Interview 'Like a Boss'

How to Interview ‘LIKE A Boss’

 So, you nailed your CV (resume), or that recruitment consultant has managed to land you an interview for that job you really want. Now its over to you to BOSS THAT INTERVIEW and secure that job.

Problem is, that for many of us, you don’t get interviewed that often. Or you might be more used to being on the other side of the table asking the questions to those prospective employees, than answering them yourself.

Either way, come crunch time, you’re not likely to be well practised in answering those all-important questions. And, even if you are used to interviewing other people, you’ll find you stick to similar questions, or a particular style of interviewing, which may be very different to the interview you’re about to be subjected to!

Whoever you are, if the job you are applying for is genuinely important to you, then the interview is a big deal, and can be an extremely nerve-racking experience.

So, what’s the secret of interviewing ‘LIKE A BOSS’[1]

Well, it may sound totally obvious, but doing some preparation, can really help you. So, you’re now thinking something along the lines of, ‘oh yeah…nice one mate, thanks for the brain of Britain suggestion there. But what do I need to prepare for, and how do I answer the questions know it all?’

(Please feel free to skip the following FIVE paragraphs, and move straight to the Interview LIKE A BOSS section if you like. Otherwise, enjoy me setting the scene for why I have written this article)

The Background

Well before we get into the interview section, please let me digress for a moment or two, and bring you into my world.

In the last 4-5 years of my life, several things have not been working out quite the way I would have liked. It’s been more than frustrating, however it has lead me to where I am now. So why do I mention this, well, when I get stressed out, or I’m struggling to make a decision, or I don’t feel in control of my own situation, I’ll often wake up in the night and realise I’ve been having the same dream. You might have a similar one yourself, It’s the one where you’re at school, college or university, and you’ve totally messed up. You realise that you’ve revised for the wrong exam, and that exam is now tomorrow, or worse still, this afternoon, or now! That’s the feeling that I wake up to. It’s like I’m in a total meltdown. Now, I have had this feeling on a number of occasions in my life, it’s extremely infrequent, but as soon as you feel it, it is so familiar, and frightening at the same time. You almost implode inside, and your whole body feels nauseous as the panic sets in. You realise that you don’t have time to do the required learning, and you become highly agitated and stressed. It’s the same feeling you get if you have ever sent an email to the wrong person, and it’s got all your cost prices on, or the name of your best supplier. Everyone, will at some point in their life have had this feeling, and let’s be honest about it, it isn’t great. In fact I’d say that it sucks…I mean, it really fu**ing sucks.

So why am I wasting your time talking about feeling like absolute crap and waking up in the night having nightmares about not revising properly. Well…I’ll tell you…It’s simply because, when you interview, it can in some circumstances cause the exact same type of anxiety that I wake up to in the night, and I’m about to tell you why.

You may get asked a particular question in your interview, it might not even be one that I discuss further down this article, but from the moment you get asked that question, the interview can change dramatically. You may have the ‘Chaser Moment’[2] as I like to call it, and you will lose your cool. Now some people can quickly gather themselves and move on, which is the best thing to do, and I will discuss this later, but many of us will become increasingly anxious, in exactly the same way as I described above. Unfortunately, I am afraid to say, this is not going to give you the best chance of getting hired, and that’s why YOU need to do some preparation.

So here’s the good news. You are not alone in being nervous or apprehensive about the interview process. Being nervous is a good sign, it means you actually care about the interview you are going for, and should mean you are willing to put the extra work into getting the job. Hopefully the below suggestions and advice will help you secure that job, and make the interview process, that little bit less stressful. So let’s make a start and give ourselves the best chance of GETTING HIRED!

Tactics, so YOU can interview LIKE A BOSS

What to prepare for?

There are a million and one things you can do to prepare yourself for an interview, but without writing a novel, I’m going to focus on three main areas:

1)     Know Yourself

2)     Know the Business

3)     Know the People

The order in which I have listed these is relevant, because you should focus on these three areas in this same order.

ACTION POINT - Grab yourself a pen and paper and start to make some notes.

Know Yourself

This might sound daft, but you need to know YOU…The interviewer (it could be one person, a couple of people or a panel) is interested in finding out all about you. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have read over your CV, and made some notes against it to explain in more detail the achievements or successes that you have highlighted. The interviewer will want to make sure that you fit the company culture, that you can back up your claims of being a top sales person, or a fantastic accountant, or a great operations manager. They will want to see that you are friendly, personable, approachable, inquisitive, of sound judgement, or whatever it is that you think you are, and have written in your profile section. 

