Information on how best to prepare for your interview including what might be asked, how the interview may be structured and interviewing trends.
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From the moment you know you have got an interview you should be preparing. You need to outshine the other applicants and promote yourself as the best person for the job.
Here are some helpful tips to get you fully prepared for your interview. The rest is up to you.
Preparation
In order to enter the interview room in a confident and authoritative manner you need to be well prepared. Spend some time researching the company. If you know who will be interviewing you find out some information on them as well. A good place to start is the company’s own web site. Industry journals such as Estates Gazette, Property Week, Building and Planning Magazine will also be a good source of information as to what projects the company has been working on. Don't overload yourself with information, just have what you need to make informed comments and ask intelligent questions in the interview.
Don't forget to do some research on yourself, work over your CV and prepare some answers to questions they are likely to raise.
Getting to the interview
ALWAYS be on time; don't ruin all your hard work by getting there late, hot and flustered - there are no excuses.
Make sure you are wearing clean, smart and conservative interview clothes. Polish your shoes, brush your hair and if you need to, have a shave. It's the first impression so make it count, they very rarely change.
Know exactly where you are going for the interview, the date and time, work out how long it will take you to get there and if need be, make a practice run. Aim to arrive early and go to a coffee shop to gather your thoughts and settle yourself down. Arrive at the building 5 - 10 minutes before your interview time. This will allow you to check in at reception and to look over any promotional material the company may have before your interviewer comes to meet you.
The Interview
Offer a firm handshake to your interviewer/s look them in the eye, without staring, and address them by their correct name/ title.
Remember the interview is for you to see if you like the company as much as it is for them to see if you are suitable.
Once in the interview room your body language is a huge factor in how you come across. Make sure you are comfortable and place your bag or briefcase on the floor beside you. Don't cross your legs and don't play with your hands, hair or anything else within reach. Sit slightly forward in the chair and keep eye contact with whoever is speaking. If you are speaking make sure you address all your interviewers.
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FAQ’s and Behavioural Interviewing |
FAQ’s and Behavioural Interviewing |
FAQs
Interviews can take many forms, from the informal coffee to the structured panel inquisition. In all cases, you need to be prepared. There are many frequently asked questions that are posed. Although some questions are rather generic it is worth spending a little time planning your answers. Such questions could be:
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
“Tell me about yourself”
“Why do you want to leave your current job?”
Answers must always look to the positive.
Behavioural Interviewing
Experienced interviewers often use ‘behavioural interviewing techniques’. The objective of behavioural interviewing is to highlight and probe specific examples and experiences. The interviewer will identify desired skills and behaviours required for the job. They will then structure open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. They will then structure questions. Often interviewers will follow the ‘STAR” method, where candidates are to discuss a Situation(S) or Task(T), what Action (A) they took and the Result(R.) that was achieved. For example:
“What was the most challenging work experience you have encountered in the past year”, followed by “Why was it challenging”, “How did you manage the process” and “What was the outcome?”
or
“Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way”, followed by probing questions surrounding the actions you took and the results achieved.
Performance skills that may be evaluated using behavioural interviewing include:
| Adaptability |
Analysis |
Attention to Detail |
| Communication-Oral |
Communication-Written |
Control |
| Decisiveness |
Delegation |
Development of Subordinates |
| Energy |
Entrepreneurial Insight |
Equipment Operation |
| Fact Finding-Oral |
Financial Analytical Ability |
Flexibility |
| Impact |
Independence |
Initiative |
| Innovation |
Integrity |
Judgment |
| Leadership/Influence |
Listening |
Motivation |
| Negotiation |
Organizational Sensitivity |
Participative Management |
| Planning and Organizing |
Practical Learning |
Presentation Skills |
| Process Operation |
Rapport Building |
Resilience |
| Risk Taking |
Safety Awareness |
Sales Ability/Persuasiveness |
| Sensitivity |
Strategic Analysis |
Stress |
| Teamwork |
Technical/Professional Knowledge |
Technical/Professional Proficiency |
| Tenacity |
Training |
Work Standards |
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