Interview Experts E-Book

8/22/2019 Interview Experts E-Book

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The Interview Experts Bonus

E-Book

HelloandwelcometotheInterviewExpertsEBook.

Haveyoueverbeen foraninterviewfora jobthatyoureallywantedandthen,didntgetitorhaveyouevercomeoutfeelingyoucouldhaveperformedbeAer?reyou

about to aAendan interview andyoureworriedthatyoull say or do thewrong

thing?OryoujustwantabeAerjobbutlacktheconfidencetogoforit.

I havespentmany yearsas a recruitertrainingandcoachingindividualson howto

makea bigimpactwithinthevery smallamountofGmeyouareallocatedinajob

interview.ThepeopleI havecoachedhaverangedfromgraduates looking fortheir

firstbreak,toseniorlevel execuGvedirectorslookingfortheirnextboard levelposi

Gon. Inevery caseI was abletodemonstratethat therearespecifictools andtech

niques forensuringthatsomeonelikes you,andmoreimportantlytrustsyou,in averyshortspaceofGme.

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INTERVIEW EXPERTS E-BOOK

TheInterviewE

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Sousingover15yearsofmyownexperienceasaheadhunter,Ihaveputtogether

this guidetogive youastraighNorward,honestandclearapproachtogengitright.

I have spentmany hours researching and interviewing some of todays most re

spectedexperts inthefieldof recruitmentwhosejobsaretohireformany ofthe

worldsleadingorganisaGons.

TheseGpsandskillsarewhatsuccessfulpeopleusetogetthejob.

ow,even ifyouveheardany oftheadvicebeforeandyouprobably wouldhave

donepleaseremember,repeGGonisthe motherofskill sojoinmefora fastpaced,

decisiveguidefortheinterviewminefieldandhearthetopGps the expertsofferto

helpyougetthecareeryoudeserve.

oodluckandenjoy!

!

PART1APPLYING/YOURCV

Jonathan: Thebestwaytoputa CVtogetheris tounderstandthepurposeoftheCV.

TheCVis asalesdocument. Its aimistogetyouinthedoor,togetyounoGcedand

togetyoutheinterview.YoudonotneedtheCVtogetyouthejob.Youllgetyour

selfthe job. Themainaimis togettheinterview,andtherefore,lots ofwhitespace,nottoomuchwaffle,clearheadingsandkeepittotwopages.

Mark: Bear inmind,thisisa sales document. Thisis whatyour potenGalem

ployerisgoingtojudgeyouoniniGally,soitsabsolutelyvitalthatyougetthisright.

Tim: YougettheseCVslandingontheirdesk,onyourdeskhaveyougottheGme

tolookatthem?o,Iusuallydelegatetomymanagementteamortothemanager

responsibleforthatparGculardepartment, like,Youlookthroughthem,youdoall

oftheweedingoutandyoucometome withyourtopthreeorfour. Iwill thenlook

atit.

Simon: lot ofcompaniesnowarelookingtopeoplethat cancondenseinfor

maGonandcansummariseit.Ifyoucantsummariseyourownlifeandcareerthen

youreprobablynotgoingtobeverygoodatsummarisingotherthingsaswell.

David: Thereissomekindofsummary at thetopthat says thething that you

wanttosayaboutyourself.Forexample,youmighthavehada greatperformance at

yourpreviouscompanyforthelastcouple ofyearsandthatdoesntalwayscomeout

whenyoulistoutjobs andcareerGmeline. So,itsvery importantjusttosaya few

lines tosay,Ivebeenratedverywellinmylastfewcompaniesandthis isthesortof

thingthatIvebeenworkingon,andthatjustmakesitstandoutandgetstheso`erthings acrossthatyoucantalways getacrossina Gmeline. Thatshouldbethefirst

thingthattheyread.

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Jonathan: Forme,itsaboutproducingsomethingwithoutmistakes.TheCVveng

processis aboutknockingout andidenGfyingpeoplethat arent rightandthefirst

way that peopledo that, of course, naturally, is to look for badly laidout,badly

planned,badly spelled, badinformaGon. Soactually, thesimplest approachis to

makesurethatyourCVdoesnthaveerrorsonit.

Rob: TheCVsIliketoreadareverymuchlikethereportIliketoread.I haventgot

Gmetoreadthroughringsandringsofrubbish. Iwanttoseeconciseanswers. I

wanttoseeachievements.Iwanttoseestatementsbackedupwithqualityfacts.I

wantittobeeasyon theeyes somethingIcanscanthroughandits a passportfor

meapassporttogetthatpersoninforaninterview.

Tim: Imlookingforthatdifferenceandthatdifferencecomesfromsomeonetaking

iniGaGve.

Mark: Imactuallyinterestedinwherehaveyoureallymadea difference,what

haveyouachieved? Thosearethemostimportantthingsthatpeople wanttoread

about.

David: TailoringyourCVoratleast,finetuningitforeveryapplicaGonyoumake,

parGcularly,ifitsacompanythatyouvetargetedanditspartofyourvisiontogofor.

Jonathan: IdenGfyingwhereyouregoing toaddvaluetoa company,so,achieve

mentsinyourpastevidencethatsuggestswhenyoudothisrole,youdoitwell.

Simon: Ifyourea numberonesalesmanatacompany,thatissomethingtoboast

aboutandyoushouldputthatdownbut youshouldalsoput down, number one,

howmanysales peoplebecauseoneoutoftwoissGll a goodposiGontobeinbutits

muchmoreimpressiveifyourenumberoneoutofathousand.

Celia:Youneedtobevery specific about what thoseachievements wereandhow

thosebenefitedthecompany,theteam,yourmanager.

Mark: Ifyouresendingintoanamedindividual,whichhopefully,youareandif

youhaventgota namedindividualthenfindoutwhothenamedindividual should

bethensenditintothemandthen,followupwithaphonecall.

