Once Youve Had The Interview Confirmed:
1. Research the organisation
Youll already know the basics from your research ahead of submitting your application, but now is the time to delve a bit deeper. What are their current projects? Have they been in the news? Who are their clients? Who will be interviewing you? Check out the organisations website, newspapers, or social media for this information. Showing you know what the organisation is up to will look good to your interviewers. If you have been told or can find out who will be interviewing you a bit of research about them could potentially help reduce your nerves.
“Once, someone I interviewed had looked through the news online and pulled out quotes from journalists about the organisation. I was so impressed, it showed how much time and effort she’d put in and that she really cared about the organisation.”
Katy, Director, Events Business
2. Prep the possible questions and their answers
Check out our advice on some of the tough questions you might get asked, here and log in or sign up to hear from 22-year-old entrepreneur and seasoned interviewee, James sharing some of his interview success secrets.
3. Research career progression and training opportunities
4. Sort out extra support you might need
If you need special access or additional materials to be arranged for your interview, make sure you get in touch with the organisation and let them know.
For example:
5. Plan the route
6. Figure out what to wear
Thalia, 21, student
Nine Tips For Interviewers
Remember that during the interview process, candidates are just as much as youre trying to decide whether to hire them. You have only about an hour to make a good impression on the candidate and to obtain the critical information you need about their skills, experience and personality.
With this in mind, here are nine tips for interviewing someone to help get you prepared for your next interview:
How To Conduct An Effective Job Interview
The virtual stack of resumes in your inbox is winnowed and certain candidates have passed the phone screen. Next step: in-person interviews. How should you use the relatively brief time to get to know and assess a near stranger? How many people at your firm should be involved? How can you tell if a candidate will be a good fit? And finally, should you really ask questions like: Whats your greatest weakness?
What the Experts Say As the employment market improves and candidates have more options, hiring the right person for the job has become increasingly difficult. Pipelines are depleted and more companies are competing for top talent, says Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser at global executive search firm Egon Zehnder and author of Its Not the How or the What but the Who: Succeed by Surrounding Yourself with the Best. Applicants also have more information about each companys selection process than ever before. Career websites like Glassdoor have taken the mystique and mystery out of interviews, says John Sullivan, an HR expert, professor of management at San Francisco State University, and author of 1000 Ways to Recruit Top Talent. If your organizations interview process turns candidates off, they will roll their eyes and find other opportunities, he warns. Your job is to assess candidates but also to convince the best ones to stay. Heres how to make the interview process work for you and for them.
Further Reading
Dont:
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Experiment With Memorization Methods
Memorizing is often misused in the process of studying. Some people memorize whole sentences, paragraphs and lectures without grasping their essence.
However, memorization can be useful when you need to learn definitions and classifications really quickly. Dont avoid this technique if you want to fill your brain with information without wasting any time.
Try this if you want to memorize more and faster: How to Memorize More and Faster Than Other People
Avoid The Word ‘interview’
Most people think an interview is a scary thing. They think of job interviews or the kind of TV interviews that politicians do. Neither model works for a good journalistic interview.
I prefer the words ‘chat’, ‘conference call’ or ‘conversation’.
12. Confirm the time and date in advance and send reminders
People sometimes don’t turn up for interviews. This is why I prefer sending a meeting request from Outlook or using Calendly to book up the call. It’s also helpful to send an email reminder the day before.
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Find The Right Context
Memorization works solely in times of urgency. If you want to learn in the most effective manner, then you need to have context for information.
Find an aspect thats interesting for you try to research for related information, and youll discover the joy of learning.
The first step? Jot down as much information and as many ideas as possible: How Simply Jotting Down Ideas Can Make You Smarter
With time, this practice will make you a faster learner.
How Should You Conduct Interviews
Sometimes, being a good interviewer is described as an innate ability or quality possessed by only some people and not by others. Certainly, interviewing may come more easily to some people than to others, but anybody can learn the basic strategies and procedures of interviewing. We’re here to show you how.
