If you prefer to read this - here is the transcript
Hello, again. It’s Paul Simms here from Wright Executive Search based here in Sydney, Australia.
So, you’ve been put forward for a role and the organization has requested you for an interview. That’s great news. Congratulations. Believe it or not, even at an executive level, I’m often asked by potential candidates or job seekers how to best prepare for the interview.
There are some very basic steps that you need to consider and to be sure that you think about prior to the interview, during, and afterwards, which I’ll run through very briefly.
Preparation.
Prior to attending any interview, you need to ensure you’re properly prepared. Do some research on the company. Make sure you understand exactly what that company does. What are their products, their services? What is their position in the market? Who is who within the business?
Who is your interviewer? Find out their role title and their responsibilities. Look at LinkedIn, etc., the Internet. There are lots of places where you can gather information around the organisation and interviewers.
That kind of preparation will show that you’re genuinely interested in the company. Your presentation needs to be impeccable, always overcompensate.
Dress as smartly as you possibly can, even if you’re going to a cool, funky, media-type business where they all wear T-shirts and jeans, wear a suit, wear a tie. Dress as if you’re looking to impress.
Don’t be Late, EVER!
Punctuality. There is no excuse for lateness. Make sure you are on time. Leave plenty of time. Get there 20 minutes, half an hour early. Sit in the car park or outside if you need to, but turn up with one or two minutes to go.
When it comes to the actual interview itself, when you first meet your interviewer, introduce yourself properly. Clearly state your name, what you do, who you are. Speak clearly and listen to the interviewer. They are interviewing you, so ensure that you follow their instruction and wait for their prompts.
Interview Styles.
You may encounter four different styles of interview.
1) There could be a behavioural based interview. This is when your interviewer will ask for real-life examples of when you have been involved in a particular situation and you will have to draw on real-life experiences that you have been through in your career. Not just the team you were in, but you personally.
2)It could be a situational interview where you’re asked hypothetical questions about what would you do if this happened or how would you approach this kind of situation? That might involve you being quite creative. Again, you drawing on your strengths and experience, but also being creative in how you may sort of respond.
3) There may be unstructured interviews where it’ll just feel like a conversation. Some interviewers don’t plan or prepare their interviews, they will just rock up and chat to you and see if they like you. That’s okay.
4) Lastly, You may in fact be engaged in a panel-based interview where you got three or four hiring people at once, which can be quite intimidating, but it’s important to prepare and to understand each and every person within the room.
Questions, you have questions?
It’s also very important to prepare some questions. Preparing some proper and relevant questions about the role and the opportunity will show your interviewers that you are genuinely interested in your organisation.
When it comes to wrapping up the interview, ask the interviewers what happens next? Is there a further round of interviews? Who would you potentially be meeting?
Let them know that you are genuinely interested in the opportunity and that you would like to progress further forward in the process. It’s important to ensure that the interviewer is aware of your interest because it leaves them with a positive feeling around your level of engagement.
Follow up
Obviously, you can reach out to us at Wright Executive Search. Hopefully, we will be representing you. We will gather feedback from the interviewer and pass that directly on to you.
You may even send a thank you note to your interviewers, letting them know that you appreciated their time, and confirming your continued interest.
As always, please feel free to reach out to myself or my team at www.wrightexecutive.com.au and hopefully, we can help you prepare as best as possible for future interviews.
Many thanks.
© 2022, Paul Simms, – Wright Executive. www.
Paul Simms is an executive search recruiter with 25+ years of experience across the Australian and UK markets. He is the founder of Wright Executive Search, a specialist business within the Executive Search & Accounting Recruitment sector, and is considered one of Australia’s most respected Executive Search Firms.
If you would like to contact Paul, please email psimms@wrightexecutive.com.au or connect via LinkedIn here