Tim: ThebestwaythatIve everexperiencedissomeonehavingmereadtheirCVor

someonewhoactually calledupandsaid,Iminterestedinworkingfor your business,andIwent,Okay,goon. Iminterestedtoknowwhyyouthinkthat,because

Ive never had that before someone whos actually cold calling my business.

Theyvedone their work. Theyvedone their research. They hadactually heard

aboutus andtheywantedtogetintoourindustry,andhecalledmedirectly. ow

that,tome,issomeonewhosgotsparkle.

lison: Foryoutomake thatcallsaysanawful lotaboutyou. Whatit saysit

says thatyourenotafraidofrejecGonwhichis vital inthis world. Ifyouwanttoget

onina jobletssayitsasalesjoborany sortofjobtherejecGonis notpersonal,

itsbusiness.

Mark: O`en,youll onlygetaconversaGonwithaPtotheHRDirector,forex

ample. But,itjustshowsthatyourefollowingupandsomeGmes,thatPwillthen

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gobacktotheirboss andsay,Thisguysoundedreallygood,followeduponhis CV,

soundsgreat.I thinkwe shouldmeethim.everunderesGmatetheinfluencethat

Pshaveontheirbosses.

Tim: PsarefantasGc.Peoplethinktheyarebarriers. Toa certainextent,theyare

buttheyare alsohumanbeings.Theyalsoliketounderstandandrecognisethatthey

arethepowerbehindthethrone.Ifyouunderstandthattheyarethepowerandre

spectthemforthat,itsamazingwhatyoucangetfromaP.UGlisethePtohelp

youtogetwhatyouwant.

Simon: EvenaskthatPiftheres anysortofcompanyinformaGonbecausethats

showingenthusiasmandthatllgetbacktothatSalesDirectoraswell.

Tim: WhenyourCVdoes comethrough So,whatwasit? ood,thatstheguy.

Yes,letsreadthat.Lets putthatonthere.TheymightnotevenreaditYes,hes

theone.Letsputitonthereanyway.ethimontheshortlist.

Mark: IfyouhaventgotajobdescripGonatthisstagethenits a greatopportu

nity foryoutogoandgeta jobdescripGonsothatyoucangoanddoyour homework. Withlargercompanies,thatshouldntbea problem.SomeGmes withsmaller

companies,thatmightbeaverbaljobdescripGon.Youve gottomakesureyouhave

a pencilandpaperhandy,andmakeas manynotesas youcanwhenyouremaking

thatphonecall.

Tim: ttheendoftheday,its allaboutrelaGonships. ItdoesntmaAerhowbigor

smallany organisaGonis itsmadeupofpeople. Culturesdevelopthroughrela

Gonships. Thefirstprotocol is youneedtounderstandnotonlyunderstandwhoit

isyouaregoingtobetalkingtosofindoutaboutthem.

Celia:Ifyoucanfindouta liAlebitmoreabouttherole,a liAlebitmoreabouthowmanypeoplehaveapplied

Tim: Remember,this companythatyouregoingforthatyouwantthejobintheyll

beseeinga lotofpeople. They couldbeseeingthree. They couldbeseeingfive.

Theycould beseeingten.Youimagineall thosepeoplethattheyreseeing.Letssay,

theyreseeingthemovera dayortwodays. Thatsalotofpeopletosee. mini

mumofanhoureachtheyll beglazed. Theywontreally rememberwhothehell

theyretalkingto,letalone,howwonderful youwere.ive yourselfa chance.Make

sureyourethelast.

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PART2PREPARATION

Jonathan: Researchingacompanybeforeyougotointerviewisreally,reallyimpor

tant. Dontgoifyourenotgoingtodotheresearch. This startswiththeinternet.

Lookat theirwebsite. Downloadas muchinformaGonas youcan. Talktoanybody

thatmightworkthere. LookatCompanies House. Tryandgettheirrecordstofind

outhowmuchtheyreturningover,howstable they areasabusiness. Partofyour

researchis toensure thatyoucandemonstrateyourkeenness. Partofitis actuallyto

makesureitstherightposiGonforyouandtherightcompany. Toomanypeople

takejobswithoutrealisingwhattheyrelengthemselvesinfor.

Tim: Theonlywayyoudothatis youreaduponyourcompany.Yougenyourselfup

onthebusinessyouwanttoworkfor.Ifyougetexcitedbywhatyousee,goandtalk

tosomecustomers.oandreadup,lookatthe accounts.Lookatthewebsite.Talk

toafewpeople.etfamiliarwiththebusinessyouwanttoworkwith.

Mark: Ifyouknowanybodythatworksinthatcompanyideal. Findthemup,

buythemabeer,getclosetothemandstartlearningasmuchasyoucanaboutthatcompany. owifyoudontknowanybody inthatcompany,therearesome things

youcandotofindoutwhatsgoingon.Phonethatcompanyupandpretendtobea

potenGalcustomer.Seehowtheydeal withyouwhatsortof responsedoyouget,

howareyouhandledanddoabitofmysteryshoppingineffectbecauseifyoureap

plyingfora salesrole,forexample,itwouldbereallyusefultoknowhowarethey

handling potenGalsales inquiriesat themoment? That informaGon canbereally

usefulasadiscussionpointintheinterview.

Rob: Thekeythingsyouneedtoknowaboutthe company itself theproductswe

sell,themarketsectorswedealin,howwereperforminginthosesectors.

Celia:Have an understanding of how long theyve been established, what their

achievementsasanorganisaGonare,wheretheyregoingforthefuture.

Jonathan: Print offeverythingyoucanpossibly thinkof. Canyouget companies

reports?Canyougetdetails,downloads fromthewebsites?Canyougetbrochures?

retherepressreleasesavailable?Is thereanythinginthe newspapersaboutthem?

