Preparing For the Day

So the CV got you in the door, but that’s just the start of it. The face to face interview is where you ‘clinch the deal’. Interviewing well can sometimes be more important than actual relevant career experience as often, the person who interviews best is offered the role over the person with the more relevant career experience.

Remember, once you’re in the door, your CV has done its job, now it’s over to you.

The Journey

• Plan your route, take change for parking and the Company and Blayze Unguem’s telephone number just in case.
• Do a dummy run to ensure you know exactly where you are going for the interview.

Your CV

Make sure you know your own CV and take several copies in a professional looking folder.

Preparing Your Skills

So, how do you prepare to sell yourself? How do you explain why your skills and experience make you the best choice for the role?

Exercise:

Before you go to the interview, you must list all the skills /attributes that the job requires, and against that list write why you satisfy each element of the job specification. (This is best done by referring to your CV and writing down what you will say in response to each point).

This list will then constitute a summary of your key work related attributes and experience in relation to this job. All you then have to do is learn it and then tell the interviewer!

Remember – you are being interviewed for a particular vacancy, so you must try to put your experience and skills across in a way that is relevant to the role in question. Focus on the attributes required by the job specification, and be prepared to back up your abilities to meet each of these criteria. In fact, it is true to say that armed with this list of your key attributes, you are well equipped to answer any question which is related to the job specification.

Example Questions & How To Answer

 What are your strengths?

Your strong attributes for this job

− What motivates you?

Describe one of your strengths as a motivational factor

− Why should we employ you?

List your attributes for this job

− What qualities do you have that are suitable for this job?

Again, list your attributes

− Describe your ideal job

Describe a role which uses your key attributes for this role

− How would your best friend/colleague/boss describe you?

Relate a strength for this job

− What are your personal skills and abilities? & What are specific examples of how you have used them?

The list for this job

Keep your answers factual, explaining your skills and experience. Practice answering the above questions until you can do so in a clear, concise, confident manner, staying relevant to the job in question. Do not be afraid to repeat yourself when answering these questions. If you have prepared the list of your strengths in relation to this role, you will be able to talk about specific skills and experience which are directly relevant to what the interviewer is looking for. If the questions you are asked give you the openings to do this then you will be able to respond with confidence, but if the interviewer does not provide the leading questions, you will be able to “take the bull by the horns” and present a lucid, well-rehearsed summary of how your experience and skills are right for the job. In other words, you will be able to sell yourself to the best of your ability.

If you do not undertake the preparation detailed above you will not stand a chance of being able to relate all the relevant selling points clearly and concisely, (and consequently will probably not be offered the job).

Additional Links

The Blayze Unguem Guide to Interview Success – Part 1 of 7 

The Blayze Unguem Guide to Interview Success – Part 2 of 7 – Do Your Homework 

For further advice and detailed interview insight, please look out for ‘The Blayze Unguem Guide to Interview Success – Part 4 of 7′, or contact one of our specialist Consultants on 0345 11 22 828, at info@blayze-unguem.com or drop us a message via our contact form and we will get back to you.