INTERVIEW PREP / IDEAS & REFRESHER

The job interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself. How you go about this will depend on your
personality and the type of role you are applying for, but some basic rules apply across the board. Please
read this document. Hopefully most of it will be second nature, but it is good to remind yourself on the
basics:

Preparation
 Check the location before the day and explore alternative options of transport
 Read through the job spec, know where your role will fit into the organization
 Expect the interviewer to do a CV walkthrough, spend some time going through your CV, making sure to
 familiarize yourself with your previous roles and projects along with dates.
 Be prepared for any technical questions that could arise from reviewing your CV.

Research
Find out as much as you can about the company you are applying to - their products/ services, scale,
structure etc. In addition to the information your consultant will supply, there are a few other sources you
can try to find this information:
 The company’s website
 Annual reports (available from libraries or the company itself)
 Company brochures
 And, best of all, if you can, speak to someone who works for the company - of course, this is not always
possible, but it is a very useful source of information.

Day of the interview and arrival

Plan to arrive 15 minutes early. Always leave plenty of time. Assume you are going to be held up and check
for traffic reports if necessary
 Take pen, paper etc with you
 Dress to impress - wear a suit even if the dress code of the company you’re visiting is casual.
 Ensure your personal presentation (shoes / suit / shirt / tie / hair) is perfect.

During the interview

Act positively and confidently. Give a firm handshake. Be prepared for different interview styles.
 Competency Based
 Panel
 Technical
 Formal / Informal

Telephone Interviews
As a minimum you should brush up on the company’s business structure, clients, products, industry
terminology, or anything else that may relate to the position you are applying for. Spending an hour or two
researching these things before you do an interview, can make a great impression on your interviewers and
possibly land you a second interview or even a job
 Do keep a glass of water handy, in case you need to wet your mouth.
 Smile. Smiling will project a positive image to the listener and will change the tone of your voice.
 Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
 Keep your resume in clear view, on the top of your desk, or tape it to the wall near the phone, so it’s at
your fingertips when you need to answer questions.
 Have a short list of your accomplishments
 Have a pen and paper handy for note taking.
 Turn call-waiting off so your call isn’t interrupted.
 Make sure your phone is charged and you are in an area with reception.

General Interview Questions

Q: Tell me about yourself?

A: Delivering a mixture of professional and personal experiences are important. Talk about your background,
interests, degree, where you lived, why you liked it and why you chose the career path you have. Answer no
longer than 5 minutes on this question and no less than 3 minutes.

Q: How would your friends describe you?

A: Answer question with confidence and conviction – either give answer followed by a brief example of
bullet points and then follow up with examples. Examples – Sociable, loyal, committed, honest, fun,
determine… Remember the question is how would your ‘friends’ describe you so think about more ‘non-
work’ related words.

Q: What are your top 3 strengths?

A: The most important question. You MUST perfect this answer.
Most people have 5 key strengths – select your top 3. Remember it should reflect your career path, so if you
are a project manager then organizational skills, collaboration, time management, stakeholder management,
ability to motivate others and general communication skills are important. If you are a business analyst then
communication, ability to know what is possible and to challenge why it needs to be done, documentation
skills, problem solving, ability to work well under pressure, team working skills are all important skills.
Choose three, stick with it and practice delivering examples.

Q: What is important to you in your career over the next 2 years?

A: Know what you want from your career. For some people developing IT skills or achieving your prince 2
certification is important over the next 2 years. For others it is greater responsibility or overcoming
particular challenges. Talk about growth and development and how you want this to be achieved. Try not to
talk about where you want to be in 2 years but rather what you would like to see happen in your career over
the next 2 year period.

Q: Give me one weakness you have?

A: Do not give a weakness that contradicts your strengths. Not assertive, not good with confrontation,
impatient – want things done right and done NOW are good examples…remember to choose a weakness
that won’t give the impression your performance will be overly impacted by it…

Q: What motivates you?

A: Think about why you work and why you selected your chosen career path as opposed to being a plumber
or a baker - and match it against the reasons for wanting to be good at it. Some examples of drivers are
financial, recognition, challenges, success, making a difference, your family, parental expectations….‘I have a
young family, they motivate me to excel within my job and ultimately escalate my position - this will help me
receive a greater salary and give them the best possible start I want for them…’

Q: What do you like & dislike about your job?

A: Think of 2 likes and dislikes. What specifically stands out for you in this job compared to previous jobs – is
it the people, size, values, challenges, ability to travel, the location…No organization is perfect. What is it
that you dislike? Is it the travel, the location, the size, the reliance on others…
Remember: Do no select answers which can relate to the position you are going for!
Q: Where do you see you see yourself in 5 years time?
A: You need to know where you are going. This demonstrates focus and direction.
Where will you be? Size of company, location, job title, responsibilities, managing – how big? What
industry…Be clear on this before you go to interview.

