An Interview Preparation Guide

Interview Check List

Research the company
Self assessment
Know your strengths
Be smart & presentable
Arrive early
Listen carefully, communicate concisely
Provide examples
Salary chat
Tell them you want the job!
You want the job!
Questions for the interviewer
Questions they may ask you
Personal & career objectives
The organisation

Research the company

Prepare as you would for any presentation. Find out as much as you can about the company – the web is a great source of up to date information so make sure you have looked at their website (they will have expected you to do this) and keep an eye on the papers in the weeks before your interview. This effort demonstrates your resourcefulness, sincere interest and curiosity.
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Self-assessment

The client will expect you to know your CV, strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments. To improve your credibility you should be aware of areas that you would like to improve upon and demonstrate how you would do so to the interviewer. Areas of weakness should be accompanied by examples of how you have or are trying to overcome them – this demonstrates awareness of having weaker areas (and everyone does and should have them) but also of pro-activity and determination in trying to constantly improve and overcome them. Likewise, the interviewer will be interested in your strengths as these are what are going to make you get the job over someone else. Be aware of what your strengths are and be prepared to discuss, see below.
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Know your strengths

Be prepared to discuss each, in detail, with examples. The interpersonal examples should confirm your ability to work with others (being able to be part of team, motivate others, communication skills etc.), be flexible, proactive and results oriented.
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Be smart and presentable

Always dress smartly! Make sure your clothes are clean and ironed, shoes polished. You are being judged and interviewed from the minute you walk in the door – even the receptionist can be asked her opinion on a candidate so make sure you are polite and friendly to everyone you meet. An opinion will be formed of you as soon as you walk through the door and shake someone’s hand – make sure you give a good handshake – not hand crushing, but firm and confident.
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Arrive early to your interview

Arrive early with time to spare so you can relax prior to your interview. If there is a chance you will be late (even if it is only a few minutes) call your recruitment consultant and/or the interviewer (reception…whoever) to let them know.
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Listen carefully, communicate concisely

A good interview will be a balanced conversation between you and the interviewer. You will be expected to have questions for them and they, obviously, will be asking questions of you. When giving answers be concise and always keep to the point and be relevant. It is important not to ramble. When you have finished answering the question stop talking. Listen carefully to the questions, don’t interrupt and make sure your answers are actually answering the question they asked and not the one you hope they asked.
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Provide examples

Many interviews now are competency based which means that the interviewer will be looking for you to answer questions about your abilities and experience in the context of actual events. You will be expected to support statements about yourself with specific examples. These stories provide legitimacy to your claims. Without them the interviewer is less likely to accept them as valid.
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Salary chat

Typically if you apply for a job through an agency salary will not be discussed at interview. If they ask and you have to give them something then give them a range (check what the recruitment consultant has put on your CV when they submitted it before you go to interview – this will be what you discussed but try not to forget!). You are entirely within your rights to question benefits package details.
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Tell them you want the job!

Make it clear that based on what you have heard so far; you would be interested in going to the next round. After all, they only want to hire people that want to work for them.

You have one objective in interviewing and that is to receive an offer. Don't let your guard down regardless of how informal or casual the meeting may seem. If you're not sure that the job is a fit, at least try to get to the second round of interviews. A second interview will help you find out for sure if this is the job for you and will also give you the opportunity to ask all those questions that you forgot to ask!
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Probing questions to ask the interviewer:

What are the core values of the company? What are the company's objectives?
What kinds of changes have taken place at the company in the last few years? Management, culture, financial, etc.?
Why is the position available?
What defines a successful person within your organisation? Has this changed over time?
What should be the most important objectives for the person filling this position?
What departments or individuals will I be working with outside of my immediate group?
How does the rest of the organisation view what this department or business group is doing? Does it fit with the company's core objectives?
Assuming the success criteria for this position is met, what will be the opportunities for growth?
Is there opportunity to move to other projects, business groups or divisions within the company?

Don't be timid about asking these questions. Asking tough questions demonstrates that you are prepared, genuinely interested, and respectful of the interviewer and the interview process. Also, it is perfectly acceptable to bring a list of questions to your interview and take notes.
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Questions to be prepared for:

Question: "Why are you leaving your current position?"

AVOID: Company lied to me about how things would be. Compensation is too low. Too much overtime, poor benefits, not enough vacation, etc. Management doesn't know what they are doing. I am not unhappy, I am just shopping the market. No promotion potential. (better to say; "current position lacks opportunity to grow and learn professionally").

HELPFUL: Limited opportunities to learn. Company lacks a vision of it's future. Commute is too far. Bored. Been there too long. Need new challenges. (For candidates with 4-5 years at one company) Industry is retrenching. Remember; don't bash your current company or position. You want to be perceived as someone that makes intelligent career decisions and picks good companies to work for.

Question: "What do you like about your current position?"

AVOID: Flexible work schedule. The amount of vacation I am getting. Company benefits. The vast amount of resources available to me. Not having to deal with the nitty gritty details. Having my own office.

HELPFUL: The high level of responsibility I have been given. Continuing learning experience. The juggling of multiple projects. Visibility of the position. Calibre of people I get to work with. Complexity of work.

Question: "What do you dislike about your current position?"

AVOID: Bad manager. Too much detail. Too much overtime. My job is too unstructured and chaotic. Too many interruptions.

HELPFUL: Lack of challenge and responsibility. Pace is too slow. Not learning anything new. Company's culture is very rigid and lacks an entrepreneurial spirit.

Question: " What are your career objectives and why are you here talking to us?"

This is your opportunity to,

1) separate yourself from the crowd by demonstrating a unique connection between you and this company and it's employees,

2) demonstrate a high level of maturity and confidence by articulating a clear vision about where you are going with your career.

Career objectives?

These days you must have functional career objectives that are not necessarily tied to specific job positions. Examples: Stronger industry knowledge, improved management skills, better business strategy understanding, enhancement of certain technical skills, etc.

Why are you talking to us?

"I have always respected and heard/read goods things about your products or services", "I have known people that work or have worked for your company", "Your opportunity helps me meet some or all of my career goals".
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Employee Qualities

Personal and Career Objectives

Employers want to know as much about you as they can and this involves finding out what your ambitions and goals are and how they fit into their organisation…You’ll need to think about some of the following questions….

What are your short and long-term goals?
What do you see yourself doing 5 years from now?
What do you really want to do in life?
What are the most important things you are seeking in a career?
Describe your ideal job.
What salary are you looking for?
What person do you admire most and why?
Why do you want this position?

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Knowledge of the Organisation and Role

It is absolutely key that you know who you are interviewing with and why you want to work with them. If you can’t answer these questions you can be guaranteed you will not get the job. It is important to think about some of the questions they may ask you about this…Some examples are outlined below.

What are your motives in applying to this organisation: Were they well thought out? Do you know enough about this work area and this organisation to be clear about how your skills fit into it?
Why did you apply for this position?
What skills and personal qualities are essential for success in this role?
How do you keep up with developments in your field?
What would you like to know about this organisation?
What do you believe you can contribute to this organisation?
What do you know about our industry?
What do you know about our organisation?
Why are you interested in working for our organisation?
Why should I hire you?
What two things are most important to you in a job?
Are you willing to travel?
How do you work under pressure?
If you were offered this role, what would you expect to achieve in the first year?
What interests you about our product/services? How would you improve them?