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Being Prepared To Evaluate The Candidate
Write Your Interview Notes After The Interview
An interview evaluation form is an excellent way to capture interview feedback because it helps you document how the interviewee responded to different questions throughout the interview. That lets you rate and rank candidates in an unbiased way and select the best candidate for the job instead of the first, last, or the most animated person you talked with.
If you prefer digital methods, try an applicant tracking system such as Freshteam that allows you to score interviews, delegate tasks to other hiring team members, and easily follow up with both high- and low-quality candidates. Sign up for free:
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What Are The Most Common Mistakes Interviewers Make
Untrained interviewers are quite likely to ask questions forbidden by state and local labor laws. One of the most common mistakes is to ask a person if they have a disability. That violates the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act . What you can do is ask all candidates whether they can do the essential functions of the jobwith or without reasonable accommodation.
Another common rookie mistake is to ask questions that end up being discriminatory or perceived as such. Examples include asking about a candidates marital or family status, asking how old they are, or even asking something as simple as the origin of their last name .
If Youre Interviewing With A Friend
Youve had drinks with this person and discussed your relationships and family matters in detail. Or, the two of you used to complain about your boss during coffee breaks at your old company. Now, hes the person taking notes on your resume and asking about your greatest weaknesswhich seems silly, because youre pretty sure he could answer that for you.
Muse writer Sara McCord experienced this exact situation with a close friend: I had an interview with a friend just weeks after a very difficult event in my personal life. I remember her starting the call by expressing her condolences and saying we didnt have to talk about it. However, I was prepared since I hadnt yet spoken to her. So along with thanking her, I weaved what was going on into my interview, saying things like how meaningful it was for me to delve into work I cared about, and how excited I was to throw myself into projects like the ones in the job description. That happened to be trueand genuinewhich is something friends and interviewers alike appreciate.
What she got out of this encounter was that you cantand shouldntignore the fact that you know each otherwell. Avoiding the elephant in the room makes the situation uncomfortable for both of you. With that said, nows not the time to rehash any drunken escapades, dating horror stories, or annoying statuses from a mutual Facebook friend. Prepare to bring the conversation back to the position at hand every time it starts to get off track.
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Do You Have Any Questions For Me
You might be asking yourself why this is a tricky question. Honestly, its not a tricky question if you are prepared for it.
What the interviewer is looking for here is how interested and excited you are for the position. Youd be surprised at how many people answer this question with a blank stare or have no questions prepared.
Again, if you are at a live interview, you should be highly interested in a position and the company. You will convey how interested you are in the opportunity with some well thought out questions to ask.
You dont want to just ask one question like How often is payday? Have at least 4 to 5 questions prepared but dont overwhelm your interviewer with dozens and dozens of questions. Show that youve given some serious thought to this position by coming prepared with solid questions to ask.
If Youre Interviewing With A Former Manager
This situation should be ideal for you. After all, this person knows you in the professional sense and asked you to come in for an interview. That bodes well. However, it can be tricky for the same reasonthis person knows exactly what its like to work with you. And, if its been awhile, youre in the position of trying to prove how far youve come since you last sat across the table from each other.
The Muses Managing Editor Jenni Maier suggests you err on the side of staying professionalbut, at the same time, dont be afraid to reference your past. If, for example, youre asked to talk about your resume, avoid walking your former boss step-by-step through the job she hired you to do. Odds are this person remembers it well enough and pretending thats not the case wastes both of your time.
Instead, focus on what this person doesnt know about you now. What have you accomplished and learned since the last time you worked closely together? Rather than spend too much time reminiscing over those PowerPoints you used to put together, use this time to show him or her how much youve grown. And, if you know a particular weakness used to be a pain point for her, bring it up and discuss what youve done to overcome it.
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Use The Right Edtech Tools
Technology has the power of making everything easier. There are plenty of websites, online tools, and smartphone/tablet apps that will boost your skills of planning, writing, time management and brainstorming, etc.
One way of improving your productivity is using flashcards. You can make your own cards, but you can also download pre-made kits online:
- StudyBlue is one of the best online destinations when it comes to creating and discovering flashcards from all areas of study.
