Don't just show up, Show Off ? Interview Prep Guide & Date some Developers?

In today's market you ABSOLUTELY have to prep for an interview. I don't care if you have 30+ years experience! The job market is a tough place right now and ONE slightly poor answer could be the difference between you getting the offer or Sandra. The overly prepared, obsessive, uptight, unlikeable, Type A, "Oh don't eat the sandwich in the fridge with my name on it" Sandra. (I swear I'm not bitter. I'm sure they don't regret their choice at all.)

Success is a small four step ladder..... Let's break it down

?Step 1 - Before the interview??????

?Step 2 - Opening the interview?

?Step 3 - In depth interview?

?Step 4 - The perfect close?

? Step 1 - Before the interview?

Stalking & Research

• Know the job description and day-to-day duties of the role?
• Do you have examples of your skills and experience that align to the requirements of the role??
• Research the skills and experience that the company values?
• Research the company website, their products and services, key players in the organisation, their mission, culture and values?
• Make yourself aware of the company's key competitors?
• Research news or recent events about the company?
• Research the person interviewing you?
• Utilise the knowledge of your Recruitment Consultant

Motivations for a new role?

• Revisit your motivations for looking for a new job:?
• Bigger or smaller company?
• Better long-term prospect?
• Relocating?
• Better work/life balance?
• Dissatisfied with your current role?
• A new challenge or more opportunity

Practical preparation.

Always make sure you:?

• Are punctual?
• Know the date, time and exact location of your interview?
• Know who you are meeting and their job title?
• Have directions and your journey planned?
• Plan your outfit - dress appropriately as advised?
• Switch off your mobile phone?
• Greet the interviewer with confidence and maintain eye contact?

? Step 2 - At the interview.

Going through your CV is your time to ?shine?

This won’t always be the first stage in your interview, but often interviewers want to hear you speak about your experience before they move on to the more structured competency-based questions.?

You need to be sensible about how you run through your CV - focus on:?

• Aspects that are relevant to the role you are interviewing for
• Spend most of the time of this segment discussing your most recent role?
• Which of your past tasks would bring benefits to this role?

Common interview questions to expect.?

• Tell me about yourself??
• What have been your major achievements??
• Tell me about a difficult situation at work and how you dealt with it??
• What about this role interests you??
• What do you like/dislike about your current role??
• What are your strengths/weaknesses/development areas??
• What are the reasons behind your decision to leave your current employer??
• Are you interviewing at other companies??
• What are your long term career goals?

? Step 3 - In depth interview?

Competency Questions?

Flexibility.

• Tell me about a time when you changed your priorities to meet others’ expectations.?
• Describe a time when you altered your own behaviour to fit the situation.?
• Tell me about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to take into account new information or changing priorities.?

Time management.?

• Tell me about how you usually cope with a large volume of work.?
• Describe the last time you failed to meet a deadline.?
• How do you manage pressure/conflicting priorities on your time??

Client focus.?

• Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder beyond their expectations.?
• Tell me about the most difficult client you have had to deal with.?
• Describe a situation in which you acted as an advocate for stakeholders’ needs, where there was some organisational resistance to be overcome.?

Communication.?

• Describe a situation you were involved in that required a multidimensional communication strategy.?
• Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive communication.?
• Tell me about a time when you really had to pay attention to what someone else was saying, actively seeking to understand their message

Organisational awareness.?

• Describe the culture of your organisation and give an example of how you work within this culture to achieve a goal.?
• Describe the things you consider and the steps you take in assessing the viability of a new idea or initiative.?
• Tell me about a time when you used your knowledge of the organisation to get what you needed.?

Problem solving.?

• Describe a time when you had to analyse a problem and generate a solution.?
• Describe the most difficult problem you faced at work in the last six months.?
• Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a problem or make a decision that required careful thought. What did you do??

Result orientated.?

• Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal.?
• Tell me about a time when you improved the way things were typically done on the job.?
• Describe something you have done to maximise or improve the use of resources beyond your own work unit to achieve improved results.?

Teamwork.?

• Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a member of a team.?
• Describe a situation where you were successful in getting people to work together effectively.?
• Describe a situation in which you were a member (not a leader) of a team, and a conflict arose within the team. What did you do??

Developing others.?

• Tell me about a time you coached someone to help them improve their skills or job performance.?
• Describe a time when you provided feedback to someone about their performance.?
• Give me an example of a time you recognised that a member of your team had a performance difficulty.?

Impact and influence.?

• Describe a recent situation in which you convinced an individual or a group to do something.?
• Describe a time when you influenced an individual or a group on an important issue.?
• Describe a situation where you influenced different stakeholders with differing perspectives.?

Leadership.

• ?Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective.?
• Describe a situation where you had to ensure that your “actions spoke louder than your words” to a team.?
• Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal.?

Relationship building.?

• Describe a situation in which you developed an effective win/win relationship with a stakeholder or client. How did you go about building the relationship??
• Tell me about a time when you relied on a contact in your network to help you with a work related task or problem

Self management.?

• Describe the level of stress in your job and what you do to manage it.?
• Describe a time when you were in a high pressure situation.?
• Describe a time when things didn’t turn out as you had planned and you had to analyse the situation to address the issue.?

Strategic thinking.?

• Describe a challenge or opportunity you identified based on your industry knowledge and how you developed a strategy to respond to it.?
• Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a longer term business objective.?
• Describe a time when you used your business knowledge to understand a specific business situation?

? Step 4 - The Perfect Close?

Tune in next week???