So, if as is the case in most interviews, you have supplied a CV or have filled in an application to get your interview, then the interviewer is going to use this as a starting point for questions. It should then, be of no surprise that the interviewer will ask questions about what you have told them you can do. So, make sure you are prepared to give full answers to the questions that they will ask, and prepare your answers in a way that shows the interviewer that you are honest, reliable, dedicated or whatever it is that you have written in your profile section

Preparing for 'Know Yourself'

Click the above video to get an insight into 'Knowing Yourself' at interview

By reading your own CV, and then taking the time to know yourself, you will have all the tools to answer questions in a way that shows the interviewer the type of character you are. You then don’t have to tell them you are outgoing, goal orientated, hard working etc. because you have shown these character traits in your answers (see examples below for more details of how to do this).

The best way to prepare for interview questions is to look at your CV and imagine you were doing the interview. If you were doing the interview, what questions would you ask? And how would you like these questions to be answered so you would hire yourself!

Let’s look at my CV. I have listed as an achievement in my most recent position, that

‘I generated a range of new overseas accounts, and they became the biggest part of my company’s turnover.’

So, the logical questions are:

·       How did you target these accounts?

·       How did you build a relationship with these clients?

·       How long did it take for them to be become the largest part of your turnover

·       And probably, what did you do to retain them?

YOU CAN PREPARE ANSWERS for all of these types of questions in advance, and again, you can tailor your answers to highlight your character traits.

Remember, when you write your CV, you are effectively in control of the questions that you will be asked at interview. You don’t need to put in every piece of detail, instead you want the person reading it to know enough about you or what you have done, but then automatically be asking the next logical question to find out more.

So, the follow up question, is the question that you need to be prepared to answer, and most importantly answer in a way that then shows the interviewer that you are the type of person you said you were in your CV.

See it’s easy, isn’t it!

TOP TIP

Take in your laptop, or a hard copy of your own CV, so you have your notes to back up your achievements. I have done this on multiple occasions when interviewing. It gives you confidence that you could quickly check your notes. You will most likely not need them – Let us just be 100% honest here, you’re talking about yourself, so you should kind of know what you have done and how you did it if asked – but by having them to hand, you will be less anxious, and this means you’ll give a better account of yourself.

It also makes you look super organized and prepared, which is surely a good thing. 

Now let’s look at some example answers based in my own CV.

Example 1

In my most recent position running a steel stockholding company Stock Services, I listed several achievements. These achievements are great for the interviewer(s), as it gives them a starting point to ask questions. So let us take a look at an example of an achievements I have listed. Let's first look at the one i mentioned earlier:

‘I generated a range of new overseas accounts, and they became the biggest part of my company’s turnover.’

So the likely questions that I would ask myself about this achievement if I was taking the interview is?

How did you generate your customers?

Now this is a simple questions to answer and it gives me, the candidate the opportunity to talk about a number of my attributes or competencies. I can talk about how I targeted and developed new accounts, how I increased the value of these accounts over several years. How I retained our customers as well as how we as a company changed our product and service offerings over time to reflect our clients changing or new needs. I can also talk about how our company turnover grew, how I built agency agreements and developed relationships with clients and suppliers.

The important thing to note here is the use of the word I. When answering questions at interview, you must tell the interviewer:

·       What YOU did

·       How YOU did it

·       Why YOU did it

·       and the one everyone forgets…how successful or not YOU were as a result of YOUR input.

So, let’s look at how I could answer this questions?

Typical Answer

How did you generate your overseas customers?

After initially targeting UK stockholders and trading customers, I began attending European metal exhibitions and quickly realised that the market for the product I was selling was much larger in Europe than in the UK. The next logical step was for me to start visiting these potential European customers and building relationships with them.

The result of targeting both UK and European accounts was that Stock Services developed a good reputation in these two markets, but I decided to push the European customers because I saw a bigger return, and more potential with these accounts.

The result of targeting the European accounts was 2 fold. Firstly, our turnover increased quickly. But secondly, we built a particularly strong relationship with a large customer who then allowed us to hold a consignment of stock for them in the UK market. This allowed us to develop a more attractive package for UK clients which grew our UK turnover.