Cutitoutandkeepitandwhenyougototheinterview,takeitwithyou.Itwill stand

youinverygoodstead.

Mark: et to know something about that company that your potenGalinterviewerdoesntexpectyoutoknowandideallyifyouve gotsomenewideasforthem

thentheywillbe muchmorerecepGvetoyouasacandidate.Dontthinkaboutget

Gngthejob. Thinkaboutdoingthejobwhenyoureactuallyin that interview. So,

whataretheskillsthatthispersons reallylookingforme toachieve?Whats theob

jecGveofthis job? Whyaretheyhiringthis person? Putyourselfinthehiringper

sons posiGon. Ifyouwereinterviewingme,whatwouldyouwanttoknow,whatdo

youwanttohear,whatdoyounotwanttohear?

Jonathan: Oncetheyve lookedat thecompany is lookat thecompeGGon. Its a

compeGGvemarketoutthere.Companiesarepitchedagainsteachother.

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Mark: IfyouveidenGfiedthatthecompanyyouregoingforaninterviewmakes

widgetsthenjusttypeinwidgetsonoogle andyoull seea wholelistofothercom

paniesthatmakewidgetssothatgivesyouanideaofwhotheircompeGtorsare.

Jonathan: Dontmakethesamemistake I made. I joinedilleAeandonmyfirstin

terviewwiththeminordertobeclever,spokeaboutthediminishingmarketof ra

zorbladesversusthe electricshaver. BecauseIhadntdonemy research, I looked

verystupidwhentheysaid,Well,weactuallyownBraunsowellbealright.

Mark: Sourceasmanydifferentpress releasesasyoucanbecausethepress re

leasefrom thecompany is obviously pungtheposiGvespinoneverything. The

press releases fromexternal companies will havea slightly different viewonthese

things anditsgoodforyoutogoinwitha balancedviewofwhatsgreataboutthis

organisaGonbutwhataresomeofthechallengesthattheyrefacing,andraise that

inthediscussionthatyouregoingtohavewiththeindividual.

Tim: Ifitsa publiccompany, readthroughtheannualreport. Idont mean read

throughall thefigures. Obviously,youneedto knowifyouregoingintoa company

thats makingmoneyornot.ReadtheChairmans statement.FindoutwhatthestrategicobjecGves areofthebusiness. Findoutwhattheyrelookingtodo. Findout

whattheyveacquiredrecentlyorgotdivested.Understandwhatyouregoinginto.

Mark: FT.com,Hooversiftheyveannouncedtheyrea listedcompany,goto

nasdaq.com.Havealookattheirsharepricethenunderthere,youcanseewhatthe

analystsaresayingaboutthatparGcularcompany,whattherecommendaGonsare

is ita buy,is ita sell,is ita hold? Then,youcanbuildupa pictureofwhatexternal

organisaGonsthinkaboutthiscompany.

Mark: Youalsowanttomakesure iftheDowifthecompanysonasound,sta

blefooGngfinancialwisebecauseifyouwantlongevityoutofacareerina company,

youwanttomakesurethat,thatcompanysgoingtobearoundforquitealongGme.

Mark: Phoneupandaskthemtosendyoucompanybrochures.Seewhattype

ofmaterialtheyresendingoutwhatsthequality,whatarethekeymessagesthat

companyistryingtoconveytomeasapotenGalcustomer?

David: lotofindustries havetheirownindustrymagazineswhichyoucanlook

uponlineoryoucangoandsubscribeto,evengotoyourlocallibraryandgetacopy.

Mark: MarkeGngdepartments,sales departmentsareallverygoodathandingoutinformaGontopotenGal customerssotheres nothingwrongwithyou ringingan

organisaGonanddemonstraGngyourkeenness andspeakingtothesedepartments.

Seewhattheycansendyou.Youmaybesurprised.

Tim: Youcanalsogetacopyoftheirmissionstatementusually. Itsusually intheir

financial informaGon, and what goals and objecGves that company is looking to

achieve. Certainly inmost largecompanies,employeescarry thesesortsof things

aroundtheirneckandifyoucangoinas apotenGalcandidateandknowthesethings

offbyheart,youregoingtobe,notonly impressingyour intervieweryouregoing

tobewayaheadofthenumberoftheemployeesthatarealreadythere.

Mark: Most websitesnowwillhavekey individuals, boardmembers. oon

there.Readaboutthem. Theyveall gotmanybuyersonthere. Findoutwheredo

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theycomefrompreviousemployersbecauseyoullprobablysee a paAernofcom

paniesthattheyliketohirefrom.owifyoureoneofthosecompaniesideal.

Jonathan: Useoogle.Thats whatits therefor.Putinthenameofthepersonthat

youregoingtomeet. Seewhatcomes up. Youlleitherfindthemwhichis greatif

theyprintedanyarGcles,iftheyvepublishedanymagazinesyoull gettoseewhere

andwhen. Ifnot,however,youllcertainlyfindsomeonewiththesamenamewho

turnedouttobethefirstpersonthatclimbedthenorthfaceonEverest.Todropin

anyinterviewthesimilariGes betweensomeonewhosgottwonames canbea great

icebreaker.

Rob: ow,Illbefurther impressed ifthey knewaboutwhatthevarious managers

and corporatemanagers had said and commented to thetrade press about our

strategies.

Mark: Takeall thatinterviewwithyouwhenyougotothemeeGnganditactu

allydemonstratesthatyouvedoneyourhomework.

Rob: ImamazedthenumberofGmescandidatescomeintobeinterviewedbymeandtheyhavenotdonethatresearch. I mean,itssoeasy togetholdofthatinfor

maGonnowontheweb,intradejournals,inthefinancialpress.

