Any interview tips from personal experience?

[mrstrump4th]

I have an interview Friday for a job. Business administration, part time, ideal hours for me/our family. Please give me a few tips

Be confident because they already like you or they wouldn't be interested in interviewing you.

Good luck x

When it comes to questions at the end, one I've always had great success with is "what does a good day at work look like for you?" It ends the interview on a lovely positive and makes the interviewers smile (added bonus - if they struggle to answer it's rather telling!)

Best of luck!

Make sure you know where the place is, how you will travel, also a library/cafe nearby. Cafe is because you should leave plenty of time, but if journey runs smoothly you are then early, having a drink or somewhere to go helps especially if it’s raining.

My best final question is "Do you like it here?"

Why do you want the job?
Why do you want to work for our company?
What would you bring to the role?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What would your last boss/colleagues say about you?

Have answers prepared for these questions

Have at least 3 questions to ask them - not about terms and conditions. Good questions are

Why do you like working here?
What is the office cultural like?
What has been the impact of the pandemic in the business?

And research their business and website before the interview.

@Cismyfatarse

My best final question is "Do you like it here?"

Would anyone say anything other than yes?

Do your research on the company and have something to ask about them

@JorisBohnson2 "My best final question is "Do you like it here?"
Would anyone say anything other than yes?"

In my last job I would have been honest and given a mixed answer. At times it was awful, but it was a good job to get started in and then use as a springboard to other things. The training was good and the skills easy to transfer. Promotion easy to achieve after 6 months, as it was so awful everyone kept leaving. I'd never lie about somewhere being great to work if I was interviewing.

Google the STAR technique and prepare examples from the job description

At a recent interview I asked 'what makes you feel valued at work' and the guy told me that it was an overlooked department that often got forgotten about and was rately singled out for the effusive praise given to customer facing staff!

I always ask what do you know about THE COMPANY? So do your research and know at a high level how they make money and who their customers are.

Have a look on glassdoor for reviews if there are any.

Be prepared to give examples of things you've done in the past. So for an admin role you might describe how you improved an administrative process or system to make it clearer or better.

Some people still like to ask negative questions - describe a mistake you've made or a Co worker you didn't get on with. This is asked to see how you reacted to the problem, not really what the problem is. Don't answer with 'I've never made a mistake'. That's awful!

Good luck!

Describe a difficult situation at work and how you dealt with it. Have that one prepared in advance!
And when they ask why you want the job, the focuz should be on your desire to work for this great company/ how impressed you were to read X on their website etc, RATHER than the fact that it's round the corner or suits your hours.

If they offer you a glass of water, take it. Then you can take a sip if you need a couple of seconds to think.

If the interview is competency or knowledge based, when preparing, instead of cramming quietly in a corner, practice speaking up. Tell your DH, DC and the cat what you know and how you would handle the job. That way, you are already confidently speaking out.

Always remember you can buy thinking time by asking for a question to be repeated. Sometimes it helps you grasp more nuances of meaning and see what answers they are trying to elicit from you.

You can always return to a previous question, if you suddenly think of more wonderful things to add to your answer.

If you start floundering, or bugger it up, say so! Hmm, I think I'd like to start that answer again… etc. It can demonstrate confidence, if you can acknowledge - and handle - situations.

@mrstrump4th

I have an interview Friday for a job. Business administration, part time, ideal hours for me/our family. Please give me a few tips

It's all in the details,

Fine read the description, the role, ect
Research the company as a whole, what they specialises in,
Any awards or big events the company has been a part of.

Consider it like building an intelligence profile of a person but instead it's the company that's the focus of your research.

And all the best.

Read up on the role and the company and the industry.

Then focus on presenting yourself as someone who will solve their problems, and be fun to work with. This is pretty much all anyone wants.

Drop in some knowledge about the industry as a side dish, so they know you are smart and you care.

Do not be afraid to make it clear you really want the job.

@Hawkins001

And all the best.

It's always good to give specific examples rather than something more generic. I often interview for days at a time and it's these little details that help people stand out from the crowd. Also shows personality which is great.

Sounds silly but make sure you answer the question. Lots of people go off on a tangent if they are feeling nervous and end up waffling on about a different topic. Also hood to ask the interviewer if that answers their question.

Always ask questions at the end to show you are keen

Show genuine interest in their company. research them a bit. Ask what they need most from someone in this role, what their ideal candidate would contribute to the organisation, and then without sounding arrogant, explain how you'd love to help them achieve this through your experience of X and your training in Y.

@JorisBohnson2 In an interview for my current job they loved the question and chatted enthusiastically with each other about the school. It was unprepared and caught them by surprise but, once I got the job, was commented on. No credit to me, a friend gave me the question.

To add to the already great advice below. Smile, be yourself, don’t be afraid to inject mild humour - people will be working with you, they need to like you and you need to be liked for who you are. Show interest in the company, you can say at the end you enjoyed learning about their company and the role, it sounds very interesting - thank them for taking the time to chat with you.
Asking what the interviewer likes about the job is pretty common - there’s lists of questions out there to ask at interviews just Google and try to pick ones that you genuinely want to know the answer to, it’s important that you find out whether you want to work there. You could ask what’s the most challenging part of your role - or what challenges and opportunities do you feel the role offers, what goes success in the role look like? Depends on your role, who interviews you and what they have told you - don’t ask them about information they have already provided just because it’s a prepared question. Good luck!

This is a top tip, be prepared. Make notes too. Smile and breathe in and out during the interview. Read up on the company, and also take a pen with you on the day. Additionally, borrow from your local library a couple of career advice books and read them properly twice at least.

Pay close attention to the job description and person specification, use them to guide your answers. Practice for the real thing by doing some mock interviews in advance so you feel confident about interviews. Get feedback afterwards. Send out emails and make a few phone calls to companies.

Thank them at the end. Focus on your skills at all times. No alcohol is allowed either. Give specific examples to back up your answers to questions. You are in my prayers btw. Make sure to take a look at the website in addition, as more useful information will be on there.

There is some very good advice on here. However I disagree with the pp’s suggestion of, ‘Do you like it here?’

It may have worked in one instance but it could be seen as over stepping with the wrong interviewer. It’s too personal. I interview candidates for various roles and would find it a bit overly familiar if a very junior candidate asked me that. If you get offered a coffee by someone at a similar level to you, then that is the time to ask that particular question.

An alternative would be to ask about the work culture and some of the enjoyable parts of the job, but also to ask about what challenges you may expect in the role.

It’s probably common sense but I also plan out what I’m wearing, make sure my clothes are well ironed, dressed professionally for the role as appropriate and feel comfortable in my skin.

I always have three questions ready to ask at the end and pre-prepare practical examples of how I’ve demonstrated the skills needed for the job.

Also giving a relaxed demeanour makes a big difference. Googling your interviewer in advance should help

Good luck!

Wear something comfortable that you feel confident in!

My final top tip- I always email the interviewer after an interview to thank him/him. Not many candidates do this nowadays but I notice and appreciate when it’s done. If the job is via a recruiter, you may want to ask the recruiter if this is appropriate for your circumstances.