Example 2

I worked abroad for two years when i was younger. This was a great learning experience for me, and gave me some superb sales training. On my CV, I list in the ‘my achievements’ section, that:

I was the top selling holiday rep in Mallorca for 6 out of the 7 month summer holiday season.

I don’t need to elaborate more, but it gives the interviewer something to ask me in the interview. Now the most likely question they will ask is what? Yes…you’ve guessed it, WHAT HAPPENED in the other month!?

So what happened the month you didn't get the top sales award?

I'm knew you were going to ask that.

It's a bit embarrassing, but I (while sober) fell off of a children's trampoline in a water park and damaged my ankle ligaments so badly that I ended up in a plaster cast for 6 weeks and didn’t work for about a month. For that reason I failed to get the sales award that month.

Now you may be thinking, ‘are you’re an idiot, why would you want to say that, you’ll come across as reckless, or stupid, and I personally wouldn’t hire an idiot like you.’ But you would be missing the point, or purpose of me adding in this achievement. The goal of listing this achievement is to be asked this very question, as is allows me to elaborate on why I was the top selling sales person for all the other months ahead of the 300 plus other holiday representatives working the island.

I have created an opportunity to talk about the brilliant training I received[3], how I learned to close deals and handle rejections, how I can quickly read people and then change my selling technique according to the person or persons that I am dealing with. I also get to talk about my time working abroad, and how it was both great fun, as well as making me hungry to do a deal and make money. This example shows the interviewer that I am outgoing, interesting, willing to take calculated risks in my life, can sell, build relationships quickly, and that I am a genuine people person, which are the kind of things that I have put in the profile part of my CV.

Example 3

While I was at Stock Services I began promoting an airfreight service for hard to find items, and items required on short lead times. I created a very profitable part of the business and promoted it successfully in the UK and in Europe. The logical questions, could be, why did you start doing airfreight business? Why didn't customers just do it themselves? How did you build the supply chain? Why would you say this service was a success?

Let's just dive into the below question.

How did this airfreight business come about?

'I noticed that we were getting a lot of enquiries for things outside of our range, and I began talking to other suppliers about these types of enquiries. I began to find suppliers that had built businesses selling niche products, but there were still many items that just were not in stock anywhere. The more enquiries I received for these non stock items, the more I realised there was only a couple of mills that could produce these type of items on short deliveries.

I spoke to my Chinese contacts with whom I had been buying material for many years, and found out what their complete supply capabilities were, and what lead times they could achieve for urgent jobs.

Realising there was an opportunity I began to talk to airfreight providers and worked out approximate costings to compare to European producers fro typical enquiries. It was clear that I could compete on both price and delivery so I began to promote the service on the phone, by email, and at face to face meetings with clients.

After securing orders I continued to promote these type of service, mainly through email so clients could see the types of orders i was taking.

The airfreight service became a useful, and very profitable part of our business for many years.

This answer allows me to highlight the key areas of what I did, how I did it and why I did it, plus the result. But it also shows a number of the attributes i mention in my profile. Things like being entrepreneurial, spotting opportunities, marketing, which is goal.

Example 4

So, lets look at another example from the ‘my achievements’ section of my CV.

I got full marks in my Grade 6 unaccompanied Jazz Saxophone exam.

As this is an unusual thing to list on a CV, it is highly likely that the interviewer will ask me about this exam. Like the above example from my time abroad, I am fully prepared for this question, and I can talk in detail about how I really liked the piece of music I had selected for the exam, and that I had practised it over and over and over again. Then come the time of the exam, I was fortunate to be in this amazing historic building alongside the canals outside of Birmingham in the U.K. It had incredible acoustics, and I absolutely owned this piece of music. I then explain to the interviewer how the piece was marked out of 52, and had various subsections for things like, dynamics, style, tone etc. and that the examiner just wrote 52 in the total, and temporarily stopped the exam so that he could just talk to me about music and how impressed he was with how I had performed. Now don’t think I’m being a total show off pr*ck here, it’s one of my achievements, I was 14 or 15 years old, and it’s still on my CV now because it’s a genuine achievement.

So, let us look at the benefit of being able to talk about this in an interview. Like my previous example, it proves to the interviewer that I am dedicated, interesting, that I can work hard, that I can perform under pressure. These are all the type of things that I have listed in my profile, and again I am proving to the interviewer that I have these character traits without actually just saying i'm dedicated, hard working blah blah blah.