Mark: Roleplaygreattool tousewhenpreparingforaninterview.Youcando

this inmanydifferentways.Youcanaska friend,a familymember,yourmother,your

fatheroryourpartnertobethepersonthatyouregoingtobeinterviewedby.et

themtoactas theintervieweranddontpromptthemtoomuch.Justseewhathap

pens.

David: Oneofthetop10things Ivedonewhataremylikes anddislikes,whataremygoodprojectsandbadprojects? If youveroleplayedthemandyouvegot

theanswersinyourhead, they comeoutusually,butitcertainly shows whenyou

comeinfortheinterview.

Rob: Oneguy I did interviewandactually gavea jobto,toldmelaterthathehad

plannedforit justwitha workcolleague,donethe preparaGon inseparateoffices

andithadworkedwell.

Mark: VisualisaGongreattechniquetouseparGcularlyininterviews.Visualise

thewholeinterview. Visualisetheinterviewendingina veryposiGveway for you.

Feelveryconfident. Visualiselaughter. Visualisea veryposiGveconversaGonduringthecourseofthatinterviewanditwillhappen.

Jonathan: ssuming you are going toget the interview, its a small thingbut its

really important. DoeseveryoneinthehouseholdknowyoureexpecGnga call and

will they allanswer thephoneinthecorrectmanner? Its highly inappropriate if

somebodyweretoring toofferyouan interviewandthey getonthephone who

doesntknowwhoyouare,whatsthecallabout,says youreinthebath,saysyoure

lyinginthesunloungerinthebackgardenwhenyouresupposedtobeatwork.

David: Havesomesortofsysteminplacewhereby youvegotyour reasons forapplying for every single job that you have done, otherwise, youre going to get

caughtout.

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Jonathan: Youwant tobe ready witha pitchthatsayswhoyouare,what youve

doneandwhatit is thatyourelookingforinyournextjobsothatyoucangetthat

pointacrossclearlyandconciselywithoutfluffingyourlines.

lison: IrememberoneparGcularGmewhereIhadtheCVwhichIliked.I made

thecall andthegirl pickedupthephoneandsoundedabsolutely deadbeatonthe

phonetheway shepickedthephoneup,thequesGonsthatI askedher. Shewas

justverylowinenergyandshedidnthaveathingtosaysobasically,sheblewit.

Tim: Thedaybeforeyougotyourinterviewbooked,confirmit.lotofpeopledont

dothat.Theylljustturnup.Okay,butyouremakingadifference.Youreshowing

thatyoureinterested.YoualsodontwanttowasteyourGmeandyoudontwantto

wasteanyoneelsesGme.

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PART3ARRIVING

Mark: rrivingattheinterviewis acriGcalpartofthe processanditactuallybe

gins themomentyoudriveintothecompanys carpark.So,pleasedonotbeanhour

andahalfearlyforyourinterview,parkinthecompanys carparkandsitthere foran

hourandahalfbecauseitmightbeclockedandifsomeonessingthereforanhour

andahalftheyllthink,thatpersonisntverybusy.

David: Thelastthingyouwanttodoispitchuplateforyourinterview.Itdoesnt

showa parGcularlygoodstartandnotonlythatyouregoingtofeelinthe wrong

frameofmindforyourinterviewas well. The last thingyouwantto dois pitchin,

sortofsweatyjusthavingtorunfromthetubestaGontotheoffice.

Jonathan: goodGmeisaboutfiveminutes beforeyour interviewis dueto start.

Onceagain,ifthisis alargeofficebuilding,youmayhavetosignindownstairsand

gettothetwenGethfloor.So,youvegottoreallythinkabouttheGminganditis ab

solutelyvital.Tooearlytoomuchpressureontheinterviewer.Toolateisnogood.

David: Frequently, with these companies and certainly, larger companies

theyvegotreservedbaysordisabledbaysandyoudonthavetofindyourselfeither

circling around the car park for 10 minutes or parking somewhere where you

shouldntdoandthen,beingpulledoutofyourinterviewtomeetforyourcar.

Mark: Be posiGve, bepolite to absolutely everybody that youmeet because

yourebeing judgedfrom themomentthatanyonecan seeyou. ThereareCCTV

cameras inmost organisaGons now so wherever you are, youre probably being

lookedatbysomebody.

Mark: Dresscodes reallyimportant.Youarejudgedbyhowyoulookinthe first

10,15seconds whetherwelike itornot. Thats justtherealityof it.Then,youneed

toidenGfywhatis themostappropriate dress codeforthatorganisaGon.Lotsofdif

ferentwaysoffindingout.Obviously,youcanjustphoneupandasktherecepGonist

orthePwhatis theappropriatedresscodefortheirorganisaGon.Dontassume.It

always usedtobemenwereinsuits,ladies wereinsmart,tailoredclothes notthe

caseanymore,dependsonwhotheorganisaGonis.

Jonathan: Ifyourenotsure,thebestruleofthumbis tomakesurethatyoudress

conservaGvely.ByconservaGve,Imtalkingaboutdarkcoloursinyoursuitjacketor

ladiesjacketandthat theblouseor shirt underneath shouldbeof lighter colour,preferablycreamorwhite.

Mark: Theother thingyoucandois parkoutside5:00,6:00in theeveningthe

daybefore.Findoutwhatpeoplearewearingwhentheycomeout.

Jonathan: ComedyGes,comedysocks,cartooncharacters,cartooncufflinksandcar

toonscarvesarejustinappropriate,nomaAerwhattheroleyougofor.

Simon: goodexampleis ofaManagingDirectorfinishedtheinterviewa`erfive

minutesbecausethecandidatehasntpolishedhis shoesandwill giveeventhoughhefeelshehasasmall pointgiveaveryreasonableexplanaGonbysaying,Ifsome

ones comingto something that importantandcanforget tocleanhisshoesthen

whatelsecouldheforget?ItsmoreareflecGonofthepersonandcertainly,theguy

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thatusedtohavepsychometrictesGng,theoccupaGonalpsychologistheusedto

haveahugeproblemwithpeoplethatdidntwearwatches becauseitwas averybad

signoforganisaGon.

