Interview Techniques
How to succeed in giving the best interview you can
Interview stage. You only get one chance to impress, so don’t let yourself down by not doing your homework. It’s important to make the best overall impression on your prospective employer.
Below are our handy interview techniques and tips to help you maximise your chances of success and deal effectively with some of the tougher questions you may be asked.
Our interview briefs are informative and concise.
We will give you a full briefing on the job description and candidate specification to make sure you know exactly what the job entails and what your role is about. Feel free to ask your consultant if you're unclear about anything at any stage. You might also find it helpful to read through these again prior to your interview.
- Provide you with relevant company information, specifically tailored for the role you will be interviewed for. This will enable you to get an overview of the company and help you to gain an insight into the work of the department or section for which you will be interviewed.
- We also recommend that you take a look at the company website to find out about the products and services they offer, the location of the office and the number of employees. It’s also a good idea to check out the latest news for any additional information and to show that you are up to date.
- Let you know any other details about the interview, such as if it is a one to one, panel or group interview. We will also inform you of any tests you may have to take and if the client requires you to bring samples of your previous work.
- Make sure you have the practical details to hand. This will be the full company address, date and time of the interview, correct contact name and full title of the person interviewing you. If the location is unfamiliar, visit www.whereis.com.au and print off a map to your destination. It’s useful to plan your journey and allow time for delays.
Interview preparation
Interviews are all about questions and you're likely to face some standard ones and others that are real challenges. It's a good idea to prepare for these and add some of your own to ask at the end of an interview. This will show that you have initiative, as well as a genuine interest and enthusiasm in the role and the company.
It's a good idea to prepare for a diverse range of questions
It's important to stand out in your interview and if you can answer well to a diverse range of questions, you could already have a big advantage over your competitors. You can't prepare for every single question that will come up at the interview, but you can anticipate most of them.
Below are examples of standard questions that you most likely have already been asked in past interviews, and more awkward ones.