Although not all the examples are the most conventional, I am merely trying to show that the important thing is to be prepared for certain questions. If you have an achievements section on your CV, prepare to answer questions on these. BUT make sure you answer the questions to show off your qualities, as these are the qualities that the employer is looking to hire for.

Preparing for 'Know the Business'

Click the above video to get an insight into 'Know the Business' at interview

Knowing the business simply means, finding out as much as is ‘reasonably required’ about the company you are applying to work for.

The best ways to find out about a particular company is by looking at the below areas

·       Check the companies website(s)

·       Take a look at any news about the company that you can find on page one of your internet search browser.

·       Do they have a LinkedIn page that you can follow, or can you connect with some employees through LinkedIn

·       Check any other social media channels they are on.

·       Take a look at any literature/publications when you arrive

·       Companies house (UK) you can buy company books for about ￡3 which can give you some useful insights into how the business is performing year on year.

The likelihood is that whoever is going to interview you is going to know quite a bit about the business they work for. So be it HR or a department manager, if you can mention something to do with the company that would evidence you have spent some time reading about the company, then it will be looked at favourably.

When I have interviewed in the past, I have made sure that I have read the company website paying particular attention to the about us sections, company profile and any values that they list. If they have a blog, that is a good way to get some useful background on the company, and also have a good look at some of the staff profiles, particularly those that may be interviewing you, on LinkedIn.

The likelihood is, that you are not going to get grilled on the companies corporate social responsibility, or recycling policies, but it cant hurt to have a quick skim over these if they are on the website. Again, if you take your laptop in and get a wifi password, you can always pull up the company website, and as you’re sat on the other side of the table, you can pull up anything to jog your memory if required. Alternatively if you have notes take them in. Not once has anyone said anything other than positive, when I have bought in a note pad, or a set of hand written notes with me.

TOP TIP

Find out the name of the CEO or MD (make notes so you don’t have to remember them if they ask)

See if they support any charities or sponsor events or sporting teams (make notes and mention them if appropriate in the interview or when you are asking questions about the company, or saying why you would like to work for their company) It shows that you have actually spent some time looking at what the company does, and if they are supporting charities or teams or events, the company will actively promote this news in their internal memos, so whoever is interviewing you will be aware of it.

Preparing for 'Know the People' (That are going to be interviewing you, if possible)

Click the above video to get an insight into 'Knowing the People' at interview

If possible, try and find out who is interviewing you. Many companies prefer to have multiple people conduct an interview.

·       Companies House (UK)

Particularly useful if you are interviewing for an SME. If so, it is likely that the people interviewing you will own the business, so this can give you a good indication of who you might be meeting.

For larger companies this may not be of use, but it's definitely still worth checking out who are the registered directors.

·       Check out their LinkedIn profiles (I wouldn’t necessarily add them until after the interview)

 This is the most logical approach, and gives you some useful information about them and their career. If you know someone who may have worked with them in the past, then give them a call or message them. Find out what they are like, what they were like to work for or with.

Having an idea about the character traits of the person or people interviewing you can make you feel far more confident, or forewarned before tackling an interview.

Unfortunately, that's about it. it's the most difficult bit to prepare for, which is why I've listed it in third place. However anything you can find out about the person interviewing you will help you out.

So how do I answer the questions in the interview?

Now I gave you a few examples of how to answer some questions in the ‘Know Yourself’ section, but you will also get many questions about your employment history, or time at university, college or school, as well as questions about your hobbies and interests.

I suggest you answer these questions in the following ways:

·       Honesty is the best policy

·       Tell them what YOU DID, and how YOU DID IT

·       If you are shy, or naturally quiet and unassuming, try and be you plus 10-20%. Be 10-20% louder if you are quiet, try and use some eye contact if you are shy.

·       Sit up straight

·       You can say, ‘Can I come back to that’

·       Silence is your friend, not your enemy. What feels like 10 seconds is more likely 1 second, and interviewers don’t expect you to be able to answer everything immediately.

·       For competency based questions make use of the STAR method. Why? Because companies have to cover their back and make sure they hire the best candidates based on scoring candidates answers. By using this method, you give yourself the best opportunity to get high marks and therefore be offered the job. See the next section ‘Competency Based Questions’ for full details on the STAR method.

·       Smile

·       Thank them for their time and the opportunity.

