Interview Hints & Tips
Securing your appointment
Interview Hints & Tips
There are three recognisable stages to securing employment:
1. Application
2. Selection
3. Appointing or Onboarding
These tips below should help you to successfully secure your ideal job
Applying
Remember the point of an application is to provide the reader with enough information to convince them that they want to find out more about you and explore your suitability for their vacancy. It is the equivalent of a sales person’s foot in the door so save the real detail for your interview.
Tell the truth, it’s one thing to highlight the positives on your application form or CV, but lying is a bad idea. Facts you supply will be checked throughout the selection and appointing stages and you are highly likely to be caught out. Don’t forget apart from the embarrassment of being caught out in a lie it is also fraudulent to falsify information.
Provide Referees but before you do get their permission first. Once you know references will be sought contact them in advance so that they are expecting the request and will respond quickly.
Explain any gaps in employment, if you have taken a career break to travel, spend more time with your family or for any other reason the hiring manager will need to know.
Make sure your application is free of errors. If a hiring manager is faced with hundreds of applications, one with lots of spelling or grammatical errors will be far less attractive. If you fail to check your application for basic mistakes, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage to the rest of the applicants who will.
Make sure you read the role profile carefully and ensure that your applications addresses each of the requirements.
Application forms
On-line
- The easiest way to complete an application form is online, our site has a text extractor that will scan your CV and automatically populate as many fields on the application form as the system can find. This will cut down the work for you and allow you to edit the form.
- If you are not using the CV upload type your text into word first, this way you can use spell and grammar check facilities before cutting and pasting into the fields.
Paper applications
- Get or make a second copy so you can have a practice run.
- The form needs to be easy to read so write legibly use bullet points if space is limited and keep your handwriting to a decent size.
- Hand written application forms will be scanned to make electronic copies so use black ink; it makes for a clearer copy at our end.
General tips
- Read the form carefully to make sure you understand the questions.
- Most questions require a simple yes, no or piece of information however when it comes to personal statements remember you only have a few seconds to grab the readers attention, keep it short and relevant to the post
- Check for grammar and spelling errors and, if possible, ask someone to check it over for you.
- You may be asked direct questions relating to your application at the interview, so keep a copy of your form so you don’t forget what you’ve written.
- Answer all the questions.
Writing your CV
Remember you have approximately just eight seconds to grab the reader’s attention, so it’s important to present your information in a clear and concise way. Two sides is advisable, make sure the information is signposted and unless you’re applying for a post that requires design or artistic flair exclude any clever layouts or attachments.
Personal details
Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address. We do not want to know about your age marital status or nationality at this stage however if you wish you might wish to include details about yourself that you feel relevant to the post such as weather your have a driving license.
Work experience
List your most recent positions first, continuing in reverse chronological order, however think about the post you are applying for. Remember the reader will be scanning your CV for experience relevant to their vacancy so tailor each CV to expand where your experience matches requirements. Describe your work experience in short sentences using examples of your key achievements.
Education
List brief details of your academic and professional qualifications along with the grades attained. Applicants looking for their first job since leaving education should include this information above their work experience.
Skills
Include specific skills such as IT packages, languages and state whether you're at a basic, intermediate or advanced level.
Hobbies
This can provide another brief insight to who your are. Including them is optional, but if you do keep it short. If your skills haven’t already persuaded the reader to offer you an interview, the fact that you enjoy a round of golf won’t change their mind, It may however give the interviewer something more personal to discuss with you.
Using CV Extractor
CVs are best in a word compatible format (e.g. .doc, .rtf or .txt). Ideally they should be of a fairly plain layout (i.e. not laiden with tables, graphics etc.). The extraction is fairly clever in what it does, but a ‘more traditional’ CV layout works best.
Covering letters
A covering letter is optional, but it is your opportunity to demonstrate that you understand the nature of the role and to show how your skills and abilities fit the vacancy perfectly. While CV’s and application forms tell the reader about you, your letter should concentrate on the position and the company.
Never send out a standard covering letter that you have used for different employers for different positions, instead research the company by exploring the rest of this site and use the information you find to help improve your chances. Present your information letter format, keeping it short and factual including references to your CV or application form in order to encourage the reader to find out more about what you can offer. If this position represents a shift in sector use this opportunity to draw links between the two.
Selection
Assessments
We use Psychometric and ability assessments as part of our selection process they are never used in isolation but are designed to help us gain a better understanding of what you can do and how you might fit into our organisation. They can also help you to identify and develop your own skills to match the demands of the jobs you are applying for.
There are a huge number of different tests and assessments but they tend to fall into two broad categories:
Ability and aptitude tests– these measure specific skill sets and give employers an idea of your existing ability and potential to learn skills required for the job.
Personality assessments – often known as psychometric tests, these assess your motivation, interests and values, as well as your behaviour and attitudes. They give us an insight into how you see yourself that is not always available through interviews alone. If your preferences for behaving in certain ways, such as working in a team, match the working culture of the post, you are likely to feel happier and perform more effectively in your job.
You may be asked to complete an on-line personality questionnaire before the event but with your invitation to the assessment centre you will receive an explanatory leaflet and practice papers. There are a number of publications you can buy to improve your performance in this area however below are a few pointers to coping with tests.
- Practice doing things to a time limit.
- Don’t worry if you can’t finish in the allotted time as accuracy is also assessed.
- Tell us if you have a disability such a dyslexia, sight or hearing impairments that might affect your performance, so the process can be adapted to accommodate you.
