Interview Techniques

It is important to think about why it is you are going for an interview, and what type of experience you possess that may benefit the organisation with whom you are interviewing.

If you have gaps in your resume, it is recommended that you explain of all your activities up until your recent job search to the interviewer.

Be prepared to discuss the reasons you left your previous employers. If it was for a better opportunity, explain why. If you left involuntarily, present the reason in the most positive light you can. Make sure your responses are honest and be positive.

Team Interview - how to cope with them

In an effort to get a well-rounded perspective on job candidates, many companies ask numerous people to participate in the selection process. Depending on the level of job you are seeking, you may interview with an HR specialist, the hiring manager, the hiring managers boss and even staff members who would be your peers. In small companies you may have to sell yourself to the entire staff. This team approach means that many different people interview you and then get together to debate whether they like you well enough to hire you. Sometimes, each person on the interview asks a different lot of questions. Other times, they all ask the same thing. This can happen by design, if the organisation wants to see whether you change your answers along the way.

Behavioural Interview - some tips

The interviewer asks specific questions seeking information about a candidate's skills, character and preferences based on examples of past behaviour. During the Behavioural job interview, questions are directed toward specific experiences. Some examples follow: "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person at a work. "What proactive steps have you taken to make your workplace more efficient and productive? Specifically describe a policy, project or system you created or initiated."Describe a high pressure situation you had to handle at work. Tell me what happened, who was involved and what you did in terms of problem solving."Some situations require us to express ideas or opinions in a very tactful and careful way. Tell me about a time when you were successful in this type of situation."