be successful in this role”.

If they ask “Why did you give up being your own boss? It sounds great to me.” Go to the root of it

“Yes it was a great experience but in the end I was just not making enough money to make continuing financially sensible. It is knowing when to say “no” in business which is equally, and sometimes more important, than saying “yes”. This was one of those times.”

If you are asked if you have any regrets, say no and list all the positive things you have learned from your experience.