“The service provided by Listen Recruitment was both professional and personable.”
Simon, Search Recruitment Consultant, Consult Search
Interview Techniques
Download the PDFInterviewing is a two way process; both parties need to make sure that culturally and personality wise there is a good fit as well as ensuring that you have relevant skills and experience for the job. To ensure that you will be successful at this stage you must prepare for your interview as ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’.
Company
- Research what the company does, mission statements, how long they have been set up, locations, market sectors, recent press announcements, sister/parent companies.
- This information can be gained through looking at company websites, brochures, recruitment journals (eg Recruiter) or your Listen Recruitment consultant.
Role
- Understand the job description fully.
- Think about your relevant skills and experience to highlight to your potential new employer and also areas where you feel training and support maybe required.
- Name and title of the individual interviewing you
Your journey
- Take a map of your route and know how long it will take to get there allowing plenty of time for getting lost and traffic, know where to park your car, train times and contact telephone numbers for the client as well as Listen Recruitment.
Your employment contract
- You should be aware of what notice period you are obliged to give your current employer and what potential restrictive covenants that you may need the support of your new employer to work around
Information to Take with You to Your Interview
- Your CV, so you have something to refer to if you need prompting during your interview. Refresh yourself on your CV and think about your answers to potentially difficult questions (see below for examples)
- Company league tables, commission sheets, P60 etc. so you have further evidence of your fee earning ability
Your Appearance
- Make sure your suit is dry cleaned, your shirt is ironed and your shoes are polished. Always wear a dark suit with a white shirt (and plain tie if you are male) and dark shoes. You are looking to create a professional, not fashionable first impression.
- From the beginning make sure your body language is positive with a strong hand shake and good eye contact.
Questions That You Could be Asked at Interview
- Tell us about yourself
- How do you cope under pressure?
- What motivates you?
- What are your strengths / weakness?
- What do you know about our Company?
- Why do you want this job?
- Why should we hire you over one of your competitors that we are also interviewing?
- What do you enjoy / do you not enjoy about recruitment?
- Why did you leave..?
- What are your activity / revenue targets?
- What are your actual revenue figures?
- What is your biggest achievement to date?
- How do you generate new business?
- What is your sales approach?
- How do you like to be managed?
- How do you want your career to develop?
Questions You Might Want to Ask at Interview
- How did the vacancy arise?
- What is the working environment like?
- What will be expected of me in my first 6 / 12 months?
- What career progression can I expect at your Company?
- What training can I expect from your Company?
- What are the Company’s expansion plans?
- What is your client base like?
- What is your candidate pool like?
Helpful Tips
- Keep your answers factual and positive, employers will focus on negativity which could leave the wrong impression.
- Always be honest with your answers even if you are talking about weaknesses or mistakes, however, try and back them up with what you have learnt from your mistakes or how you overcome your weaknesses.
- The most concise way to explain how you deal with work situations is to refer to actual events that you have experienced. Focus on how you handled it, what you learnt from the experience and how you would manage the situation again in the future.
- If you do not understand a question do not try and bluff your way through it because you could be giving completely the wrong answer. Do not be embarrassed to ask them to rephrase the question or repeat it back to them to confirm that you have interpreted it properly.
- Do not bring up salaries at the first interview. You need to have a good understanding of the demands of the job before you can start negotiating.
Concluding the Interview
- Always remember to leave a positive last impression with telling them you are interested in taking the interview process forward and asking them what their thoughts are with regard to progressing you to the second interview stage. Thank them for their time and leave with a strong hand shake.
We hope that you have found this information useful. Should you be thinking about finding yourself a new job or just looking for some market advice please do not hesitate to contact one of our consultants or telephone 01530 263902.