First interviews

PRACTICAL PREPARATION
Interview format is determined by the nature of the organization , but there are various standard formats.
What format is the interview?
Don't be afraid to ask:

1. How long will the interview last;
2. Are there any group exercises;
3. Do I need to prepare anything;
4. Are there any other tests or selection methods being used?

Finding out as much as possible not only helps with your preparation but also puts your mind at ease.
Where is the interview?
Make sure you:

1. Know how to get to the venue and how long the journey takes;
2. Have maps, train times, etc, in advance;
3. Check for any planned disruptions to road or rail services;
4. Leave plenty of time so you are not rushing;
5. If necessary, find out if travel and overnight accommodation are paid for;
6. If you have a disability, check the physical access to the premises and indicate any additional support that you might require in the interview.

Try to remember to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return (you may want to leave an address and telephone number). Beware of going into private dwellings for an interview.

What to take?
Plan what you want to take with you so that you can pack your bag in plenty of time. You should consider taking:

1. The interview letter, with the name(s) of the interviewe(s) and their address and phone number;
2. A map of how to get there - consult an A-Z if you have not been sent a map
3. A copy of your CV and/or application form
4. A note of the key points you want to make and any questions you want to ask
5. Mmoney, for a taxi in case you are running late or to make a phone call if necessary (or a mobile phone but remember to switch it off when you arrive).

What to wear?
Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the position for which you are being interviewed. Some companies have a much more relaxed approach to dress than others but, if in doubt, wear a suit. You won't be criticized for being too smart but employers will notice if you walk in wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt!
Check the letter carefully, particularly if there is a social element to the interview (perhaps a dinner for candidates the night before).
The following tips from employers should help:

1. Ensure that you maintain impeccable standards of personal hygiene but avoid using overpowering deodorants, aftershave or perfume.
2. Your hair should be neat and tidy and your shoes and clothes clean.
3. Avoid inappropriate jewellery. Visible body piercing, ankle chains or personalized necklaces may not be suitable. Men should restrict jewellery to cuff-links and a signet or wedding ring.
4. Dress appropriately. It is important that you look smart for your interview but equally important that you feel comfortable. Men should avoid short-sleeved shirts and gimmicky ties or socks. Socks, by the way, should never be white. Women should avoid very short skirts, very high heels and heavy make-up.

Make sure that your interview outfit is ready the night before, get a good night's sleep and set off in good time.

MENTAL PREPARATION
It is important to think about how you might answer certain types of question beforehand but you should also consider the competencies they are looking for (as detailed in the job description/ person specification/advert) as well as actual questions. How will you provide evidence of certain qualities? If you are asked about being a team player, what evidence will you use to show this?
Make sure you cover the five areas below in your mental preparation.

Knowledge about yourself
It is important to remind yourself of the messages you have conveyed through your CV/application form and to be prepared to discuss anything you have included. Read through your application and imagine you are the interviewer. What questions would you ask in their position? Make sure you can give at least one positive example (preferably more) for each of the skills and attributes the employer is seeking.
Ask yourself these questions:

1. Why do I want this job?
2. Why should this organization select me?
3. What are my ambitions?
4. What are my strengths and weaknesses?
5. What have I gained from my degree?
6. What skills have I gained from my work-related and extracurricular activities?

If you need to think about when and how to declare a disability, you should think carefully about the message you want to convey and how you can best highlight the coping strategies you have developed. These will convey positive messages about your competence, motivation and perseverance. For further advice about disclosure, contact SKILL (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) and refer to the AGCAS publication A Level Playing Field.

Knowledge about the job itself
It sounds obvious but it is important that you know what job you are applying for. You will struggle to explain how your qualifications, skills and experiences relate to the opportunity on offer if you do not have a clear understanding of what the job entails. Read individual AGCAS Occupational Profiles and, if possible, speak to people already doing the type of work you are interested in. Increasingly, employers are adding case studies of employees to their websites, which can provide an interesting insight into the day-to-day activities of certain roles.
You do not need to know exactly what you would be doing but an understanding of the types of activities you would be involved in will help.
Ask yourself:

1. What does the job involve
2. What skills will I need to perform the job well
3. What skills, interests and motivation do I already have for the job
4. What examples can I give from work, academic study or outside interests to show I have the skills the employer is seeking?

