Interview Tips

Interview Preparation

The demand for skills in the IT sector currently exceeds supply, so now is a very good time to be seeking a career change. However it would be naive to expect an employer to recruit the very first person they interview. A prospective employer will interview several candidates before reaching a decision. To give yourself the best possible chance of securing that position, it is essential that you are fully prepared.

You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. And interviews can be daunting. To assist you we have put together some helpful hints on how to prepare for that very important first meeting.

What to expect

·         Every company will have its own ideas on interviewing and assessment so try and establish from your agency what format your interview is likely to take.

·         Unless informed otherwise, plan on about one hour for your first interview.

·         First interviews may be on a one on one basis with either your prospective line manager or HR Manager or may be a panel interview where you meet several people, either jointly or separately.

·         Some organisations will ask you to take tests at the first interview stage although these are more likely to be reserved until the second stage. Tests can consist of any combination of the following: psychometric, aptitude, technical, programming and case study/presentations.

·         Most companies will invite shortlisted candidates back for a second/final interview. Often at this stage you will be able to meet other members of your prospective team and view the working environment.

Be prepared

Having established from your agency the likely format of the interview the next stage is to prepare yourself thoroughly. This will include:

·         Reading up on the company. We find that our clients are impressed with candidates who have taken the trouble to spend time researching them. The best source of information is the company’s website. Reading through this will give you a better understanding of the role and company you have applied to, and also provide you with useful relevant information to drop into either your answers, or your questions at the end of the interview.

Reading up on the job content. Your agency should have provided you with a detailed job specification. Preparing examples in advance of where you’ve gained the experience they’re looking for will ensure that you are less likely to find yourself ‘put on the spot’ in the interview.

·         Thinking about your motivation towards the role. All too often, the feedback on candidates who have been rejected is that they did not seem interested specifically in the role or the company applied to. Preparing reasons why you are interested in the particular role and company will display your enthusiasm, and set you apart from your competition.

·         Ensuring you have a location map and have planned your journey properly, taking into account likely traffic hold-ups in the rush hour, and peak holiday periods etc. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your allotted interview time. Arrive too early and you can always do some last minute preparation in the car or across the street. You can also use this time to get into the right state of mind. Arrive late though and you will already have created a bad impression and put yourself under pressure.

·         Ensure you have looked at your CV and can talk confidently about dates of education and employment, reasons for leaving, etc. A sure way to fail is not to be able to reiterate or explain what is on your CV.

·         Prepare questions to ask at the interview. Questioning the interviewer will demonstrate an active and enquiring mind, which is a pre-requisite for most IT jobs. At the first interview stage it is better to restrict questions to job content, departmental structure and reasons why the post exists. Salary and benefit discussions are best left for a subsequent meeting.

Dress code and personal hygiene

·         The dress code for the working environment is generally casual nowadays. The golden rule for dress at an interview is smart business dress. For men this would consist of a suit, shirt and tie. For women this would consist of a suit and blouse.

·         Personal hygiene is common sense. We suggest you attend the interview well groomed, with little or no aftershave/perfume. Avoid anti-social food and drink beforehand.

The interview

An interview is a two way process, the ideal interview will consist of the interviewer assessing your suitability for the job and you determining if the job and company can provide you with a challenging and satisfying career.

Every interviewer will have their own individual style or technique. Styles can vary enormously and can include the aggressive interviewing technique where you are bombarded with rapid questions with little time to think, or the passive technique whereby the interviewer simply says ‘tell me about yourself’ and expects to hear a brief A - Z of education and work attainments.

Research has shown that more than 50% of communication relies on body language. Knowing the basics of body language can increase your performance at interview vast amounts. Being able to control your body language makes it easier for you to relate to interviewers. It can make you appear more confident, more honest and more in tune with your interviewer.

The golden rule with body language is to match your interviewers body language. Like attracts like.

A few simple things to bear in mind would include:

·         Smile – show the interviewer that you are open, friendly and confident.

·         Maintain good eye contact – both with the person who asked you the question and any other people in the room.

·         Sit up straight. You will appear keen and alert.

·         Do not fiddle. A classic sign of nerves is to fiddle with your hands/pens/pencils/clothing/body parts (!). It creates a negative distraction.

The secret at interview is to be prepared for any style or technique ensuring that you are relaxed and confident.

Here are some more do’s and don’ts:

Do’s and don’ts

·         Do notify the company and/or agency if you can’t make the interview or will be late.

·         Do be confident, positive, polite and use a firm handshake,

·         Do follow the interviewer’s leads. Try to get them to describe the job and duties at an early stage of the interview so that you can relate your background and skills to the position during the interview.

·         Do answer questions as factually and as to the point as possible. Only you sell yourself, so go beyond simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers without waffling.

·         Do express an interest in the post if the opportunity appeals to you.

·         Do be honest but not blunt. Unnecessary, negative information can lead to an unsuccessful interview.

·         Do not interrupt or talk across the interviewer. Behaviour such as this can appear rude and arrogant, and you may not have understood what they were asking at all.

·         Do not be disappointed if no definite offer is made or salary discussed as the interviewer will probably wish to discuss your background with others in the company first.

·         Do not show disappointment if you get the impression that the interview is not going well.

·         Do not allow yourself to get rattled or defensive, as sometimes an interviewer may seem to discourage you in order to test your reaction.

The close

The interview may well finish with the interviewer asking you if you have any questions. This is a great opportunity to show an interest in the role and the company, and to establish whether or not both are right for you. It is a good idea to have some questions ready prepared and written down, as after a long interview, you may not remember them off the top of your head.
Good questions to ask include those about the opportunities for progression and development within the company, what training is provided, how the company operate socially. Refrain from asking about salary, bonuses and holiday allowances at first interview stage. It will give the impression that you are only interested in the job for money.
Common questions

Below are a few examples of questions, which could come up during a typical interview. There is never any harm in being over-prepared, so it is a good idea to put some thought into how you would answer all of them:

·         What do you dislike about your current job? Negative answers will lead to an unsuccessful interview, so try to keep answers short and do your best to turn any negatives from your current role into positives relating to the new role.

·         Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? A good response can be to throw the question back, and ask them what opportunities exist within the company for development and progression? You can then blend their answer with your prepared one.

·         What are your biggest accomplishments? This is a great chance to sell yourself, and you should have several well-prepared answers ready, choosing those that are as relevant to the role as possible.

·         Can you work under pressure? Closed questions can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Reason your answer with specific examples from your work history.

·         What is your greatest weakness? As with the question above concerning the negative aspects of your current role, you should keep your answer short and end it on a positive note.

·         What most interests you about this job? This is an opportunity for you to show your enthusiasm for the role. Avoid generalisms such as ‘it’s a good opportunity’, and instead, give specific reasons that relate directly to them.

·         What qualities do you think it takes to be successful in this field? If you have listened to the interviewer throughout the interview, and have read through both the job spec and website thoroughly, you will know what they want to hear!

·         Do you work better on your own or as part of a team? You want to be able to demonstrate an ability to do both, but by having researched the role, you should have a good idea of the balance required between team and individual working, so should focus your answer accordingly.

·         What have you done that shows initiative? As with all competency-based questions, it is best to prepare examples from your commercial experience that are best related to the role you have applied for.

(For further information on this type of question, see our section entitled ‘Competency Based Interviews’).