The Good Interview Guide

Congratulations!  You’ve got an interview.  For some candidates interviews can be a stressful business, but the better prepared you are, the more confident and relaxed you will be.  From the collective experience of Financial Direction’s recruitment consultants, the key to a successful interview is preparation, practice and performance. 

The following tips should make the interview process a lot easier……

How to prepare

Do your homework!  Ensure you know all you can about the company and the job you are applying for:

·        Gain information from the company’s web site, corporate brochure and colleague’s knowledge.

·        Speak to your consultant as they may have inside information on the company, its culture and the interviewer’s background.  They may also be able to give guidelines on the types of questions that may be asked.

·        Consider the job description and assess yourself against the key areas of skills and experience requested.

·        Review the key areas on your CV and try to identify areas that the interviewer is most likely to want to question you on, but be prepared to discuss anything on your CV.

·        Think about whether your CV highlights anything which may give the interviewer any cause for concern e.g. date gaps.

·        Leave plenty of time to get to the interview and make sure you take with you everything you might need – copy of application form/CV, job description and proof of qualifications.

First impressions

Prepare yourself to give the best possible first impression:

·        You need to know what the dress code is at the organisation you’re applying to and dress accordingly.

·        Arrive in good time for the interview.  If you are early, use this time to sit in reception and get a feel for the company/office.

·        The way you greet the interviewer will also be an important part of your first impression, so be ready to appear approachable and confident as soon as you see them.

The interview

Adopt a professional tone and style throughout.  The manner in which you answer questions can be as important as the answers you give:

·        Make sure you speak clearly and do not ramble.  Good body language and eye contact will help you to do this naturally.

·        Do not interrupt the interviewer – even if they interrupt you.

·        Apart from asking for clarification to a question, try to avoid asking more than a few brief questions during the interview as there will be an opportunity to ask questions later on.

·        Adopt a similar tone to the interviewer.  If they are very formal, you should follow suit.

·        Keep your answers specific to the job in question and give specific examples of your achievements, challenges and successes.

·        Do not lie.  Be as honest as you can.  You can put a positive spin on the truth, but do not change the facts.

·        Do not criticise your present/past employer.  It can make you look negative and may make your interviewer question your loyalty.

·        Do not ask about salary.  It will look like you are only interested in the money.

·        Most importantly, be yourself!

After the interview

You will probably feel a strong sense of relief once the interview is over, but this does not mean that there’s nothing more to do:

·        Report your feedback to your recruitment consultant.  The company will usually ask the consultant for your feedback and if you have not told your consultant that you are interested, it may give the impression that you are not keen to get the job.

·        Review how the interview went and make notes.  This is particularly useful in order to handle other interviews better or if you get a second interview.

For further information on what Financial Directions can do for you in terms of finding your next role and help with interview preparation, please visit our website

http://www.financialdirections.ie/

or contact us at

Financial Directions Ltd

28 Lower Leeson St

Dublin 2

+353 1 676 7222