Knowledge about the organization
This will demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm for working for this particular organization and will enable you to prepare some questions of your own for the interview. Most employers will expect you to display some understanding of their business, its size, products/services and the sector in which it operates. Memorizing the year's financial performance is not necessary but it is important to read recent information about the organization and to be aware of its competitors. Read their graduate recruitment brochure, have a look at their website and, if possible, their annual report. Many employer websites have press archives of articles that have been issued by them or have appeared in the local/national press.
Questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I know about this organization/function/subject?
2. What attracts me to this organization/function/subject?
3. What relevant work experience/degree modules/research project have I done?
4. What experience do I have of relevant technical skills/techniques?
5. What kind of training/additional skills would I like to gain?

Make sure that you are up to date with developments in the sector to which you are applying. Is it in a state of growth or decline? How is the market changing or developing? How are organizations responding? Consult AGCAS Sector Briefings for an overview of a range of employment sectors.

Current affairs/commercial awareness
Whatever the position you are applying for, don't be surprised if you are asked for your views on current affairs and issues of the day. An interview won't be a general knowledge test but you should have a general idea and understanding of what is going on in the world at large.

Your questions
Prepare two or three questions that you would really like answered. This can be a good opportunity to reveal positive aspects about yourself that the interviewer's questions may not have elicited. Good questions to ask are those that demonstrate your eagerness to develop within the organization and take on responsibility. Questions about training or what the process is for progression in the company are also a good idea but make sure these are relevant to the organization (saying you would like to develop to managing director as quickly as possible in a company of ten people is not realistic and may put an interviewer off). This is also a good opportunity for you to demonstrate your research into the organization by asking questions about relevant articles you may have read, for example: 'I read in the newspaper last week that you are expanding into Europe. Is the company thinking of expanding into any other markets?'
Remember:

1. Show an interest - ask about the job, organization , employees, products and processes
2. Don't ask about pay, pensions or other perks - it is not appropriate at this stage;
3. Don't ask questions that have been answered in the graduate brochure or other literature sent out with the invitation to interview.

Remember that the interview is also a chance to find out more about the role and the organization so that you can make an informed decision if you are offered the job. You might want to ask:

1. How will I be assessed/my performance appraised?
2. What factors distinguish successful employees from less successful ones?
3. What has happened to previous post-holders in terms of development?

PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION
Approach the interview with confidence and a positive frame of mind. Selectors like to see enthusiasm but will not expect a word-perfect performance; if you make a mistake, just forget it and move on.
If you are very nervous, you may want to investigate ways to relax before your interview.

1. Try visualization exercises as part of your preparation. Relax and visualize yourself being enthusiastic and successful at the forthcoming interview. Preparing yourself for success can make success a more likely outcome.
2. Try positive affirmations to eliminate any negative feelings. Identify your main concern about the interview (eg 'everyone else will be better than me') and write yourself a positive statement, in the first person and in the present tense, to address it. You might try 'I am the strongest candidate for the job'. Relax and say your positive affirmation to yourself - out loud if you can - at the start of the day and repeat it whenever you are feeling nervous.

THE INTERVIEW ITSELF
The fact that you have been invited to interview is a sign that the selectors are already impressed with what you have to say. The next step is to show them that you are as good as your application has suggested.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
First impressions are important. An interview may last for 30 minutes or more but studies have shown that someone forms judgments about you within four minutes of meeting you and that these judgments affect their subsequent impressions. Research shows that first impressions are made up of the following:

1. 55% visual impact, ie dress, facial expressions and body language
2. 38% tone of voice
3. 7% from what you actually say.

All is not lost if you are very nervous at the outset but try to create the best first impression you can - a warm smile and firm handshake will help.

BODY LANGUAGE
Body or non-verbal language might be defined as 'what we say without saying anything'. Much of the impact you create at interview is based on your visual and non-verbal presentation.
Non-verbal presentation is composed of:

1. How you look - see 'Practical preparation' above
2. How you walk, sit, act - sit reasonably upright - slouching or leaning too far back in your chair can give the impression that you are too casual about the whole thing. If you tend to flap your hands around a lot when you speak, try to hold them together. However, don't cross your arms as it can make you appear defensive. Moderate hand movements are perfectly acceptable and can enliven the conversation
3. Eye contact - good eye contact is essential and is an excellent way of conveying your interest in the job. Looking downwards or at anything other than the interviewer can make you appear disinterested and insincere. Maintaining good eye contact can also help you gauge the interviewer's reaction to what you are saying (to see whether you should be expanding on your answers). With panel interviews, the best advice is to look at and answer the person asking the questions, with a glance from time to time at the other interviewers
4. The style, tone and delivery of your voice -try not to talk too fast and keep your tone moderate. This can be difficult when you are nervous but take a deep breath before you start to answer a question and work on keeping your answers concise. Rehearse your answers beforehand and monitor your speed and tone. Doesn't use slang and watch out for too many 'ers' and 'ums'. Practicing beforehand, especially in front of someone else, can help you identify any bad habits
5. How confident you appear to be -tHow confident you appear to be - try to relax. An interview is also about deciding if you will fit into the organization so try to smile and establish a rapport with your interviewer.

