INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
questions, lean forward very slightly and look your questioner in the eye, though not in an intimidating way.
Speak clearly and slowly—it’s natural to speak faster when you’re nervous, so make a conscious effort to slow down. Try and avoid too many ums and ers—if you can’t answer immediately, take a moment to compose yourself.
Each interview will be different, but many will include similar elements. Some of the most commonly asked questions are:
• “Tell me about a time when you took the lead in something/ showed your initiative”: This is easy. It’s the time to talk about any volunteer work you’ve done, any societies you were president of at university and anything you’ve organised in your community. This is similar to another common interview question...
• “What experience do you have working as part of a team?”: See above, but also add sports, scouts, summer camps and suchlike. Talk about how you took direction, worked with others to develop ideas and saw them through to action.
• “What is your biggest weakness?”: This is a tricky and slightly pointless question, but it crops up a lot. You have to say something, but it shouldn’t be anything too damaging. You should go for things that are both negative and positive, like being too assertive, or getting frustrated when others don’t keep up. If you really want to push it, say you’re too much of a perfectionist! Don’t say that
your biggest weakness is that you’re lazy or that you steal things. You won’t get the job.
• “Why do you want the job?”: Don’t say that it’s just about money, or that you’ll take anything that gets you out of your parents’ house. Be honest. Say some nice things about the company. Generally, if you say that you’re excited to have the opportunity of joining an excellent team in the industry and want to develop your skills to make a positive contribution in the future, you’ll be fine.
Remember, the interview isn’t over until you’ve left the building. At the end of your discussion, shake hands firmly and say thank you for their time. Receptionists and secretaries can report back as well, so make sure you don’t do anything embarrassing on the way out. Thank the receptionist too—if you do get the job, they’ll be a useful person to get on with.
Afterwards
Hopefully, that’s it. You’ll get a phone call a day or two later offering you the job, you’ll accept and you can start straight away. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. You might find that you didn’t get the job. That’s a shame, but don’t be downhearted. There could be lots of reasons beyond your control. Stay positive, think about what you could have done better in the interview and keep applying for those jobs. If you work hard and keep a good attitude, it won’t be long before you get work.
22 FAST TRACK / Careers module / 2010-2011
WWW.FASTTRACKBERMUDA.COM
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