Preparing for the interview
Glenn Carter
Dr Glenn Carter, HPG (Healthcare Professionals Group), Managing Director/Owner
How best to prepare for an interview. Here's a few tips...
1. Firstly review the job details
Re-read the job ad and the job description. What do they want? What do you need to say?
Make a list of the required skills, the prerequisite knowledge, the personal qualities and the professional qualifications. Prepare examples.
Re-read the job ad and the job description. What do they want? What do you need to say?
2. Research the organisation
Look at the website, press releases, blogs. Talk to others.
What's important to the organisation? What are they saying? What are they doing about it?
Talk about it during the interview. Discuss solutions.
What's important to the organisation?Discuss solutions
3. Prepare questions
Demonstrate depth of understanding, of the role, the responsibilities, the sector, the issues. Make your questions stand out. Be insightful. Demonstrate thought leadership.
Demonstrate depth of understanding. Make your questions stand out
4. Research the attendees
Look at their LinkedIn profiles. Google their names. What are they talking about? What are their interests?
What conferences do they go to? What groups do they belong to?
More knowledge will make building rapport easier.
Research the attendees. More knowledge will make building rapport easier
5. Quantify your achievements
Have examples of what you have achieved and strong numbers to back them up. Talk numbers. % to target. Growth metrics. KPIs. Increase in margin. Increase in numbers. Demonstrate how you deliver quantifiable results.
Have examples of what you have achieved and strong numbers to back them up
6. Practice using examples
Understand how behavioural type interviews are conducted using the STAR technique, and practice.
7. Understand the business
Show that you understand how business works and how your role contributes to both the top line and bottom line.
Discuss business challenges and solutions.
Demonstrate commercial acumen.
8. Demonstrate emotional intelligence
Successful people are emotionally intelligent. Prepare examples within the areas of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. Be prepared to discuss examples.
Successful people are emotionally intelligent. Be prepared to discuss examples.
9. Highlight your agility
The world moves quickly. Roles and responsibilities change.
Successful people are adaptable and embrace complexity and ambiguity. They have the tools to map the future and make decisions.
Prepare examples of what's worked. What hasn't. Demonstrate insight.
Successful people are adaptable and embrace complexity and ambiguity
10. Check social media
Does your CV match your LinkedIn profile? Dates. Responsibilities. Check accuracy.
Are you comfortable with your public Facebook information?
Google your name. What comes up. Prepare to answer the questions.
11. Prepare for the small talk
Be prepared to talk about the books you are reading, your interests, current events, travel.
Be articulate. Confident.
Friendly. Relaxed.
It's about building rapport and getting to know each other, and it's important.
Here are links to other articles in the Career Decisions series:
When is the right time to look for a new job?
Job searching time management tips
How to stand out when applying for new roles
How to apply for an internal role with your current organisation
Applying for a new role - is it with the right organisation
For further discussion phone us on:
Sydney (02) 8877 8777
Melbourne (03) 9938 7100
Or for additional insights go to one of our specialised websites:
Healthcare Professionals Group
Health & Aged Care Professionals
Procurement Buyer for ANZ Region at Reckitt
6 年Thank you Dr Carter!
A validation/QA specialist with 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry
6 年Apparently captain James Cook ensured his crew took a daily ration of concentrated lemon juice and sauerkraut to prevent scurvy. He never lost a single sailor due to scurvy in all of three voyages.