Welcome to the Interview Techniques Workshop

Workforce Development Team

Including the guide to avoiding

strange job interview behaviour

- The job description and employee specification

- Interviews: The 7 deadly sins- Before the interview- On the day- At the interview- Coping with questions: The ‘CAR’ Technique- Practice

The job description and employee specification

- What is job description for?- What is an employee specification for?

Strange behaviour: “He interrupted the interview to phone his therapist for advice on

answering specific interview questions”Tip: Don’t call your therapist during the interview

Interviews: The 7 deadly sins

- Don’t be late to the interview- Don’t show up unprepared- Don’t ask about salary, benefits or perks- Don’t focus on future roles instead of the vacancy at hand- Don’t turn the weakness questions into a positive- Don’t lie- Don’t ask if there’s any reason why you shouldn’t be

recruited

Strange behaviour: “She announced that she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat

beef burger and fries in the interviewer’s office”Tip: Don’t take food into the interview in case you’re tempted

Before the Interview- If you have a disability and need any arrangements then let the

employer know in advance.- Find out where the employer is. If you’re uncertain then go and

look!- Find out exactly where the interview is to be held.- Plan how you will get to the interview and how long the journey

will take. Consider a ‘trial run’ at a similar time of day.- Find out as much as you can about the employer and their

business.- Re-read the job description and employee specification – anticipate

the interview questions.- Prepare your interview clothes a few days before the interview.

Strange behaviour: “He stated that if he got the job he would demonstrate his loyalty by

having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm”Tip: The interview isn’t the place to discuss ‘ink’.

On the day- Give yourself plenty of time to get ready. Make

contingency plans for looking after children etc- Make sure you take the documents requested of you, e.g.

qualification certificates, ID, HCPC etc- Take the letter inviting you to the interview- Make sure you have the necessary bus / rail fares- Set off in plenty of time so that you arrive 10 minutes early.

Sometimes it is a good idea to get there even earlier and take the opportunity to have a drink in a local coffee shop. Never arrive at the interview ‘very’ early (or late).

Strange behaviour: “When I asked about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap

dancing around my office”Tip: If asked about hobbies then describe them, role play is not necessary.

At the interview- Good manners and social confidence are important. Shake

hands with the interviewers.- Make yourself comfortable.- Smile and look interested.- Consider ‘good’ and ‘bad’ body language.- Speak up and look at the person who asked you the

questions when you’re answering it.- Make sure that you know roughly when you’ll be informed

of the result of the interview.- Don’t forget to thank the interviewers at the end.

Strange behaviour: “He pulled out his smart phone and asked if I would have a selfie

taken with him, he said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him”Tip: Don’t take interview tips from Kim Kardashian.

Interview questions- Set questions- Panel will probe when necessary- Some questions will be knowledge based, for example to do

with legislation- Some questions will be competency based (past behaviour is

the best predictor of future performance)- Using the TEDGE approach

- Most questions will be open questions as opposed to closed questions

- Listen carefully, if you don’t understand then don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to repeat the question

- Few people get through an interview without some mistakes so don’t lose heart if this happens to you

- Work on gaining a rapport with the interview panel

The ‘CAR’ Technique- Context

- Forms the introduction, describing the scenario you faced, when and where.

- Action- Forms the main body and should be the longest

part of you answer and describes what you did and how you did it.

- Result- This is the conclusion or outcome of the situation

and, like the introduction, should be quite short.

- An example follows…

Question: Describe how your personal planning and organisation skills

resulted in the successful achievement of a task.

Answer:

Context: Whilst doing a part-time role at ABC Ltd last year, I was given the task of reviewing the stock control.

Action: I would look at factors such as when the stock was last ordered, what it was used for and how often it was used. I worked out a method of streamlining the paperwork and redesigned the relevant forms, which I then submitted to my manager.

Result: My ideas were accepted and implemented and a 20% reduction in stock levels was achieved, leading to reduced waste and cost .

Practice

- In groups analyse the employee specification issued

- Create appropriate interview questions using the TEDGE approach

- Note down brief ‘model answers’ to the questions, where appropriate using the CAR technique

- Ask your partner the questions and note down their answers (each take a turn)

- Give each other feedback (what was good, what could be better)

Collate the questions and

discuss

Strange behaviour: “He took off his right shoe and sock, took a medicated foot powder

out of this bag and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the sock and shoe he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day andthis was the time”Tip: Apply powders and creams outside of the interview environment.

A few tips on attending assessments

In trays Written exercisesAptitude tests Personality profiles Group exercises PresentationsFact finding exercises

Before – practice using examples if provided, stay calm, make sure practical arrangements are sorted

During – listen carefully to instructions, don’t make assumptions about the way you should respond, be yourself and respond honestly, don’t give up if you think you’ve done poorly in one exercise as there will be other opportunities to show what you can do

After – consider taking a break before your journey home if driving, always ask for feedback

Interview Techniques Workshop

- Questions?

- Contact: - Workforce Development Team - workforcedevelopment@walsall.gov.uk

Strange behaviour: “During the interview an alarm clock went off from the candidate’s

briefcase, he took it out, shut it off, apologised and said he had to leave for another

interview”Tip: Find a good interview techniques workshop at the earliest

opportunity!!