Q: If I were to call your boss – How would they describe you?

A: Compared to the friends question answered above, think of more professional adjectives such as
committed, hard working, sociable, tenacious, team player, goes beyond the scope of duty, reliable,
regularly exceeds expectations. You must have examples ready for each and practice your delivery of these
answers so they are structured and clear. See the STAR method of answering examples below.

7) Competency Based Questions

You may also be aware of the term CBI being known as behavioral based interviewing. In essence, a CBI
interview is a series of scenario-based questions designed to examine your strength across a number of soft
skills. The concept behind this type of question, where you are asked to give a specific example of a real-life
situation in the work place, is that the interviewer is able to determine how you will behave in the future,
based on how you behaved in the past. A competency question will start with something like …. “Describe a
situation when……” OR “Tell me about a time when…..” It is important that you respond accordingly, with
one specific example, rather than saying what you would, could or should do.
To prepare yourself for the competency questions you will need to read and understand the STAR method of
structuring your answer; prepare examples for each of the competencies; and rehearse your answers.
Remember that the word ‘WE’ should not form part of your answer, replace it with ‘I’. Never say ‘we’ in the
context of a CBI answer! It’s you they want to hear about! The hiring manager after all, is looking to hire you
…. Not your team!
Important note: Replacing “WE” for “I” is important but in the right situations, if you were managing a team,
be sure to convey that. Try not to discount your ability to work as part of or leading one.

The STAR Method of answering a competency-based question

S – Situation
 This part of your answer is to paint the picture of the scenario you are going to use and must not be any
longer than one or two lines. You will not score any points for this section. You must also remember to
keep it not overly technical.

T – Task
 Again, a brief line or two is all that is needed. The task will be your objective or goal and it may also be
relevant to mention here if there are any consequences attached to you not achieving it.

A – Actions
 The crux of your answer and the only place you will be able to score points. It is imperative that you
understand how to form the actions, as a poor answer will affect the level you are marked at and may
 even cause you to fail.
 Actions must start with “I” and contain a specific action word – such as emailed, organized, telephoned,
presented, researched, and chaired. If you ever feel yourself wanting to say “liaise” or “communicated
 with” – you need to break this down again – think;
 HOW did you communicate with that person, what method did you use? (Email, face-to-face or over the
 phone)?
 When preparing an answer, for the “communication” competency in particular, it is important to
remember that the interviewer will be looking for a candidate who can do more than just send an email
 or chair a short meeting. The more detail the better, so be sure to state what other methods you
employed. Did you verbally invite people to the meeting to create greater impact? Did you prepare
side-notes, pre-meeting reading material for the attendees, a high level overview or arrange for
someone neutral to come in and take minutes?
 After the meeting, did you email around the around the minutes, or set a short piece of research for
your attendees to work on before the next meeting to ensure your message was understood loud and
clear? Other things to think about could include – size of the meeting? Tools used (video - conferencing,
 slides, overhead projector) and how you documented the meeting.
 Actions must follow in a chronological order. Once you have reached your final point – stop there! You
don’t want to get carried away and start talking about a different scenario. When preparing your
answers at home, actions should read like bullet points.

R – Result
 Like the situation and task, this should be kept brief, one line.
 Try to imagine you are giving this example to your C.E.O, who would not thank you for inundating
him/her with technical information. You would want to demonstrate that you have taken ownership
and have the ability to articulate your course of action to achieve the desired result.

Example

CBI Question – Communication

 Give me an example of a time when you have had to adapt your style of communication to get a point
across.

Situation
 When I was at (COMPANY), I was tasked with an Oracle upgrade to 9i.

Task
 My task was to explain to the teams (end-users and DBA’s) what was happening to keep communication
flowing effectively.

Action
 I prepared an overview in the form of a flowchart, so things were clear in my own head before I started
the communication process with others. Once I had created the overview, I visited the shop floor and
explained to the end-users face to face what the plan was going to be moving forward. I explained that I
 required a meeting with them to run through the upgrade step by step. I then spoke to each of the
DBA’s face to face to arrange the meeting for the following day – could they all attend? (This allowed
me to gain commitment) I organize the meeting for the Thursday with the DBA’s and Friday for the end-
users. I sent an email with the meeting agenda to all of the relevant parties and booked the meeting
room with the admin team. I then called the supply office to arrange for the correct equipment to be
available for the meetings, particularly an overhead projector, projector screen and laptop. I imported a
minute taker from another team to write our minutes to ensure neutrality and skills in this area. To
maximize communication and impact within the room, I created a huge flow chart and attached it to
the wall of the meeting room.