Jonathan: Ifyouvebeenaskedtotakea seat inrecepGon,when theinterviewer

comesoutanddontforget,this isthefirstGmetheyveeverseenyouyoureactu

ally standingby therecepGondesk. Itmakesyoulook impaGent anditmakes you

lookthatyouareunsaGsfiedatbeingkeptwaiGng.

Mark: ThePor therecepGonistwhoevermeetsandgreetsyou,and takes

youtothe meeGngroomis absolutelyvital inthewholeprocessagain.Dontunder

esGmatetheirimportance.

Simon: IusedtoworkforanMDactuallywhosePalwaysusedtoshowpeople

intotheboardroom,sitthemdown,give thema cupofteaorcoffeebeforetheMD

wouldgivetheinterviewandbeforehewentin,oneofthe firstquesGons heasks his

Pis,Whatdoyouthinkofthem?

Rob: Its very importantthat theyunderstandthat its thewholeof thecompanythattheyredealingwithandnotjustmyself,andtheycantjustswitchalightonand

start smilingjustwhentheywalkintomyoffice. Itsimportantthattheyredealing

witheveryoneintheorganisaGon.

Jonathan: Be readythen,ofcourse,ifyouvegotyourcoffee,ifyouvegotyourbro

chures, ifyouvegoteverythingreadyyouregoingtohavetostandupandshake

somebodys hand.So,picktherightseat.Makesureeverythings putdownyoure

notgoingtoknockacoffeeoverinthefirst10seconds.

Mark: Showaninterestinthem. Bepolitebutdontbeoverpolite. Dont besmarmy. obodylikesasmartassbutshowa genuine,sincereinterestin themas

individuals.

lison: BeenthusiasGc. Ithinkthat actually exudesconfidence,andsomeone

whois brightandconfidentwill inspireme.YoucanhaveasmanyqualificaGonsas

youlikebutifyourenotbrightandinspiring,Iwouldntbeinterested.

Mark: ninterviewerwantstoseeandhearlotsofenthusiasm.Theyrejudging

youastowhethertheylikeyou,whetheryoure goingtofitintotheteam,howeasy

ordifficultwill youbetomanage,areyoucompetent,are youcapable ofdoingthe

jobtheyregoingtoaskyoutodo.

Liz: bilitytospeakto anaudienceclearly,notanaudienceofa hundredpeople

butoneortwoclearlyandgetyourpointacross,andI thinkitsimportanttobeable

toenunciateyourexperience.Its veryeasytowriteitona pieceofpaperbutwhen

itcomestoexplainingwhatyouveactuallydone,youneedtobeabletodothat.

lison: WhatmoGvates meabouta personishowmuchenergyaretheygoingto

havebecausewhenIve gotpeoplearoundmeinmyorganisaGon,I wantthemtobe

upandenergeGc becausethatenergy hasaneffect onthebusiness. Ifyouvegot

peoplethatare verylowinenergy,verylethargic,haventgotmuchgoingonin theirlife,itdoesntreallydoanythingformyorganisaGonoractuallyanythingformeper

sonally.

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Rob: Becauseat theendofthedayif Imgoingtoworkwiththem,I want toenjoy

beingaroundwiththem.I dontwanttobewithpeoplethatIdontenjoytheircom

pany.

Simon: Thebestinterviews Iveconductedfromapoint ofviewofpeoplehave

goneontobesuccessful havealwaysbeenwhena persons atudehas impressed

meintheinterview.

Liz: I thinkintervieweescanbetoocockyortoohumble.Whenyouarehiringpeo

ple,youwantpeoplewhowill bepartofyourteam,youreproudtoshowaroundthe

companyandmeetpeople fromoutside.So,peoplewhodothemselvesdown,talk

ingto their shoesand thingslikethat not impressivewhenyoure interviewing.

Similarly,youdontwanttobetakingJack,theloudranttobeshowingoffinyour

teamwhostoocheekyanddoesnthaveenoughknowledgeandexperiencetooffset

thatcheek,shallwesay.

David: Switchyourmobilephoneofforputitonstun,silentorwhateveritis you

doandalso,youdonthave stupidringtones playingtheLooneyTunesthemewhen

youre justtryingtoputacrosshowseriousyouareandhowdedicatedyouaretothenewjob.

Rob: IhavehadasituaGonwherea guy cameonfor interview. Itwasaclassiccase

ofhownottodoaninterview.Heturneduplate.Wheneverthathappens,thisguy

inparGcularisall hotandbothered. He camein.Hespent10,15minutes excusing

himselfandexplainingwhythetrafficjampreventedhimfromgengin.osooner

hadhesatdown,10minutesintotheinterview,thetelephonerangwhichisabigno

noinanyinterview. Mobilephonesshouldbeswitchedoff. Hewasntpreparedor

maybe,he was preparedbutthe impressionhegavebecause he was soflusteredwas

thathejustwasnt thecandidate not thekindofpersonI want represenGngour

company.

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PART4RAPPORT

Stephen: So, youveappliedforthejob. YourCVhighlightsyour achievements,

youre wellpreparedandyouarriveattheinterviewfullofenthusiasm.Ourresearch

hasshownthatifyouappliedjustsomeoftheadviceyoudbeengiven,youllsignifi

cantlygetyourselfaheadofthecompeGGon.

Simple,isntit?Whatcouldpossiblygowrong?

Well,lets gobacktotheexpertsnowandseewhattheyhavetosay aboutmaking

themostofthefirsthalfofyourinterview.

