Interview Techniques

1. Interview Techniques guidance from careers service

2. Aims for Today • Understanding the interview process • Exploring how to conduct successful interviews • Some useful resources

3. Interviews: your experiences • What happened? • Which organisations? What job role? • What do you recall from the experience? • Types of questions asked?

4. Types of interview • 1:1 interview • Panel interview • Telephone interview • Technical or competency based interview • Formal/informal • Can be followed by or be part of an assessment centre • An objective evaluation against set criteria or a person specification

5. The Interview An opportunity to: • Prove you can do the job! Present evidence that you have relevant knowledge, skills and experience • Show that you will'fit' into the organisation ie your personality and values match those of the organisation • Find out more about the role, organisation and that you want the job!

6. What is a person specification? • A person specification careerscentral.shu.ac.uk/ps/ is a profile of the ideal candidate for the post. • Lists the essential and desirable criteria necessary to carry out the job. • Skills, knowledge, aptitudes • Experience • Qualifications, education, training • Personal characteristics Source: DIUS 2009

7. Questions Questions will typically focus upon: • You • The job role • The company/industry sector • Questions may be asked in different ways i.e. open/closed

8. Typical Questions – about You • Your skills, studies, experience.... "Tell me about a time when you have….. managed a project?” "I see on your CV you have done this.....tell me more.” "What is your greatest achievement?” "Why do you want this job?"

9. Typical Questions - about the Role • Situation based questions: "How would you handle the following scenario…?" • Technical questions: "What experience do you have of analytical techniques?" "What do you know about high performance liquid chromatography?"

10. Typical Questions - about the Sector • Questions about the organisation/industry.. "What do you think the greatest challenge to this industry will be in the next 5 years?" "How do you think this event (eg a topical news story) may affect the bioscience sector?"

11. Answers Relate what you have done to what employers will be seeking Some questions Bioscience graduates have been asked in the past

12. Evidence your skills: using the STAR system S Situation T Task A Actions R Results Example of how this system can be used for CVs, job applications as well as job interviews

13. Handling questions – summary • Be positive • Can't predict all the questions, but can prepare the information you want to present • Give specific examples not generic statements • Expand but don’t waffle • Listen carefully to the question – you can ask for it to be rephrased if it's not clear • Stay calm and take your time to answer ...remember to breathe! • There may not be a right or wrong answer

14. Body Language Q: How much of what we communicate is non-verbal? A: Mehrabian (1972) suggested that when talking about feelings/attitudes only 7% of communication is verbal, 38% is vocal, while 55% is nonverbal.Is this plausible? • First impressions count! • Be professional & engaged in the process • Keep eye contact, smile & interact appropriately • Use active listening techniques; • Business clothes can create a 'business' frame of mind • Some more Do's and Don'ts: CareersCentral/bodylanguage

15. On the day • Careers Central Present yourself well Simon Reichwald, CEO, Graduate Success

16. Questions you might want toask the panel… • Questions that focus on your needsInduction, training and developmentWork life balance • Questions about the company/sectorAn opportunity to show your research/insights • Questions about what comes next What are the next steps in the process? When will a decision be made? …don’t ask what you could've easily researched

17. After the interview • Waiting for the result • Reflecting on the process • Self evaluation • Seeking feedback from the Employer • Careers Central/the day-after interview

18. Essential Preparation - summary • About the job role:– Job description/person specification– Job profiles e.g. Prospects; Explore types of jobs • About the company:– Company website– Recruitment literature • About the job sector:– Sector profiles on Prospects; Sectors– Newspapers/professional journals– Adsetts information databases eg Mintel Reports

19. Essential Preparation • AGCAS Making an Impact SHU video on demand via library catalogue • The Interviewer interactive virtual interview (available only in the Resource Centre) • Careers Central Topics/interviews/preparingPeter Mann, Assistant Head of Transport, Oxfordshire County Council Read Interview preparationguidance, part of the Interviews topic Check the Biosciences subject pages and the STARS link

20. Resources • Visit the Careers Resource Centre, pick up Interview guides or book in to use: The Interviewer: Interactive computer package for real-time interview practice, with PC & webcam • Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviewsandBiomedical sciences: Options with your subject • www.bemyinterviewer.com • Going for Interviews AGCAS (2009), available from the Careers Resource Centre, Owen Level 5

21. Accessing your Careers and Employment Service Student & Learning Services: City Campus Tel: Tel: 0114 225 3813 Heart of the Campus, Collegiate Crescent Tel: 0114 225 2491 Email:sheffield-hallam-careers@shu.ac.uk Web: shuspace > careers (type careers in shuspace search box)