·       Try to look at the interviewer for at least part of your answers. Some people really struggle with this, but here’s a tip for you. Try to look at just one of the interviewer’s eyes when answering. Seriously it’s easier than looking at both their eyes!!

Competency Based Questions

Click the above video to learn about 'Competency based questions' at interview

In the ‘Know Yourself’ section I gave you examples of how to predict the type of questions you could be asked. This was done by looking at your own CV, and then anticipating what the next logical question could be given the experience or achievements you have listed. With competency based questions you can’t do this as they are much broader.

This type of questioning is the bit that most people struggle with, and for good reason. If you don’t prepare for these questions, you are going to struggle come the interview. Now not all interviewers will use these type of questions, but it is better to be prepared for them, as these are not the type of questions you can just answer on the spot.

ACTION POINT – Write down the below competencies and create your own answers

Competencies

Below I have listed a number of competencies which I want you to write down. I have listed them alphabetically, but the order is irrelevant, and no one competency is more important than another.

Once you have them written down, I want you to then think of examples of when you have shown these in the workplace or in your personal life.

Now you could be asked a million different questions based around these competencies (I have listed some below) but the key is to think of examples of a time you have displayed these competencies, and then you can use them to answer the interviewer’s questions. 

·       Adaptability

·       Communication

·       Commercial Awareness

·       Conflict Resolution

·       Decisiveness

·       Independence

·       Flexibility

·       Leadership

·       Problem Solving

·       Organisation

·       Teamwork

Typical competency based questions could be:

·       Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team? (Leadership)

·       Can you give me an example of when you had to work to an unrealistic timeframe? (Problem Solving/Organisation)

·       Tell me about a time you spotted an opportunity to increase your margin or cross sell other items? (Commercial awareness/Independence)

·       Tell me about a time you have had to say no to a customer? (Decisiveness)

·       How do you maintain good working relationships at work? (Teamwork)

As you can see some questions cover multiple competencies, but if you have written out examples of all your competencies, you can quickly pick the most suitable one for the type of question posed.

But before you start worrying about the number of potential questions you could be asked, I’d like you to take a bit of advice about how to answer these questions. I’ve put examples below about the way I have actually answered these questions in an interview, but before you look at mine, I want you to get yourself a pad of paper and put a competency at the top of the sheet and one in the middle of that same sheet, then get a new sheet from your pad and do the same again until you have listed all the competencies, two per page. There’s quite a few isn’t there?

So, here’s the advice.

Step 1 – Write stuff down!

Now you have the competencies listed out two per page, you can make a start. For some of the competencies, you will immediately think of an example, which is great. Write them down by listing a few bullet points under the headings that you have an answer for. You can then write out a full answer underneath the bullet points you have just made.

You may find that you think of a better answer than your original one, as you do more of this exercise. That is fine, you can replace them, that’s the whole point. You want to be able to give the interviewer(s) a great answer, and I’m going to be honest here, YOU can’t do this without being prepared.

By getting a few easier competencies done quickly, it’ll make you feel a lot better about the trickier ones, as you’ll have reduced the number of headings that you haven’t got answers for just yet. So unless your interview is tomorrow, in which case you’ll probably be having those awful feelings I discussed at the start of this article, then you should have some time to think about your answers. I found talking to friends, family, or colleagues about how they would answer these questions, or just sleeping on it can result in you thinking of answers. If you are really struggling, then take a look at some of the examples of mine below, BUT please have a go at these before you start peeping at mine…

Step 2 – The STAR method.

Now, I know I’ve just told you to write down bullet points, and then a full answer for all of the competencies, but that as just step 1. The STAR method is a way of answering a competency style question in a way that gives you the best chance of being hired. I’ll explain why I say this in a moment, but for now, let’s just look at what the STAR method is, and how you can use it.

S ITUATION

T ASK

A CTION

R ESULT

Let’s look at a typical competency interview question:

Give me an example of when your communication skills resolved a difficult situation?

To answer this question, take a look at what you have written down for COMMUNICATION on your notes. Then apply the above STAR to build your answer.

Using your example, describe the SITUATION you were in, and the TASK you needed to complete. These first two points can sometimes be combined as we’ll see below.

