Preparing for Interviews

1
Preparing for Interviews

• June E Kay
• Careers Development Consultant
• Postdoctoral Research Staff

2
INTERVIEWS

• You can assume that, because youve got past the
  application form/CV
• They feel that you can do the job
• That they want to know more about you
• So why select further?
• To assess the knowledge that you have marketed in
  your initial application
• To evaluate your transferable skills under
  pressure
• To judge how you would fit into their
  organisation
• BUT It is also an opportunity for you to judge
• whether you want to work for them

3
TOUGH QUESTIONS

• Why do you want to work for?
• What is it about the position that you most like?
• Take me through a task that you have completed
  from beginning to end?
• Was it successful? Why?
• What were the main obstacles that you had to
  overcome?

4
TOUGH QUESTIONS

• What would you describe as your greatest
  strength?
• What would you say is your major weakness?
• What would you say is your greatest achievement
  and why?
• Give me an example of when you have worked in a
  team and tell me what role you took on?
• What are the current issues facing?

5
Tough Academic Questions

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
• Who are the leading researchers in your field
  worldwide? Are any of them willing to work with
  you?
• What innovations in teaching would you like to
  implement given sufficient resources?
• What are the 5 most outstanding advances in your
  field in the last 5 years?

6
Preparation

• Re-read the job advert, application pack, job
  description
• What skills have they asked for?
• What personal qualities are desired?
• What type of organisation are they? (ethos,
  management style, culture)
• Review CV or application form covering letter
• How do you meet the criteria / where are there
  gaps?
• What would you ask if you were them?
• Are there any weaknesses you might be probed
  upon?
• What probing questions might they give about your
  answers
• What other action did you consider?
• What might you do differently the next time? etc

7
Research

• Company
• Products they make / sell
• Locations
• Clients
• Turnover
• World Ranking (if multi-national)
• Main competitors
• Recent expansions / contracts won / cut backs /
  mergers
• Sector
• Upturn / downturn profits
• Effect of new technology or legislation
• Market leaders
• Academic
• Institution, Department, staff, Higher Education
  issues, subject issues

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YOUR INTERPERSONALSKILLS / REACTIONS

• What impression are you hoping to create?
• Dress code
• formal/informal
• company culture
• Body Language
• handshake
• eye contact
• mannerisms
• open/close posture
• Smile

9
Academic Interview Format

• Panel Interview 4/5/6 members,
• Impartial Chair represent the interests of the
  university not dept.
• Head of Department
• Head of Section (research group / area of
  teaching)
• Member of different department lateral
  comparability
• Questions split according to panel members area
  of interest and map onto person specification

10
Non-Academic Interview Format

• Individual interviews or a panel interview
• One in a series or one off interview
• Technical Head of Department, Human Resources,
  Occupational Psychologist
• Part of Assessment centre?
• Other tasks group activities, presentation,
  in-tray / e-tray exercise

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YOUR INTERPERSONALSKILLS / REACTIONS

• What approach are the interviewers adopting?
• style of questions
• pace of interview
• body language inc. note taking
• friendly/business like

12
Competency Based Questions

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

13
Final Tips

• Be yourself
• Give interesting examples to questions that they
  ask
• Be willing to expand on any responses that you
  make
• Dont be thrown by the unexpected question
• Stay calm
• Buy time to think
• Remain positive throughout
• Show them that you are right for the position and
  for them!
• At the end of the interview think about what
  impression you want to leave with them
• If you cant think of good questions to ask
  them dont ask stupid ones. Ian Jackson BT