Interview preparation
The interview process
To some extent interviews are strange. Candidates and clients spend a few hours together and then decide to spend the majority of their waking hours with each other. However, with the right preparation and approach you can make sure that the client sees the right side of you and that you get the information you need to make an informed decision on your future.
Preparing for interview
You can be sure that for every interview you attend the client will be meeting other candidates. It is therefore imperative that you spend time preparing for your interview as you will only get one chance to impress, and it could be your dream job. Your consultant at/from DMJ will spend time with you before the meeting to help you prepare but there are a number of key things that are common for all interviews.
1) Make sure you know your CV inside out. This may sound obvious but it is important that you can talk clearly and concisely about all of the points on your CV, no matter how far back in your career they are.
2) Why are you looking for a new role? Everyone has a reason for moving, be it better career prospects, better pay, an easier commute, work/life balance or just a change. Think about your reason and make you sure you can explain it clearly and concisely. Keep it factual.
3) Why are you interested in the job and the client? If the client has prepared a job description make sure you review this in good time. If there is no description ask your consultant for information on the department and interviewer. The client website should be the first port of call for information.
4) Be prepared for standard interview questions;
a. What are your strengths and weaknesses
b. Why are you interested in this type of work
c. What has been your most challenging piece of work and why
d. How do they manage their day
e. How do they deal with pressure.
5) Why should the client employ you? Having read the job description and spoken with your consultant you should have a good idea of what the key skills the client is looking for in their ideal candidate. Think about the skills you have to offer. For each of these skills think about 2 or 3 real life examples that highlight this skill set. You may not be asked directly to give an example in the interview but if you have prepared them then you can drop it into the conversation e.g. I have good client management skills…..for example…..
This is a good way of demonstrating your skills and experience to the client and making it more likely that they invite you for a second meeting.
6) Make sure they have a list of questions to ask them at the end. Typical questions are;
a. What is the structure of the team
b. How is the work distributed amongst the team
c. What training does the firm provide
d. What are the career path for someone like me
Some or all of these questions may have been addressed during the interview. If they have, make sure you don’t answer “no” when asked if you have any questions. The best approach is to say “I was going to ask about a,b,c but we have covered that in the meeting”.
