Preparing for success: How to nail your next interview.

This edition of The Go Beyond Newsletter is a continuation of Episode 1: What to expect from the different types of interviews…

Today, we’ll be covering several more interview types - from video and phone interviews, to panel and informal lunch interviews - how to prepare for them and what to expect if you encounter them when searching for a new job.

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Click here to learn about preparing for behavioural, case, stress, competency based and group interviews.

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6. Panel Interviews

During a panel interview, you will be interviewed by multiple interviewers from the same organisation and/or an external company. The goal of this type of interview is to minimise the risk of a bad hire.

Prepare: Panel interview questions

Panel interview questions will vary depending on the company and the position you are applying for. These can be questions such as:

• "How would a colleague describe you?"
• "Why do you want to work for us?"
• "Why should we hire you?"

However, you might be asked behavioural and/or competency based questions as well. For in-depth interview questions that you can expect in a panel interview, you might want to consider preparing by reading the complete guide to panel interviews.

7. Video & Remote Interviews

Video and remote interviews, when the applicant and interviewer are separated by distance, have become much more common. 

Video interviews can either be with the hiring manager or a recruiter and they can be either in person or even ‘on demand’. On demand means you will record your responses to a number of interview questions for the hiring manager to review.

Although the latter is pretty rare, interviewing in this ‘on demand’ way allows the hiring organisation to tap into a wider, more diverse pool of talent.

Prepare: Setting up for a video interview

Remote interviews come with their own challenges and you want to make sure you’re literally ‘set up’ the best way possible to ensure your interview runs smoothly without any easily avoidable glitches.

• Do a trial run (is the link working? Have you downloaded the right software?)
• Check your webcam and microphone (is the video clear and can your voice be easily heard?)
• Check your background (what does your background look like? Have you removed anything that looks cluttered or unprofessional?)

 Remote interview attire - Be presentable

There’s a good chance you won’t need to stand up during this interview type. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

Make sure you are dressed appropriately; it’s important to get into the same mindset as if you were going into the offices for your interview.

DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW PREP GUIDE

8. Phone Interviews

Phone interviews can often be one of the first steps in your interview process. More and more, companies are carrying out pre-interview telephone screening before inviting the person for a face-to-face interview, so it’s crucial you are fully prepared to speak over the phone.

Prepare: Phone interview behaviour

• Cut out all distractions (find a quiet place, have your materials nearby for easy access)
• Speak clearly (take a break between the questions and think about what you want to say)
• Listen and do not dominate the conversation (ask questions about the job that weren’t covered in the job posting)

Below are some questions that you can prepare for in advance of a phone screening:

• "Tell me about yourself and your experience."
• "Why do you want to work at this company in particular?"
• "Can you share any experience of when you managed a team?"

9. Lunch Interviews

Lunch interviews differ drastically from other interview types as the interview takes place over a meal. Besides worrying about what interview questions you should be prepared for, there are a number of additional considerations. 

What should you order which isn’t going to be messy to eat? How are you going to talk about your professional achievements while trying to eat?

Prepare: How to get ready for a restaurant interview

The interviewer will be watching how you interact with the host, the manner in which you address the serving staff and other people in the restaurant. It goes without saying that you should always be polite, but in this situation you need to be mindful that you’re being observed, so make sure you are courteous to everyone!

Given their very nature, lunch interviews are more casual than office setting interviews so you will need to be prepared to keep up a good conversation - when preparing for the more technical side of the interview, you should dedicate a bit of time to scrubbing up on your small talk. 

Still, it’s crucial to avoid certain topics such as politics or religion; weather and holiday plans are safe.

Preparing for Interviews

 As you can see, interviews come in a wide range of forms. However, they all have one thing in common: preparation is the key to success. An effective way to prepare is to use the STAR format

S – Situation 

T – Task 

A – Action(s)

R – Result(s)

For the interview Situation you really want to “set the table”; give them all the important information.

Task is for what you’re looking to achieve or what you’re looking to remedy given the situation – it’s reiterating, clearly, to give the interviewer a direction to the “story”.

The Action(s) that you take are the meat of the answer. You want to specifically mention steps that you, yourself, took to deliver on the task.

Result is the dessert, it’s where you leave the interviewer nodding, smiling, and pencilling in your start date. The key is to provide tangible impacts of your work.

10. Mock Interviews

A mock interview gives you the opportunity to practise for the ‘real’ job interview. You can practise mock interviews with a career coach, counsellor or a recruitment consultant. 

For example, at Morgan McKinley we provide ‘interview PREP’ to all our candidates. PREP stands for Prepare, Review, Evaluate and Perfect. 

During PREP we will give you insights into the types of questions that a particular hiring organisation may ask, as well as some insights into the varying requirements of certain individual hiring managers. 

Every hiring manager will have a different interview approach and the more you are prepared, the better the outcome is likely to be!

11. Exit Interviews

Exit interviews are the opposite of a job interview. An exit interview is the type of interview you have if you decide to leave a company or are being let go.

Companies conduct these types of interviews to get feedback on the job you have left and to gain a better understanding of how employees perceive the organisation as a whole. In short, exit interviews allow a company to continuously improve its workplace culture and optimise relations with the workforce. 

Prepare: Exit interview questions

Some of the questions you might be asked are:

• "Was the company's benefits package sufficient?"
• "Did you receive enough training to do the job effectively?"
• "What did you like least about working for the company?"
• "What did you like best about your job?"
• "Why are you leaving your job?"

To conclude…

That was just a brief overview of the different types of interview you might encounter throughout your career and what to expect from them. There’s a lot more to it that would be impossible to cover on paper!

If you choose to work with a recruiter for your job search, they will be able to offer deeper insights and more detailed information based on the company and role you are applying for in advance of your interview. 

This insider knowledge is like gold dust and can really give you the advantage over other applicants - just one benefit of eliciting the help of a recruitment agency! 

In the next episode, we will be getting our heads around the best approach to take if you have been made redundant and find yourself on the lookout for a new job - pretty topical at the moment for many people. Hint: Don't panic and rush into things!

Keep an eye out for that in two weeks' time. Don't forget to subscribe and spread the word to your friends, colleagues or even family - it's an easy way for you to help them get ahead in their careers.

Thanks for reading.