We then get to ACTION. Describe the action YOU took, and why YOU did it. It is key to talk about yourself as this is the whole point of the question. If you hadn’t used your communications skills in a certain way, then the outcome to this situation or task would have been different. The point here is to display to the interviewer(s) what your style of communication is, and how you used it to resolve a situation. Whether you are outgoing or shy, super intelligent or not, a star on the telephone or in person, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that YOU can give an example of how you used your own communication style to resolve a difficult situation.

Finally highlight the RESULT of the ACTIONS that you took. Make it crystal clear to the interviewer(s) how YOU resolved a difficult situation as a direct result of your communication skills.

SITAUTION and TASK - Describe the situation you found yourself in, and what task you needed to complete.

ACTION – What did YOU do, and why did YOU do it?

RESULT- Describe the result based on the actions YOU took.

So here are some of my own examples for you to take a look at. 

Example 1

Give me an example of when you have had to change your plans or strategy due to unforeseen circumstances? (ADAPTABILITY)

On two occasions whilst I was running Stock Services, the EU placed dumping tariffs on my core products. Firstly on Chinese origin seamless pipes that we had been importing for around 7 years into the UK and Europe, and then on Chinese origin seamless fittings about 5 years later. The decision to introduce these tariffs was a macro environmental factor that we had no control over, and caused us to have to quickly change our strategy. The task after each of these tariffs came into operation, was to change our companies product or service offering, so as to keep the business from going under.

After the pipe dumping tariff was introduced, we quickly decided to focus on selling stainless steel fittings that we were holding in stock. I realised that we couldn’t rely on just selling stock materials, and I began talking to large stockholding companies in the UK and Europe about selling them bulk orders of fittings to increase our turnover. We quickly adapted to this new product offering, and over a period of three years replaced the pipe business that we had lost.

Unfortunately a dumping tariff was then placed on the fittings we were now concentrating on selling, and we had to quickly change our plans again. This time, we changed the type of client we were targeting, and moved from selling solely to stockholders and traders, to focus on end users and fabricators building packages of materials for them. We also changed our marketing strategy to our existing clients to focus on selling added value and hard to source items by airfreight, which was awkward for our clients but easy for us due to our network of freight forwarders and mills.

As a result of the actions that we took, we managed to keep our business afloat. If we hadn’t adapted as quickly as we did, we would not have been able to continue trading.

Example 2

Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a problem with a client? (CONFLICT RESOLUTION)

After picking up a new client, we quickly began taking regular weekly orders of increasing amounts. The account was credit insured, but within a few months we were at the top of their credit limit. Even though the client was making their payments on time, due to the increasing order values, we were regularly going above our agreed limits.

It was decided that as much as we didn’t want to stop supplying materials, that it would be too risky to continue building up debt that would be uninsured.

The task was therefore to start the awkward dialogue of putting the client account on stop, knowing that they would likely have to go elsewhere for their material purchases, until they had reduced their credit account.

I decided that the best approach would be to explain to the client that if they paid us X amount, then they would be back within their agreed credit limit, and that at that point I could pay some additional money to the credit insurance company and effectively double their credit limit allowing them to continue trading.

The client was not happy about having to make payment ahead of schedule, but when I personally visited the client to explained that I couldn’t supply any further materials without them making an additional payment, we came to an agreement to increase the length of their payment terms, so as to give them extra time to reduce the debt prior to extending their credit once they were back to an agreed level.

The result of our actions, making a personal visit and offering a solution to the credit problem, meant that we managed to get the client back within their agreed credit limit in around 6 weeks, and although we subsequently lost the client, we at least managed to avoid any potential for a bad debt.

By spending time working on these competencies before you interview, you will feel much more confident in your interview. I suggest that after writing out full answers to the competencies, that you then make a small cue card with a few bullet points to jog your memory. You can read these before the interview, or take them in with you.

Remember there is no rule about bringing in notes, it just shows you have prepared, and if you get asked a competency based question you can say something like, ‘yes, I prepared for this question and I made a note as to a great example of when I did whatever it is that they have just asked you to evidence.’ You can then take a quick look at your notes and then start talking about what you did, rather than going blank and having the ‘Chaser Moment.’

More Interview Tips

To view our top three interview tips, click the above video.

What happens if I have a nightmare ‘Chaser Moment’

Sometimes in an interview, you will get asked a question that you have not prepared for, AND you may not have thought about. This is not a problem…you can’t know everything, and you can’t have an opinion on everything. There are two things that can happen in this scenario.

