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Preparing for an Interview: Part 2

Even the most level-headed candidate can expect to be nervous when walking into an interview, and that means that if you haven’t given some thought to some of the questions that are inevitably going to be thrown your way, you might not be able to come up with your best answers on the spot. So take some time to go through these, and give some thought to what your answers would be if you were asked them in an interview environment.

• Have you applied for any other jobs/internships? If so, where?
• What made you decide to study this profession?
• What are goals and how are you going to achieve them?
• What do you consider to be your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Do you have any major achievements to date?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• Tell me about a difficult experience either at work or if you haven’t worked before, in life and how you dealt with it…
• What do you know about our business?
• Describe how you see the role…
• Do you work well under pressure?
• Would you prefer working with others or working alone?

Pollock & Associates Chief Executive Officer, Caz Pollock believes that “Being well prepared is only the first step, you also need to execute your preparation at the interview in a manner that renders the potential employer speechless and eager to hire you.”

She offers the following tips when in an interview:

• Greet the interviewer by surname
• Shake hands firmly
• Be confident in all you say – even if you feeling shaky at the time as it inspires confidence in you as a Candidate
• Answer all questions honestly – never lie!
• Don’t be negative about your current position or employer
• Display hunger and enthusiasm for the position
• Never bring up salary unless the interviewer brings it up first
• Maintain eye contact
• Thank the interviewer for his time

“As an unknown author once said ‘it is perseverance which distinguishes the strong from the weak’. So if you try and fail, try again and again and again! You will perfect the art of being a star interviewee in no time and finally get the job”concludes Pollock.

Remember, when you are being interviewed you are often going to be up against stiff competition, so do your best to prepare beforehand, but if your application is not successful, don’t let it knock your confidence. Just follow these basic guidelines, do your best, and keep trying!