Jonathan: Rapport is aboutgengsomebodytoconnectwithyou,andviceversa,

andof courseif youdothat inan interview,youexplodeyour chances ofactually

gengthatjob.

David: Forme,firstimpressionsareessenGalifyouspeaktoanyonethat says

thatfirstimpressions last,onceyouvemadethatimpressionwithsomeone,itsverydifficulttochangetheiropinionofyou.

Mark: Postureisreally important. Youwanttowalkinthereshoulders back,

standtall,youresmilingaliAle.Haveasetofconfidenceaboutyou.

Jonathan: Makesureonce againyoumake eye contact with everybody in there.

Youmaybeintroducedtootherpeople.

Mark: ood,firmhandshakebutnottoohardwhereyoure goingtobreakthe

guyorladyshand.

Liz: otthefloppy,sweatyfish. Thats notpleasantatall. bitofconfidenceas

youwalkin the room.Itsveryunlikelythatyoure goingtogetbiAensoyoumightas

wellcomeinwithyourheadheldhigh.

Rob: Iwouldliketothinkthat Isubconsciouslymake upmyminda`er fiveor ten

minutes.Inreality,itsprobablyalotsoonerthanthat.

Mark: Peoplelikepeoplewholikethemselves somakeitreallyeasy forthisin

terviewertoulGmately offeryouthejobandwhetherthey likeyouornot,actually

doesplayquitea bigpart inthissotherearea numberoftechniquesthatyoucanusetobuildrapportwiththepersonyouretalkingto.

Mark: Onewhos sing intheactualchair, leaningforward, showingenthusi

asm

Jonathan: Takethechance whereyoucantonoGcesomespotanythingthatyou

canfeedbacktothecompanysuchas iftheywereonanice premises, ifthepeople

havebeenreallyfriendlytoyoutaketheopportunitytoacknowledgeit.

Tim: skafewquesGonsofthemandsuddenly theyre feelinggreat aboutthemselves but theyre interviewing you so it just addsa lot ofwaysofdifferenGaGng

yourselffromotherpeople.

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Rob: Inmyoffice,forexample,therearelots ofcluesas tomyhobbies andmyfamily

whetheritbegolfawardsorphotographsofmyyoungsonandwife.

lison: PictureofmyhorseIvegotaBuddhastatueonthesideboards,Ivegot

maybesomeothermagazinesIvegotsomeyogamagazinesoverthereandits nice

whensomeonenoGces things aboutme. WecangetintoaconversaGon.Thoseare

very interacGveandimmediately,youstartbuildinga relaGonshipwiththatperson

whenyouretalkingaboutsomethingthatyouvegotincommon.

Jonathan: If youreaskedto sit downat the decisionmaker or the interviewers

desk,justbeawarelikeyouwouldifyouweregoingintoafriendshouseorsome

bodyelseshomeofyourpersonalspaceandwhatyouregoingtotakeownershipof.

Mark: Theyll askyousomehumble,easygoingquesGonstobreakthe ice.Ob

viously,answerthoseandsee ifyoucanhaveoneortwoofyourownaswell,like,

HowlonghaveyoubeenintheorganisaGon,typething.

Celia:Its a proven fact that themoresomebody emulatesthebody language, the

moresynergythatpersonfeelswiththeotherindividual.Itworks.Itsworthdoing.

Mark: Mirror andmatch iswhatwecallit but basically, itsbymirroringand

matchingtheirphysical posturebut dontbetooobvious withit. Thats thekeyto

thisbutitsimportantthatyoudoit.

David: Ifyoucanbesubtleinhowyoudothatandyoucanmirror somebodys

acGons,ortheirspeechpaAerns,thetempooftheirspeechortheirhandgestures.

Jonathan: If someones really up there in your face, if theyre leaning forward,

someGmes,matchingthatcanbegood.Eveniftheysitbackandtheybackoffa liAlebit,maybeyouwanttoconsiderthat,too.

Mark: Listenvery carefully tothetonalityoftheirvoice. otsomuchthecon

tentofwhattheyresayingisntvital atthemomenthowtheyre sayingitis.Ifthey

speakvery quickly thenmaybeyoushouldspeaka liAlebitmorequickly thanyou

normallywould. If theyspeakwitha veryhighpitchvoicethendonttryandcopy

thehighpitchnecessarily butmaybe li`your voice anoctaveortwo. If theyspeak

veryslowlyanddeliberatelythen youspeakslowlyanddeliberately.Makeiteasyfor

themtocommunicatewithyouinthewaythatmakesthemcomfortable.

David: Thereisa wordofwarningthere. Justmake sureyoucandoit ifyouretotallycomfortable. Ifyourenot,itcanhavethecompleteandoppositeeffectfrom

whatyourelookingfor.

Mark: Its alsoquiteapowerfultool tobreakeyecontactsomeGmes. Ifyougot

askeda quesGonandyouabsolutely knowtheanswerto itbut youwantto have

moreimpactwiththatanswerthenwhatyoucandois lookaway,pausethendeliver

youranswerandyouactuallyhavealotmoreimpact. Itsa bitlikeacGng.ctors,

actressesdothisalltheGme.

Jonathan: Onceagain,thedevilis inthedetail andtheseareall ofthesubconscious decisionmaking techniques that meandecisionmakers when they talk of people

makinga gutreacGonastowhy they employ someone,thatsthegutreacGonand

thatswhereitcomesfrom.

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Liz: The use ofhumour in aninterview. I think, something doesnt goamiss.

Crudehumourprobablynot,andanythingthatcrossestoomanyboundariesnot

agoodidea.

Simon: Therewasa competencybasedinterview quesGon that checkson hu

mour and the quesGon asks giveusanexample ofwhenyoumadesomebody

laugh.Thatjustshowshowdifficultthesubjectofhumourisintheinterview.

