Preparation

Time spent preparing for the interview will pay off, provided that the information you collect is used in the most effective manner.

Find out all you can about the organisation, in particular;

• Ownership
• Structure
• Turnover and Profitability
• Competitors, Market Rating
• Future Plans for Development 
 

Visit their Internet site, download a copy of their annual report (if they are a public listed company), view other websites such as the Stock Exchange or ASIC.  Conduct a web ‘Keyword’ search on one of the many search engines to find out more about privately owned companies.

As you read through the information write down questions that come to mind. It is valuable to have a good selection of pre-determined questions.

Another useful tip is to think about the role as if you were the recruiter.  Write down approximately a dozen questions that you would ask to find out what you would want to know from candidates – and yes the hard questions will be asked – so do not avoid them.  You then need to write down how you would respond to these questions and think about specific examples that demonstrate proven performance – remember this will be validated by rigorous reference checking so do not over exaggerate or lie.  This is a great tool to really help you refine your performance in the interview and not look ‘Dumb’ when trying to recall specific examples to substantiate your responses.

The Interview & First Impressions

Arrive early and ensure that you are appropriately dressed and groomed for your audience.  Ensure you know the first names and positions of the interviewer/s and do not pronounce or call them by an incorrect name.  A firm handshake is appropriate for both male and female interviewers – do not offer a limp hand or crush theirs.  Anything else is not appropriate.

Let the interviewer lead the interview and listen carefully to what they are telling you about the organisation and the questions they ask you.  You must answer clearly and concisely and; if you are unsure of what is being asked, clarify with the interviewer what information he/she is seeking.  If at any point you begin to have reservations about the position, do not show it in anyway, in particular through body language, facial expression or vocal enthusiasm.  The golden rule is to never shut out an opportunity, as you never know what opportunities may come up in the future with the same organisation or which company the interviewer/s subsequently move on to as part of their own career development.

Employers value loyalty and look for it in potential employees so refrain from criticising current or past employers and/or individuals.

Sample Interview Questions

1. Given where you are right now in your career – can you please detail your immediate and long term career aspirations?
   i.e. what do you want to achieve & where do you ultimately see yourself, both IMMEDIATE and LONG-TERM.
2. Can you please describe what you consider to be your most significant achievement in your working career thus far and why?
3. Can you please detail what you consider to be the key principles of effective:
   Selling, Collections, Operations, Logistics, Leadership etc. as would be appropriate to the position
4. How do you organise your work to effectively manage tasks, meet targets and objectives and tight deadlines?
5. Can you detail the types of KPI’s and Targets you typically work to?
   Sales staff and Managers will be grilled about financial aptitude and performance and you should be prepared with evidence to substantiate your results.
6. At times we all deal with customers (whether internal or external) and engage in a range of business activities – however at times this can be challenging.  Can you please describe how you have dealt with an angry or irrational customer and cite an example that sticks out in your mind to substantiate how you manage such situations?
7. At times we all make mistakes and fail to meet performance targets.  Can you please provide 2 examples where this has occurred and explain what you learnt as a result?
8. Apart from the role that you perform for your current employer – can you please explain how else you add value to the business?
9. Diligent financial control, effective customer relationship management and a focused and driven sales team working to realistic targets form the basis for ensuring business success.  Can you please describe how you contribute across one or all of these (3) areas of business in your current role?
   For example, detail the scope of budget accountabilities & performance, discuss actual sales results and how this was achieved (above/below budget) or discuss how you have effectively managed customer relationships to ensure growth and continuity.
10. Self awareness is important; to know and understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Given this, can you please identify for me what you consider to be your occupational related performance areas that require ongoing development and/or refinement?
    For example, this could be your communication skills, analytical skills, people management skills, interpersonal style and approach with staff & customers, sales capability, financial or time management skills.
11. Using five (5) words only – can you please tell me how your work colleagues would describe you?
12. Using five (5) words only – can you please tell me how your customers would describe you?
13. Change is a major theme present in all organisations as we continue to develop new systems, processes and technology.  Can you please describe for me two (2) examples of major change you have been directly involved with and impacted by?  How did this make you feel and what impact did this have on the business and your job?
14. The trend within most businesses today is to develop high performing teams or workgroups.  Can you describe for me what you consider to be the key elements to building and maintaining a successful team?
15. Can you tell me what motivates you to want to go to work?
16. How do you or would you go about encouraging a staff member to more actively engage as part of a team and either contribute to the level expected or participate in other initiatives necessary for the business?
17. Outside of work what do you like doing and what are some of your personal interests?
18. Why are you looking to move from your current role?
19. What is your Notice Period & detail your current Salary Package and expectations?

