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when they form a set of information on that candidate. It is your right
to ask to see these notes at any time (subject to the payment of an
administration fee in some cases).
CHAPTER 5
CONDUCTING YOURSELF AT
THE INTERVIEW
There is a variety of different types of interview: such as one-to-one,
panel and group interviews. The style of the interviewers will vary too
some will seem very stern and assertive while others will be more
welcoming and engaging. In every case though, there are basic
principles that you should adopt in how you deport yourself and behave
during the interview.
I make no apologies for using the word behave as there used to be a
(now discredited) style of interview where the interviewers were
deliberately antagonistic, the idea being to see if they could get the poor
candidate to behave as they would when working under pressure.
Thankfully, this practice is very rare these days and you are unlikely to
have to suffer the torment of this.
OK, basic principles then
When you first enter the room make sure you have good posture and
make eye contact with everyone in the room.
As you are introduced to everyone, give a firm (not too firm)
handshake. If you are prone to sweaty palms, make sure you
discreetly wipe them before you commence shaking hands.
Scan the room layout once only and maintain eye contact with the
lead or only interviewer.
Look alert and wait to be asked to sit down.
If you are offered a tea or coffee, politely decline. Its only another
thing that can go wrong like spilling it down yourself or worse still
knocking it over!
57
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58 HOW TO ANSWER HARD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Three rules of behaviour in the interview are professionalism
professionalism, and professionalism! That s not to say you can t use
humour where appropriate, but remember, it s not a comedy audition
and stay well away from areas of humour that could remotely be
considered offensive.
You are likely to be asked if you found your way to the interview
venue easily. Always answer positively, even if it was a nightmare
getting there. These people will be so used to getting to those
premises that it will jar in their minds if you moan about not being
able to find the building. You are trying to build a consistently
positive picture in your mind from the word go
.
If you are asked about your well-being generally, e.g. So how are you
today then Ellie? never, ever answer in the negative! Not even slightly
negative such as Oh, you know or So-so
. Be positive and
enthusiastic Very well thank you. And you? This is common social
interaction that oils the wheels a little. Be polite. End of lecture.
Ok, so the interview is under way. You may be asked to talk through
your career to date. This is where your copy of your CV comes in handy
to have in front of you. As I said in Chapter 2, it s amazing what a visual
prompt can do for the memory. When talking about your career to date,
don t repeat merely what it says on your CV. Your interviewers will have
read it already and are looking for you to expand on what it contains. If
you ve done your own competency profiling as I suggested in Chapter 2,
you will be able to talk about your various positions in terms of your
competencies and, more importantly, achievements. Always accentuate
anything of note that you were responsible for. Beware, however, of
over-exaggerating your role in the success of an organisation. In a
recent reality TV show that sought a budding entrepreneur to work with
a highly successful and well-known London-based businessman, a
contestant claimed that through her efforts her company increased its
turnover by several million pounds. What? By yourself? asked the
stony-faced interviewer. The resultant spluttering of the contestant was
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CONDUCTING YOURSELF AT THE INTERVIEW 59
a joy to behold if you are prone to Schadenfreude that is! If you
were part of a team that achieved noticeable results, be honest. Don t
try to hog all the glory for yourself.
In terms of the body language you should exhibit throughout the
interview, I would say don t sit to rigidly upright in your chair but don t
slouch either. For those of you who have dabbled or been involved in
training in neurolinguistic programming (NLP)1 do not on any account
fall into the trap of mirroring the interviewer closely in order to build
rapport. Guess what? We ve heard of it, and unless you are a master at
it, it will come over as false and manipulative. I ve personally
experienced it once and clocked it after a few minutes. I had quite a bit
of fun moving my hair about and varying which leg I crossed etc. I
almost forgot about the questions I was asking this guy, such was the
fun I was having.
Its easy to say be yourself , but really that s exactly what you should be.
The interactions between you and the interviewer (who may well turn
out to be your new boss) will then be genuine and honest, and a good
guide to whether or not you are going to get on.
The following chapters are about giving you the ammunition to come
back with well-thought out answers to tough questions.
Note
1. In NLP, practitioners are advised to match, as if in a mirror, the
gestures, postures and even breathing rates of the person they are
attempting to establish rapport with. NLP holds that subconscious
signals are sent to the other person which guides them into thinking
favourably of you.
CHAPTER 6
COMMON INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS & AND HOW TO
ANSWER THEM
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR DRIVE FOR
ACHIEVEMENT
Q
Tell me what you know about our business?
This question falls into this category as the new employer will be
assuming that you want to join their firm because it is a sound and
progressive career move for you. It is, isn t it? That s a hint & Again, this
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