Celia:Its muchbeAerto make surethatyoureappreciaGngit,showingthatyouen

joyhumourandthatyoudohavea senseofhumourrather thanbetheone thatis

crackingthejokes.

Jonathan: Thebestwaytocreate animpressioninaninterviewis tobringsupport

ingmaterialandthiscangiveyouarealadvantageoverotherpeopleaAending.

Mark: ItcanbecerGficates.Itcanberecordsofsaleschartsandwhere youare

inthosesalescharts.Itcouldbe aleAerfroma customerrecommendinghowwon

derfulserviceyouveprovided.

David: Reviewsfromapreviousemployeroracurrentemployer. nythingthat

youvedonethatsmadeitintothepressorindustryanyclippingsthatyouvegot.

Mark: Ifyoureinselling, canyoubringsalesleads,tables, targetsanything

thatyouveachieved.Ifyouvebeenanemployee ofthemonth,haveyougota pho

tograph,isthereanaward?

Rob: ReferencesfromSeniorManagers,probablyevenbeAerfromcustomersordis

tributors,forexample,thatyoumayhaveworkedonprojectsfor.

Jonathan: Putitin,Iguess,whatiscalledapresenterorinsomecases,abragfile.

Mark: Dontbeshy,okay?ninterviewisnottheplacetobeshy.etthatbrag

packoutonoccasionswhenitsappropriate.But,getitout.Handitovertotheper

son.etthemto lookatit,feelit,touchit.Itshowsthatyoureveryconfidentthat

youcantjusttalkthetalk,youveactuallydeliveredsomethingaswell.

Jonathan: Providingits neatandsmart,crispandclean. Wewontnecessarilyset

upa stallandlayitall outontheinterviewers deskbutyoucankeepitwithyouina

briefcaseandmakesurethatany opportunitywhenitdoes comeuporifthey askyouaboutit,youvegotittheretobringout.

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PART5QUALITYQUESTIONS

David: Its really importanttopreparefortheinterviewforthequesGonsyoure

goingtobeaskedandthequesGonsyouwanttoask.

Jonathan: PreparingyourquesGonsisabsolutelyvitaltoasuccessfulinterview.

Mark: Its really important youcandemonstrateyouve thoughtaboutthisin

terviewbeforeyougo. Manypeople turnupforinterviewswiththeatudethatits

allinmyheadandthatsfine.

Mark: Thekeybenefits are thatwhileyoureaskingquesGons,youare control

lingtheinterviewbecauseyoucantbeansweringwhileyoureasking.

Simon: Theresanoldsayingandmany peoplesaidthat ifyoureagoodsales

people,aska lotofquesGons. I dontbelievethat. I believethatgoodsalespeople

askgood qualityquesGonsandwhensomeones interviewingyou,theyrenotlook

ingfora biglistofmundane,boringquesGons likewhatarethehours,is thereasubsidisedcanteenandthatsortofthing.

Jonathan: Peoplelovetotalkaboutthemselves. Rememberthe interviewerisnta

monster.Theyreahumanbeing,tooandpeoplealsolikepeopletotakeaninterest

inthem.

Rob: YouvegottorememberthatI seealotofcandidateswhenIminterviewingfor

posiGons so I want atwoway street where Im being askedquesGons about our

companybutnotjustourcompanyaboutme,mybackground,whatIwanttodoin

thecompany.

David: Its a goodwaytoengagethemandgetthatrapportgoingas wellas find

outsomeinsightsintowhatitsliketoworkforthecompany.

lison: Italsohelpswarmmeuptowards thepersonbecausewegetsomecon

versaGongoing.ItsnotjustalistofquesGons.

Mark: So,whydidtheyjointhebusiness?WheredidtheyseetheopportuniGes

goingforsomebody likeyouinthebusiness?Whyshouldyouwanttojointhebusi

ness?

Celia:WhyaretheysGllwiththecompany? WhataretheirlongertermambiGons?

Whataretheirbigachievementsinthecompanyfromtheirpointofview?

Mark: Whataresomeofthechallengesassociatedwithworkinginthatorgani

saGonandtryandgetthequesGonsatmoreofa personallevelbetweenthetwoof

you. evertalkaboutsalary, for example,earlyon inthe meeGngs, holidaysall

thosesortofincidental things thatyoullgettoknowata laterdateshouldtheyoffer

youthejob.Focusonbeingabletodothejob.Whywouldyoudothejob?Where

theopportunityis?Whataresomeofthechallengesassociatedwiththat?

Rob: Idontwantpeoplewhoarejusttobeyesmenoryeswomen.I wantthemto

beaskingme,to bediscussingthings withmeandpungmeonthebackfootbe

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causeat theendoftheday, its thoseinterviewsthatImgoingtorememberonce

theyvegone.

Mark: ThatalsotellstheindividualthatyouremeeGngod,this guysreally

interestedinthis role.HesaskingmesomegreatquesGons. Thisguycanreallyrep

resentmy company inwhateverthejob isthatyourelookingtodobecausewhen

peopleinterviewthesedays,theyre notjustinterviewingyouforthatparGcularjob.

TheyrealsosayingpeopletalkaboutbandwidthWhatis this guyor lady capable

of?WhatistheirpotenGal?Thatsjustasimportantasyourabilitytodothejob.

Jonathan: Its great tohavebackup quesGonsandthe backupquesGons second

phasequesGoning shouldbe quesGons that relate to informaGonyouve received.

So,bethinkingaboutreceivinginformaGonandfollowingonwithanotherquesGon.

So,things like,Youtoldmeearlierthe companys expanding. MyquesGonis which

marketsareyouthinkingofgoinginto?

Liz: SomeofthebestquesGonshavebeenthingslike,Whatwouldbethethings

thatyoucantell methatwould persuademetotakethis job?becausethatpushes

theinterviewerintothinkingquitehardaboutit.