Difficult questions
You may feel that there are certain questions that have the potential to flummox you. These may include questions that appear to be an invitation to shoot yourself in the foot and those asking you to think about yourself in a different way, such as:

1. What is your biggest weakness
2. What would you say has been your greatest failure
3. How would your friends describe you
4. If you were an animal/biscuit, what would you be?

One of the reasons that questions like these are asked at all is to see how you react. Relax, be honest, keep in mind the points that you want to make about yourself and turn the matter around so that you can emphasize the positive whilst minimizing weaker areas. In answer to the first question, you might say that you tend to be a perfectionist, which can cause time management problems but that you have realized this and now ensure you allocate your time effectively to meet deadlines.
The same strategy can also be used with questions asking you to think about yourself in a different way. It is unlikely that your friends would highlight all of the strengths that you would like to lay claim to but the question focuses very much on your relationships with other people. Your answer could cover your loyalty, your understanding or your readiness to help. The problem is that it is sometimes difficult to say things like 'my friends think I'm loyal...' without sounding presumptuous and you may find it easier to preface these glowing attributes with, 'I think that my friends would say...' or 'I hope that my friends would say...'.
Just be yourself. Don't be scared of making mistakes. They want to hear your thought processes and are looking for potential rather than perfection.' (PhD student, Newcastle University)
Don't let the interviewer get personal. Recruiters are subject to legal action if they discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, religion or disability. You should politely decline to answer personal questions where personal subjects have no relevance to the job.

Interview problems

NOT GETTING INTERVIEWS
If you are concerned about not being invited for interview, you should critically review your CV, application forms and covering letters. Are you making it clear that you know what the jobs you have applied for involve? Have you a clear picture of the sort of person employers are seeking? Are you being unduly modest about your accomplishments? Have you been focused enough in your approach or have you, at a more basic level, not really thought hard enough about what you want to do?
You cannot change your history but you can:

• expand, rearrange or alter the emphasis of your applications (read the AGCAS information booklet Making Applications for more details about writing successful applications)
• get more relevant experience by enrolling on new courses, taking part in voluntary activities or finding a temporary job
• make an appointment to see a careers adviser to discuss your concerns.

If recruitment in your chosen profession or industry operates through a network of contacts, you may have to consider starting at a more junior level than you would normally expect in order to find out about potential openings.

GETTING FIRST INTERVIEWS BUT NOT SECOND INTERVIEWS OR OFFERS

If you are getting invited to interviews you can assume that, on paper, employers consider you capable of doing the jobs for which you have applied. However, once at interview, their opinion
Has somehow changed. Are you able to substantiate in person the messages given in your applications? Are you presenting a professional, confident image at interview? Look again at the sections in this booklet on preparing for interviews and ask yourself whether you have been making adequate preparation. Be honest with yourselfreplay in your mind some of the answers you gave, particularly the ones you found difficult and consider whether you are actually pursuing the right career.
It is always worth asking an organization for feedback after an interview; at worst they will say no and at best you will receive a critique of your performance. It may be that the impression that the interviewer formed of you strikes a chord with your own reflections but it may be that they have rejected you on entirely different grounds, which you can try to address. If it isn't immediately obvious how you can improve your performance in future interviews, visit your careers service and see if an adviser can run through a mock interview with you so that you can discuss where you're going wrong.

GETTING TO SELECTION CENTERS BUT NOT GETTING OFFERS

It is worthwhile making some notes of your own, while they are still fresh in your mind, about areas in which you did well at the assessment centre and areas where, in retrospect, you could have done better. Most employers will also give you feedback on your performance. If you were faced with a similar situation again, would you react differently? How could you demonstrate the qualities they want?