- Keep calm and read instructions carefully.
- Always complete the practice questions at the start of any assessment and ask your test administrator to clarify anything you don’t understand before you begin.
- Plan your time effectively by allocating each section a set period.
- Ensure that the question number being completed matches the one on the answer sheet.
- When assessing difficult multiple-choice questions, start by ruling out those answers that cannot possibly be correct.
- If you change an answer, make sure it is clear.
- If in doubt, give your best estimate.
- If you finish early, use the remaining time to go back and review your answers.
After the tests are over you will receive feedback regarding your performance.
Interviews
A good application will gain you access to the interview room, but from then on it’s important to make sure you measure up to your aspirations.
“Think of yourself as a brand,” (Frances Boddington, the president of the Federation of Image Consultants). In addition to exploring your experience and abilities, interviewers are judging your values, which you can demonstrate through your appearance, behavior and communication skills; preparation is essential.
Preparation
Research the sector and the company, use this site to make sure you are up to speed with the context of the role you are applying for and update yourself regarding the latest developments.
Think about what you may be asked and prepare your answers in advance, you may also want to prepare some questions for the panel of your own.
Plan your journey, the
Not all of the impression you make at interview will be based on what you say. More than you would expect depends on how you say it and your appearance. Dressing for the job you aspire to can help people picture you in the role.
In the interview
Body language
From the moment you walk into the room you begin to form an impression about what sort of person you are and what kind of employee you would make. Even when you are not speaking, you are still communicating.
Top tips
- Even though your knees may be knocking try to enter at your normal pace.
- When it comes to shaking hands, ‘firm but friendly’, nobody likes a limp handshake, but avoid bone crunching, which can denote arrogance, aggression or overcompensation for lack of confidence.
- Eye contact is vital, but don’t overdo it, avoid staring. In a panel situation take care to address everyone in the room.
- Smiling helps you to relax and makes you appear approachable; it can also help to put an enthusiastic expression into your voice.
- Sitting up makes you look attentive, leaning forward a little can indicate an active interest.
- Physical gestures should be minimal but open. Palms up and open suggest honesty, and avoid pointing or banging fists on the table to emphasise a point.
- An interview is a two-way process. When responding or presenting read your interviewer’s body language. Folded arms and leaning away could mean you are losing their interest.
- When it comes to shaking hands, ‘firm but friendly’, nobody likes a limp handshake, but avoid bone crunching, which can denote arrogance, aggression or overcompensation for lack of confidence.
Questions
Most of our interviews take a structured route. Each of the panel members will have a number of questions to ask, you should remember that the interview is a two way process designed to get the best from the applicant, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand what you are being asked.
Keep your answers to the point, expand to demonstrate experience and above all be honest. If you do not have experience of a situation say so but add what you would do faced with the situation or think of a similar example to demonstrate your ability or behavior.
The salary will have been advertised with the vacancy and should not therefore need to be discussed at this point, however if for example your last role was more senior than the one on offer the interviewer will want to understand why you have decided to take this step, be prepared to talk about it.
The interview presents an opportunity for you to discover more about the company and the role. For example, you may want to ask who you would report to; why the situation is vacant; and what the promotion prospects are.
After the interview
Analyse your interview performance, try and remember the questions and your responses as you may be able to improve your performance in the future. Weather successful or not ask for feedback so you can learn from the experience and prepare for the next step. Remember if you are not successful this time you may want to apply again so remember feedback is not obligatory but a gift, use it constructively as a means of improving not as a reason to argue with the hiring manager.
Appointing or Onboarding
Once the panel has considered their interview notes and assessment results they will make a decision as to who they want to appoint. The successful candidate will receive a phone call to make a provisional informal offer. If your response is favorable this will be followed up by a formal provisional offer. A number of forms will accompany the letter which you will be asked to complete and pre addressed envelopes will be supplied for their return. You will also be asked to supply a number of documents that are required as part of the appointment process. It is also at this time that references will be sought.
You should note that a starting date cannot be agreed until all of the required documents are on file and authorised, so it is in your best interest to respond quickly and accurately to the requests.
References
You should be aware that no one is under a legal obligation to provide a reference, unless there was a specific contractual agreement to do so. To ensure that your references are provided make sure that you first gain permission from the referee to site them. Make sure their contact details are accurate, It is also a good idea to pre-warn them that a request is on it’s way, this often speeds up the process and avoids unnecessary delays and multiple requests.
Where an employee has performed at an unacceptably low level or has been dismissed for a reason that would cast doubt on his or her suitability for future employment, the person giving a reference can:
- provide no reference at all;
- provide only a basic, factual reference, giving the dates of employment and the job title; or
- provide a detailed account, including references to any negative issues
If you believe your past employer’s reference unfairly harmed your future work prospects, the onus is on you to establish that:
- the information in the reference is misleading;
- providing such misleading information has had a detrimental effect on your standing with a prospective employer;
- your former employer was negligent in providing such a reference.
If these facts can be proven, you should seek legal advice on the next steps to take.
Original Documents
We will need to see original documents from which copies will be taken, photocopies cannot be accepted. There are a number of ways this can be achieved.
For identity checks relating to the Criminal Records Bureau, (required for posts working with vulnerable groups) documents must be produced in person.
For other positions this is not a legal requirement, however we do not advise sending original documents through the post and will make every effort to meet with applicants either at one of our offices or schemes to view , copy and authorise the required paperwork. If this is not possible we cannot guarantee the safety of your documents once they are out of our hands, we will however use registered post for their return.