Although interview preparation is everything it’s sad to say that perhaps as many as half of all interviewers you’re going to meet will be unprepared or incompetent. It’s not all their fault, it’s just lack of interview preparation time or responsibility; some of them will be co-opted at the last minute to meet you and won’t have had time to prepare.
However there are those who just think they’re great interviewers and fly by the seat of their pants!!
It’s not all bad news though; you can turn this to your advantage. You can be better prepared than they are by following a few simple rules.
It may sound too simple but what they really want to know only falls into 4 key areas:
* Why are you here?
* What can you do for us?
* What sort of person are you?
* Can we afford you?
So you must prepare for this.
Let’s examine each one.
Why are you here?
Because you are interested in the job, the company, the challenge, the chance to learn and develop new skills, and you are ready to move for such a great opportunity.
What can you do for us?
You bring all of your experience, your skills and achievements, as well as your desire to develop and contribute to a new team or department. (This is easy if you’ve already done your homework on your achievements and skills). You should have a number of skill stories to illustrate these specific points ready prepared.
What sort of person are you?
Someone who has initiative and gets on well with others and is flexible in attitude to different ways of working; maybe you are a great team player, or a strong leader or you describe yourself as loyal and conscientious. Try to avoid the “open-door” or “hands-on” type of response. Remember that ‘compatability’ is much more important than ‘competence’.
Put that to the test if you like – who would you rather work with? Someone who can do everything, or someone you can get on with?
Can we afford you?
Salary negotiation is another issue altogether, but the point is you should have a feeling for what the remuneration is likely to be and show them that you bring value-for-money. If the salary is a lot more or a lot less than your recent earnings then you must be able to show convincing reasons why you are pursuing this job.
That’s all fine as a general background but if you’re going to overcome your interview nerves and be better prepared than your interviewer, you must be more specific.
Put yourself on the other side of the desk