1 You’ll go silent while your brain tries to create an answer, your brain won’t produce an answer and the silence will continue. It’ll feel like the longest and most uncomfortable silence you have ever experienced, but, it will only be a second or two in real time.

2 You’ll start waffling[4] about something that is half related to what they have asked, and then whilst you are talking you will start thinking, ‘Why am I talking total sh*t? Are they buying this sh*t? Just keep talking and let’s hope they don’t notice.’

Neither option 1 or 2 is a particularly good way to answer the question because if you care about the job you are applying for, you will most likely start to stress, and begin feeling increasingly anxious about what has just happened. Unfortunately, one bad answer can catch like a cold, and can be followed by more poor answers to questions and ultimately this can severely affect how you perform in the rest of the interview.

IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU IN AN INTERVIEW, DO THE FOLLOWING.

Simply take a moment, a few seconds to show you have considered a response, and then say; ‘Can we come back to this later?’

It is unlikely they will say no, and more than likely as the interview progresses your brain will miraculously throw out the answer, in which case YOU can then say to the interviewer(s), ‘I’ve got an answer for that question now.’

If you don’t think of anything, and the interviewer(s) bring the question up at the end of the interview, just state that you would rather not give them an unsatisfactory response to the question, or the questions that you missed, but you will have a think and then email them later that day or week.

Remember this is not a test…it’s a chance for both the interviewer(s) and YOU to get to know each other. There are no rules, so use this to your advantage. Take in notes and if you get stuck, skip the question. No one is perfect at interview, so don’t put undue pressure on yourself.

What Questions should I ask them?

An area that is rarely discussed, but in my opinion is extremely important is what questions you can ask the interviewers. As you may or may not be aware, at the end of an interview you get a chance to ask some of your own questions. Now I’d suggest you don’t ask about how many sick days you can take, or where the nearest pub is…but this is an important area to consider.

Asking the right questions to the interviewer, is as important as answering the interviewer’s questions to you. For reasons unknown to me though, this is often overlooked by candidates and they end up asking precisely nothing, which doesn’t help your case to get hired!

So, let’s look at some questions you could ask them.

Example 1 - When I was applying to work for an online metal platform

I asked about how I would fit into the team. Would I be responsible for the outbound sales team, training, quotation team or in the marketing department? I also asked if I could make suggestions for the websites and if I could do market research with clients as to what they like and dislike?

Example 2 - When applying for my first recruitment role

SF Group had a 4 week training course in Nottingham, so my first question was what the training centre course entails. How long they have been running the course and what changes they have made over that time. Who are the trainers? Are they ex recruitment consultants? How many people fail the course?

 These are real world examples from me, but you must have a think about questions you want to ask, and take them in with you so you don't forget.

If you don't ask questions, it means the interviewer will assume you aren't that fussed about the job! So make sure you've thought of some. And make them relevant.

Examples: What are the targets? How many people make target? Is commission capped? How much overtime is available? What is the typical length of service on your team? What benefits are included? Do you do any team building days? What are the opportunities for career development? Is there any opportunity for foreign travel? What type of machinery do you have? Are you getting new lorries? What training is available? How long did it take for you to become foreman? What's the boss like?

There's loads of questions, but make sure you have at least two...and if you think of anything in the interview you can always jot it down to ask at the end.

Other things to be prepared for.

I know, if you’ve managed to get all the way down to this part of the article, that you are serious about getting your job, but just before you go, there are just a few other things to be aware of. The below, are just a few examples of other curve balls that can, like the competency based questions, throw you off your game. For that reason it is better to have at least been aware of them.

Don’t be surprised if they make you do a test. A favourite is getting you to do a mathematics test, or a verbal or non verbal reasoning test. Sometimes you may be sat in the middle of the office surrounded by other staff, or you could be asked to go and knock on someone’s door and introduce yourself to them.

Another regular occurrence, is turning up to interview, and then finding out at the very last moment that the person you were expecting to meet is not there, and that the interview is being handled by someone else.

Also, two questions that people love to ask are ‘What are your Strengths?’ But even better is ‘What are your weaknesses?’ Now the second of these is a question people hate answering. I prefer to ask my candidates ‘What weaknesses are you aware of, and what are you doing to overcome these.’ This is just a polite way of saying, ‘look mate, no ones perfect, so what are you trying to do to get better at stuff.’ As an example, I’ll give you an answer I’d give for this question.

Question ‘So Pete, what are your weaknesses?’

