{"id":146,"date":"2017-09-14T14:16:17","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T14:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow-recruitment.ap.applyflow.com\/candidates-general-interview-tips\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T07:12:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T07:12:52","slug":"general-interview-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/general-interview-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"General Interview Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<section id=\"r8-left-navigation\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/\">Candidates<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/advanced-job-search\/\">Job Search<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/job-alerts\/\">Create a Job Alert<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/building-your-ideal-cv\/\">Building your ideal CV<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/submit-resume\/\">Submit Your Resume<\/a><\/li><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/general-interview-tips\/\">General Interview Tips<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/candidates\/the-competency-based-interview\/\">The Competency Based Interview<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/section>\r\n<section id=\"r8-left-navigation\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/candidates\/\">Candidates<\/a>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/jobs\/advanced-search\/\">Job Search<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/af-page\/create-job-alert\/\">Create a Job Alert<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/candidates\/building-your-ideal-cv\/\">Building your ideal CV<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/candidates\/submit-resume\/\">Submit Your Resume<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/candidates\/general-interview-tips\/\">General Interview Tips<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/candidates\/the-competency-based-interview\/\">The Competency Based Interview<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h1>General Interview Tips<\/h1>\r\n<p><em><strong>Secure that job!<\/strong><\/em><strong> 20 minutes preparation can make all the difference!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>People don\u2019t interview everyday! Let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s not always easy. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help you <strong><u>prepare<\/u><\/strong> fully for your interview.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u201cLet\u2019s make sure you have all the help you need, so you can claim what\u2019s rightfully yours!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>The most important thing to remember about an interview is that it is a two-way relationship. You want the job and the interviewer wants to fill the position.\u00a0 Remember, you are both individuals, even though the interviewer is backed by a large organisation \u2013 he\/she is not there to embarrass you, but to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, skills and qualifications and ability to do the job.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>You\u2019re both individuals<\/strong> \u2013 <strong><em>Stay relaxed!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Typical Interview Questions<\/h2>\r\n<h3>1. What do you know about us?<\/h3>\r\n<p>Normally one of the first questions that an interviewer will ask<br \/>Important &#8211; <strong><em>do your homework.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>Look on their website and pick out 5 or 6 points you think are relevant to the company.<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>How long have they been established?<\/li>\r\n<li>How many staff do they have?<\/li>\r\n<li>What are their current\/ past projects?<\/li>\r\n<li>Pipeline?<\/li>\r\n<li>Where are they based? How many sites? Do they have an international presence?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>By answering this question <strong>well<\/strong> you show a keen interest in the company.<br \/><em><strong>Remember companies want to recruit people who truly want to work for them.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n<h3>2. What do you know about the position for which you have applied<\/h3>\r\n<p>Make sure you have a full understanding of the role; it\u2019s you who will be doing the job after all.<br \/><strong><em>If you don\u2019t know you\u2019ve lost it already!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<h3>3. Run me through your career to date<\/h3>\r\n<p>Practice running through your CV at home with a friend or a partner; focus on the relevant skills that you feel can be transferred to this role.<\/p>\r\n<p>What are your reasons for leaving? Never be detrimental about previous jobs, always be positive about everything you\u2019ve done. <em><strong>No-one likes a moaner<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n<h3>4. Strengths\/Weaknesses<\/h3>\r\n<p><em><strong>Watch out!<\/strong><\/em> These questions can raise their heads in a number of ways\u2026 don\u2019t get caught out!<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>4.1 Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>A few examples<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul type=\"disc\">\r\n<li>Why do you think you\u2019d be good at this job?<\/li>\r\n<li>Why should we choose you?<\/li>\r\n<li>What makes you a good candidate?<\/li>\r\n<li>What can you bring to the role?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>All these questions are simply asking \u2018What are your strengths?\u2019<br \/>(If these come up more than once in the interview, don\u2019t be scared to recap your answer)!<\/p>\r\n<p><em><strong>Think!<\/strong><\/em> What skills do you need for the job? Strengths have got to be <u>relevant!<\/u><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Planning and prioritisation skills<\/li>\r\n<li>Communication skills<\/li>\r\n<li>Stakeholder management<\/li>\r\n<li>Follow up<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Don\u2019t just say them\u2026 <em><strong>Expand!<\/strong><\/em> Where did you use them in your previous employment\u2026 why were they important? How did they affect the outcome of your work!<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>4.2 Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Always have some weaknesses prepared, everyone has them and some interviewers will push for answers.<\/p>\r\n<p>The best weaknesses are ones that can also be strengths<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>I\u2019m a perfectionist<\/li>\r\n<li>I can be too hard on myself<\/li>\r\n<li>I struggle with delegation, but I\u2019m getting better<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>(<em>Remember always sandwich a weakness between two strengths! Leave the interviewer feeling that it\u2019s nothing to be concerned about).<\/em><\/p>\r\n<h3>5. Do you have any questions for me?<\/h3>\r\n<p>It\u2019s a good idea to have a few questions to ask, so prepare some beforehand. Maybe the interviewer has sparked some questions through the interview.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><em>Example<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>I have a good all-round knowledge about the role and what it entails. However, how could I expect a normal day to pan out?<br \/><em>\u00a0(By asking this sort of question, it shows the interviewer that you are already picturing yourself in that position).<\/em><\/p>\r\n<h3>6. The Close<\/h3>\r\n<p>There are a few options to close an interview:<\/p>\r\n<p>If you\u2019re feeling confident:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Thank you for your time, before I go may I ask if you have any reservations about my application at present?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>(This allows the interviewer to let you know any concerns about your skills \/ experience which, in turn, gives you the opportunity to put their mind at ease before you leave the interview)<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Thank you for your time, having this interview has confirmed that this is a position that I am really interested in pursuing. Can you let me know what the next stage is? When can I expect to hear whether or not my application has been successful?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>(Confirms your interest in the position)<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Or simply:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Other Questions to think about!<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Tell me about yourself?<\/li>\r\n<li>What sort of job would you really like? Why?<\/li>\r\n<li>What motivates you?<\/li>\r\n<li>How long do you see yourself in this position?<\/li>\r\n<li>What are your short-term goals?<\/li>\r\n<li>What are you looking for in the perfect job?<\/li>\r\n<li>Do you work well under pressure?<\/li>\r\n<li>Why do you want to work for us?<\/li>\r\n<li>How would your friends describe you?<\/li>\r\n<li>How did you get on with your last manager?<\/li>\r\n<li>What management style do you work best under?<\/li>\r\n<li>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Candidates Job Search Create a Job Alert Building your ideal CV Submit Your Resume General Interview Tips The Competency Based Interview General Interview Tips Secure that job! 20 minutes preparation can make all the difference! People don\u2019t interview everyday! Let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s not always easy. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":141,"menu_order":50,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-146","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385,"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions\/385"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}