Offers

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN OFFER?
Put simply, an official offer of employment comes in the form of a letter or document inviting you to accept a specific post, which should be signed by someone in authority, eg a manager of the organization. It is possible that you will receive a telephone call to offer you the job in the first instance or be told on the day of your interview but remember that until you receive something in writing, the offer is not legal. A formal written offer should include the following information:

• Your name and the name of the employing organization.
• The date of the offer.
• The job title and department/location.
• Salary details.
• Period of notice required for either party to end the contract.
• Your start date (it may state that this is negotiable).

It may also give:

• your hours of work
• your holiday entitlement
• Details about pension schemes, bonuses, salary reviews, company car schemes and other benefits.

If there is additional information you feel you need before accepting the job, you should make contact with your prospective employer as soon as possible.

Conditions
The offer may be conditional upon a number of things:

• Satisfactory references from your nominated referees
• A satisfactory medical examination, either because of the nature of the work or as a means of meeting the requirements of the company's pension scheme
• A specific classification of degree, either as a requirement of the employer or an associated professional body if professional training is part of the job (if you don't make the stated grade, don't assume that all is lost but contact the employer to discuss the situation)
• Satisfactory completion of a probationary period (the duration should be specified)
• Acceptance by a given date (this can pose problems if you have other applications in the pipeline - see 'Making a decision' below).

MAKING A DECISION

• Timing
  A common problem for finalists and graduates can be the timing of offers. The employer of your dreams is running late in completing its selection process but you have had an offer from another, less preferred, organization . Should you cut your losses and secure the offer you have or take a risk, turn it down and wait for the one you really want?
  The following pointers may help.
  • It is worthwhile going to see a careers adviser to re-examine your options and weigh up the pros and cons of each. Think beyond starting salaries and look at the total packages being offered: firm ‘A' might offer you a generous joining bonus; firm 'B' may offer better training and prospects.
  • Contact your preferred employer and ask how far they have proceeded with your application and when you are likely to hear of their decision.
  • Contact the employer who has made you the offer and ask if they are prepared to extend the acceptance date.
  Above all, don't accept an offer that you feel unhappy about; you secured one offer - you can do it again.
  It could be that you have an interview approaching with an employer who you view on equal grounds to the one who has made you the offer but would still like to go to the interview to find out more. Explain to employer ‘A’ that you have another interview and, in order to make an informed decision, you would like to attend. You can't stretch their patience forever - they need to know your decision so that they can offer the position to someone else, if necessary - but as long as you keep them informed and do what you can to reach a decision quickly, they should be happy. If the interview with employer 'B' is several weeks away, you could contact them explaining that you have received another offer and ask if the interview can be moved forward.
  It's worth bearing in mind that it can cost a company over £10,000 to recruit a single graduate so it is important for recruiters to secure the right candidate. If you are pressured into making a decision quickly, ask yourself whether you want to work for a company that is asking you to make a hasty and ill-informed choice.
• Multiple offers
  If you are fortunate enough to have several offers and there appears to be little between them, you may need to revisit your original list of needs. Measure these against things like location, company culture, approach to training, how you felt at interview, etc. It is worth trusting your instincts but you still have time to do some extra research if it will help you make a better decision.
  Try to answer these questions:
  • What are the responsibilities, pressures and demands, both intellectual and physical, of each job?
  • Does the work that you will be expected to do conflict with your values?
  • Will you be given training? Few employers expect you to be 100% effective from the start and most expect to train you while you are working for them. What form will the training take? Who pays the fees? Is study leave given where appropriate?
  • What will the salary be? How much of your salary will be commission/performance-based? Are there overtime payments? What are the opportunities for promotion and salary increases?
  If you accept a job and later find you have made the wrong decision, all is not lost. Applying for other jobs in light of this experience and with a greater knowledge of your needs, skills, experiences and values, usually results in a positive outcome. ACCEPTING OR DECLINING AN OFFER
• Accepting an offer
  A contract of employment has two parts: the letter offering you the job and your letter of acceptance.
  Write to thank the person making you the offer, using any reference number they have given and enclosing any information that has been requested. You should also mention the date of the letter and quote the full job title and starting date, if stated. Accept the offer and say that you are looking forward to starting work with the organization . Keep a copy of this letter as, along with their letter, it forms your contract of employment. As the word 'contract' implies, by accepting the offer you are making a legal undertaking. You should not accept a job with the intention of rejecting it later if something better turns up.
• Declining an offer
  If you decide that the job is definitely not for you, write back, thanking the organization for the offer and politely decline it. You might find yourself working with or applying to that organization again at a later date so it is worth remaining on good terms. Send the letter as soon as possible so that they can offer the job to someone else.