Asking questions

Whilst it is important to ask questions, you should gauge during the course of the interview what to ask and when. You must be careful that you don't ask too many questions that you appear to be "hijacking" the interview. Some questions can wait until the next stage or can be asked of the recruiter after the interview. Typically questions that relate to the position and the business will add credibility to your application.

Avoid asking questions that relate to salary package and fringe benefits, unless asked.

Interview Techniques

Every Organisation has a specific style of screening and interviewing candidates and may require applicants to undergo a skills and/or Psychometric evaluation as part of their candidate management process. The following is an outline of three commonly used interview techniques:

Behavioural Based interviewing

Is used to determine the inherent traits an individual displays in a combination of occupational and personal situations. Commonly the interviewing organisation will have developed a framework that identifies the desirable attributes being sought in their employees either company-wide, specific to a team or department. Questions are designed to elicit a particular response to understand how they react and respond in particular situations as well as identify an individual's competencies through a description of the actions the individual took in a given past situation.

Group Interviews

Is designed around interviewing a number of individuals in one room. Generally the objective is to observe candidate behaviour in a group situation through role play, issues discussion and/or activities. The interview will have identified desired behaviours being sought from potential employees and seek these out through observation during the interview process. Prior to attending a group interview, take the time to consider the behaviours a potential employer might be seeking for the role.

Panel Interviews

Is when more than 2 people will interview a candidate for a position.  The interviewers will use a combination of behavioural questions and direct probing questions.  In this interview environment, direct your responses principally to the person who asked the question and also aim to encompass the group from time to time.  This type of interview typically takes place for more senior appointments and is followed by comprehensive psychometric evaluation.

Factors that Impact Interview Outcomes

1. Poor Personal Appearance / Grooming.
2. Overbearing / Aggressive / Conceited / Overconfident – Behaviour / Attitude. 
3. Lack of Interest and Enthusiasm. 
4. Lack of Confidence and Inability to Clearly Articulate Responses. 
5. Over-Emphasis on money - persistent attitude of 'what can you do for me?’ 
6. Evasive / Making Excuses for Unfavourable Results & Performance. 
7. Lying – You will be found out.  Most progressive employers & quality recruiters conduct rigorous reference checking and have a number of processes in place to test the integrity of candidates, including Police, Financial & Full Background Checks – which are now being conducted as routine for most roles across many industries
8. Condemnation of past employers & individuals – you will be amazed at how small the world is and how well connected business leaders are in seemingly unrelated industries.
9. Poor Eye Contact. 
10. Limp Handshake. 
11. Lack of preparation for interview - failure to get information about the Company, resulting in the inability to ask questions – let alone intelligent ones at that. 
12. Monotone Voice – will put the interviewer/s to sleep and cut the interview short. 
13. Inability to ‘Listen’ and Answer questions appropriately.
14. Do not ‘Hijack’ or run the interview. 
15. Do not ‘Interview’ the ‘Interviewer’.
16. Talking over the interviewer / Cutting in on their sentences or even worse – finishing them for them.
17. Body Language – Avoid Slouching / Rocking / Swaying / Tapping etc.  Maintain a solid upright position in the chair and clasp hands either in front of you or in your lap.