throw up due to nerves. I’ve seen candidates who have tried to convince me that they were doing me the greatest favour in the world by deigning to come for interview. I’ve seen candidates whom I’ve thought were mute, such was their reticence. I’ve seen candidates whose vocabulary ranged all the way from ‘yes’ to ‘no’. I’ve seen candidates who gave me such detailed answers to my questions that I was on the verge of losing the will to live. The sheer variation of quality in the performance of interviewees has prompted me to distil what I’ve learned into one manageable body of advice which, I hope, will give you the edge when it comes to getting that job. What follows are my tips on how to prepare for the interview itself, how to conduct yourself at the interview and, most crucially perhaps, examples of the kind of answers we interviewers REALLY want to hear.
These are grouped into categories known as ‘competencies’ as the approach most modern organisations take these days is the ‘competency-focused’ interview. After all, we, as professional managers, are trying, on behalf of our organisations to secure the services of the most wonderful, motivated, efficient and productive employee, while trying to show how clever we are at recruitment at the same time! The interviewer(s) are never the enemy. They may use methods which you think are in turn obvious, brutal or downright devious, but remember it is all in the cause of getting the right person for the job who will fit in because of their skill set, personality and attitude – for cultural fit is really important in terms of the likely longevity of their term in post. One day you may very well be sitting here they are and I’ll bet you will be able to justify your approach for the cause!
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