 The Thursday meeting consisted of 3 DBA’s, a minute writer and I. I conducted a brainstorming session
with 3 DBA’s and myself. Luckily, one of my DBA’s had conducted a similar project so I was keen to get
them involved. Using this person’s previous experience, I found it necessary to create amendments to
the upgrade flowchart. After the meeting was finished, I tasked each DBA with research to bring to the
following meeting (Monday) with the end–user, I showed the user the front-end with “screen-shots” –
how did they feel it would work? Someone on this team had also had experience and we were able to
 make more amendments to the flowchart. I ensured everything was documented form the meetings
and their dates/attendees to each amendment made to the process, just in case it needed to be
referred back to.

Result
 Communication for the rest of the project was very productive. Numerous brainstorming sessions
followed, which ensured the project stayed on track.

Communication
 Be aware of the tempo of the interview, if your interviewer is talking and asking questions slowly or
 quickly, respond in a like manner.
 Try to maintain eye contact.
 Be aware of your audience; try to gauge the understanding of the individual(s) you are meeting with.
Don’t become too technical and lose someone that doesn’t know what you are talking about, the same
applies for the reverse. Don’t talk high level when you have a technical audience, they will be looking
 for detail.
 Try to talk the interviewer’s language - if they’re formal, you are formal. If they make a joke, laugh! But
 be careful if you want to make a joke yourself.
 If there are multiple people interviewing you, share attention between them and be sure to answer
 questions to the person that directed them.
 Don’t talk too much - this is a difficult one, but the talking should be fairly even between interviewer
and interviewee. Make sure you pause if you’re in the middle of a long answer to allow the interviewer
to speak if they need to.

Talking about your experience

 Use examples from your previous experience that highlight areas specified on the Job Description. Keep
examples recent and relevant, from within the last 5 years. Use a variety of different examples, it is
 often seen as a weakness to use the same scenario for different questions, preparation is key.
 Think about the different interviewers motivations: an HR interviewer’s main concern will be to ensure
that you fit the company culture, but they will not generally be able to assess your ability to do the job.
Unlike the line manager, who will be able to test your skills and will also be checking out your
personality (asking questions like “Can I face working with this person on a daily basis….will they fit in
 with the rest of the team”).
 Listen to the questions - if you don’t understand the question, ask for clarification.
 Take your time in answering a question - it’s better to give a decent answer after a few seconds pause,
 rather than a garbled, nonsensical answer immediately.
 Don’t give clichéd answers to questions (“I’m a great team player”), which you can’t back up with
 examples from the workplace.
 Don’t criticize your current employer - it’ll make the interviewer question your loyalty.

Notes for people in Business Facing Technology or Leadership roles

 What approach do you take to relationship building?
 How do you motivate, lead or build teams?
 How do you set expectations and follow up?
 What methodologies or toolsets do you work by to ensure delivery?
 How do you implement and demonstrate best practice – what is this in your eyes?
 How do you work across different cultures and geographies – what have your experiences been?
Questions to be prepared for
 Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see
 things your way.
 Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
 Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
 Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
 Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
 Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
 Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your
 tasks.
 Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
 What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
 Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual
 may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
 Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
 Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
 Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
 Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
 Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
 Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
 Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
 Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
 Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
 What are the reasons for leaving your last role?
 What are your expectations for your next role?
 What is your most noteworthy achievement?
 Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
 Why do you want to come to work for us?
 What do you know about this company?
 Why did you choose this career?
 What are your major strengths/weaknesses? (have at least three of each prepared with supporting
 evidence)
 How was your last review?
 What has been the biggest challenge in your career to date?
 How would your friends/colleagues describe you?
 Prepare questions to ask the interviewer
 This is a good time to find out more about the role.
 At the end of the interview, its fine to ask how the interviewer felt it went and when you can expect to
hear from them. You should re-affirm your interest in the role and thank them for their time.

Some questions you could prepare

 How do you see this role developing over the next two years?
 What are the company’s growth plans?
 What are the 3 most important things you are expecting this person to deliver in year 1
 What does success looking within this role?
 How do you like to manage?
 What are the biggest challenges to be faced in the first 6 months
 What is the company culture like?
 What new initiatives or technologies have recently been implemented?
 What is your policy for learning and development?

Other important notes

 Don’t apologize constantly - if you’re late, apologize once. If you don’t know something, don’t apologize
 - answer by explaining how you would go about finding the answer.
 If you have more than one interview, remember what you have said to each interviewer - its fine to
duplicate information across the interviews, but make sure you don’t repeat yourself to the same
person. Sometimes, interviewers may have a short chat between interviews and the second interviewer
 may be given the task of probing a particular area, so expect some repetition.
 Never say overly negative things about your current employer or reasons for leaving. Try to keep this
 brief, and professional. Focus on the future, not on the past.
 Always call your agent after the interview for feedback.
 Never ask about remuneration. Your agent will handle this. If you are asked, feel free to answer
 appropriately if confident, or say you would rather they spoke to the agent on that topic.
 When answering questions, say I did this, I did that… Not “we”