‘Well, I have a couple actually. The main one though, is that I’m not great at delegating. I tend to keep my work, and then get swamped with many unimportant tasks which I then struggle to get through. Fortunately for me, I’ve been aware of this for many years, so I tend to surround myself with organised people, who know I have this weakness. I have told them to keep asking me for work which means I have got better at passing tasks off to others to complete.’

As per my rephrased question above, it’s okay to highlight a weakness in interview, but you also need to show how you are addressing this. If you are not aware of your weaknesses, then you’ll never be able to improve.

So to Recap (at last)

If you have taken anything from this article it is this. Being nervous is a good sign, it shows you care, but you MUST PREPARE for the interview.

·       Know Yourself (read your CV and look for logical follow up questions)

·       Know the Business (Make some notes and take them in with you)

·       Know the People (Check them out on LinkedIn, or see if you have any mutual connections)

Take your notes and or laptop into the interview, if the interviewer(s) ask why, say ‘It is because I have prepared for the interview, and I don’t want to miss anything out that might be important.’

Write out the competency-based questions in full, two per page and then make a small cue card to take into the interview as a prompt.

Think about a few questions you can ask them at the end of the interview, or take a note in with these as well.

REMEMBER BY HAVING NOTES WITH YOU, YOU’LL BE LESS LIKELY TO NEED THEM. THIS IS BECAUSE YOU WILL FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AND RELAXED DURING THE INTERVIEW.

Skip any question that you can’t answer by saying: 'Can I come back to that?' Then come back to the question later in the interview, or not at all.

Smile, and try and look the interviewer in the eye (just one though) when answering questions.

And Finally

An interview is a two-way process. You don’t have to take the job that the prospective employer may offer to you.

When you go to an interview, always keep in mind that the hiring company needs employees as much as you may need a job. So, if you can look at the interview from this stand point, and realise that it is as much a fact finding exercise for you, as it is a chance for your potential employer to learn about what you can offer them, then the process is not anywhere near as daunting. I mean, obviously you aren’t going to win many favours if you wander in, completely laid back, and just tell them to sell you the dream. But this is an opportunity for both sides to see what they think of one another, and not just a ‘test’ for you the candidate.

So that’s all from me for now, but if you are having an interview soon, I’d like to wish you every success.

If there is something I have missed, or you want to ask, then feel free to drop me a message.

Pete @ Comton Group

Pete Comerford is the co-founder of Comton Group, a video hiring agency who specialise in the Metals and Engineering Sector in the UK. Having previously run and owned a metal stockholding company Stock Services, Comton Group was formed in late 2018 to change the hiring process. By utilising video interview technology and actually understanding these markets - having working in them for many years - I can provide a great service to clients. The aim is simple, save clients time, by understanding and matching the skills and characteristics of candidates to the right company.

For more details check out our site https://www.comtongroup.com

[1] Like a boss is an informal term, meaning to ‘do something very well.’

Its origins began in hip hop, but it became widely popular after a video and song by Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg went viral. This greatly popularized the phrase. Andy Samberg's comedy music group, The Lonely Island, parodied Slim Thug's rap on their own song “Like a Boss” in 2009.

See wiki for more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Boss

[2] The Chase is a popular U.K. quiz show on ITV, presented by Bradley Walsh. I’m not sure why it was so important to mention Bradley Walsh, but I have now mentioned him twice which I think is quite enough. Anyway, the ‘Chaser Moment’ is a term I use to describe the moment an interview goes horrible wrong. In the TV show ‘The Chase,’ contestants have a minute to answer as many questions as they can to build up a cash prize, before trying to bring that cash prize back to the team by answering more questions in a head to head game against a professional quizzer (known as the ‘chaser’). In the cash building round it is common for a contestant to get a question wrong, and then struggle to answer any further questions correctly because they completely lose their cool, and become flustered and anxious, just like me when I realized that I had revised for the wrong exam.

[3] On arrival in Mallorca in April 2004 I had three weeks intensive training from TUI group (formerly Thomson Holidays) on how to be a holiday representative. About 80% of this training was on selling, particularly, about how to present, and how to create a compelling sales pitch, closing deals and rejection handling.

[4] Waffling is a British term meaning to talk at length in a vague or trivial manner. Essentially talking sh*t, but taking a very long time to not get to any discernible point. I am particularly adept at this, and have spent many years trying, and failing to waffle less.