- If you are looking for a tool that makes the process of brainstorming more effective, then you should try PapersGear.
- You also need the SelfControl app, which will eliminate all distractions when you need to stay focused.
- Quizlet is another website you should bookmark it offers study tools that will transform the learning process into a fun activity.
- Notella is an app that will help you take quick notes at any time.
- Brainscape is an educational platform that makes complex subjects easy by relying on cognitive science.
- You can also try Dragon Dictation, especially if you are an audio learner.
Interview In A Journal
For an interview published in an academic journal, you need to include the journal name, volume and number, the date or year, and the page range. If you accessed the interview on an online database, include the name of the database and the DOI or stable URL.
SignsJSTOR
Read more about MLA journal citations.
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What If A Job Candidate Shows Up Unprepared
Its possible a job candidate applied to your job out of obligationsuch as to fulfill a requirement for unemployment. If its clear the candidate is not qualified, is unprepared, or simply not a good fit, its certainly okay to end the interview early. For this reason, the phone interview methodology for first-round interviews may be best. They can be brief and the interviewer can quickly disqualify obvious candidates who will not be considered for the position.
It does not have to be uncomfortable or difficult to end interviews. You might say, I appreciate you taking the time to come in and see us. However, it appears youre unprepared for the interview and I dont want to waste your time. I encourage you to look for additional job postings that may be a better fit for you in the future.
Core Questions To Include In Your Interview
- What do you know about our company? This tells you a lot about whether the candidate has prepared for the interview and if they have done their due diligence.
- What keeps you interested in this field? How do you keep current with best practices? This is good for both experienced and entry-level hires to show you theyre truly interested in the field, passionate about the role, and want to learn.
- Would you be willing to role-play the following situation such as: ? This evaluates the candidates ability to handle situations the job requires.
- What do you think the position involves doing on a daily basis? Expectations are an important part of the hiring process. For experienced hires, this tells you what they have done in their previous role for new grads, it helps you to figure out what they expect and whyand for you to determine whether those expectations are realistic.
- Now that Ive told you all about the role and the company, why do you think this is a good fit for you? This question shows whether the candidate was listening to you and lets them accurately match their skills and talents to the job role.
- Do you have any questions for me? This is a good question that helps expose whether or not the candidate has done any research about the position and whether or not the candidate has unanswered questions at the end of the interview.
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Assessing The Candidates Desire Factor
Theres no excuse for candidates not having researched your company, its achievements, competitors, and challenges prior to an interview. Still, some will go out of their way to articulate their understanding of who you are and why theyre so excited about joining your firm.
What youre really trying to get to here is whether the candidate wants a job or whether they want this job. Try questions like these to isolate those who are hungriest for the opportunity that you offer:
- What do you know about our organization?
- Why would you want to work here?
- In your mind, what makes us stand out from our competitors?
- If you were to accept this position with us today, how would you explain that to a prospective employer five years from now?
- How would this role with our company provide a link to your future career progression?
Can You Describe How You Handle Tight Deadlines
Does your team frequently face challenging time constraints? Do you need someone who can work quickly and accurately while under pressure? Ask this interview question of a potential employee and youll at least get their opinion as to how they handle stress and whether they can keep up with the pace of work at your organization. You could also follow up by asking if theyve ever missed a deadline and, if so, how they handled the situation.
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Questions To Ask Yourself
Interviews may be done by you alone or with the help of a team. In fact, your entire interviewing process requires you to think through how youre going to assess the candidate in total.
As youre scheduling interviews, ask yourself these questions:
- Who is the best person or persons to interview candidates for this job? You might consider someone experienced in the role to assess technical skills, for instance.
- What other ways can we determine if this person is a good fit? For example, after the interview, you may make a job offer contingent upon a successful background check.
- How quickly do you need to hire someone? That may dictate who and how many people interview the candidate, as well as how quickly those interviews are scheduled.
- In addition to phone, video, or in-office interviews, you may want to assess a candidates interpersonal skills in a social setting, like a group lunch with your team.
- How will you decide on the best candidate? Will it be the person best-liked by the manager? Or the one who completed the best sample assignment?