Mark: oodquesGonsalways beginwithwho,why,what,whereandwhen.Its

actuallya classicsalestechniqueandtheyre calledopenquesGons. Theres nothing

toodifficultabout it. Its justrecognisingif youcanstartyourquesGonsthatway

ratherthancouldI,doyou,willyou,haveyou.

Simon: Thereasonforthatis thatopenquesGons generatemoreofa response.

If Iwas to aska closedquesGonabouta companys expansion, Id say, Has your

companygotanyplanstoexpand?towhichthe interviewercouldjustsay,Yes,or

o. ThebeAerway toaskthatquesGonwouldbetosay,Whatplans doesyour

companyhaveforexpansion?andthatthenbecomesaconversaGonbecausetheywillanswerby sayingthatthis is whatwevegotplanned,thisis whatweredoing,

thesearenewproductswhateveritmightbeandyoucangetinvolvedbackbysay

ing,Really?and,WhatGmescaleis thatover?andtherefore,youopenmoreofa

dialogueandbuildmuchmoreofrapportswithyourinterviewerthanyouwouldby

justaskingshortquesGonsthatevokeshortresponses.

Liz: IvehadthesituaGonwheresomeones turnedupwithtwosheetsof4type

wriAenquesGons.Thatsoverkill,Imafraid.YoudidntdoyourpreparaGonbefore

youarrived.

Rob: Tooo`en,Iseecandidates theycometobeverybanalquesGonsthattheyve

never really thought ofbefore theinterviewandthey just throwaway quesGons.

SomeGmeswhenweaskpeoplewhether they haveany quesGons,they evensay,

o,whichisadefinitenono.

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WRITEDOWN10GREATQUESTIONSTHATWILLIMPRESS

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PART6TRICKYSITUATIONS

Liz: Its mucheasiertohiresomeonethanfirethemsowe havetobedoubly cau

Gouswhenweretakingpeople onbecauseifthereis anissue,its goingtobethree

Gmesasmuchefforttoremovethatpersonfromthecompany.

Mark: DealingwithsomeofthedifficultquesGonsinaninterviewis obviously

incrediblyimportantandhowyouhandlethosequesGonswillprobablymakethedif

ferencebetweengengthejobornot.

Liz: Ifitsabadhire,thatwillreflectverybadlyonme.

Jonathan: Whatareyourstrengthsandweaknesses,howwouldyoudescribeyour

self, are going toappear inyour interview. However, contriveditmay seem,you

needtothinkofyouranswers.

Simon: If youcan demonstrate respect ofan employer that youare actually

awareof your weaknessesandthen,demonstrate effort that youre pung in toovercomethemor effort yourepreparedtoput intoovercomethoseweaknesses

thenthatssomethingtheyreinterestedinseeing.

Jonathan: Its important torecogniseeverybody in lifehas had failures anditsa

verytoughinterviewerandatoughprocessthatwouldntacknowledge those. Once

again,keeptheminproporGon. Wedontwantourfailurestobebiggerthanour

successesandwhereifwehavegota failure,talkaboutwhatwelearnedfromitand

onceagain,goingforward,whatitisyouveimprovedasaresultofthatfailure.

Mark: ThekeyistoturnwhatisapotenGallynegaGvetypeanswerintoaposi

Gveanswer.

lison: Ifsomebodysays tomethattheyrenotthatgreatonthephonebutthey

foundthis fantasGc course,ontheinternet, theyvebeendoingitforthreemonths

andtheyrejustso muchbeAer,thatjustgives me confidence thoughthatifwe come

across challengesduringthe Gmetheyreemployed,theyre preparedtodowhatit

takestomakethatsituaGonbeAer.

Jonathan: Theanswer itselfisntactually that important. Its howyouanswer it

ratherthanwhatyousay.

Mark: So,ifsomebody saystoyou, WhathaveyoubeencriGcisedfor inthe

past?forexamplethenyoumight turnaroundtothemandsay,I amreallyimpa

Gent.IdogetcriGcisedforbeingreallyimpaGentandsomeGmes,IgetcriGcisedfor

tryingtodothingstooquickly andthatsreally becausemyenthusiasmsomeGmes

just gets the beAerofme, and Im really focusedonresultsandhoweverwe get

thereitdoesntreallymaAertoomuchaslongaswedogetthere.

Celia:Maybe,think ofseveral more thanyouthinktheywill askyouforbecause some

companieswill try andcatchyouout inrecognisingthat youhaveplannedfor the

firstoneortwoandtheywillkeepasking.

Mark: Somepeopleaccusemeof being very pernickety becauseI doliketo

cross everyTanddoteveryI butthats becauseIthinkits really important. Aen

GontodetailisimportantthesedayssoIdontapologiseforthat.ItsjustIthinkits

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averyprofessionalwayofworking.But,IhavebeencriGcisedforthatinthe pastby

somepeoplewhodontthinkitssoimportant.

Tim: Iftheinterviewer isjustrabbiGngonandjusttalkingonandonandon, and

youre thinking, Gmes running out, I need to speak good, youve got to speak.

Dontbenice.Dontletthemrabbitonandjustnodyourheadbecauseattheendof

theday,theyll carryontalkingfeelinggreataboutthemselvesandsuddenly,itsGme

togoandtheythought,youdidntsaymuch. Its nottheir fault. Itsyour faultfor

notaskingthequesGons,okay?Soforexample,letssaytheyrerabbiGngonabout

somethingandyourethinking,ee,I needtoknowsomething. Youcansaysome

thinglike,bsolutelygreat!Justinterrupt.BeenergeGcIreallygotthatpoint!I

really resonatewiththat!andthis is anexperienceI had. Suddenly,youre backin

thegame.

Liz: Ifsomeonehas a gapintheirCVandtheyhaventfilleditin,sotospeak,Ill al

waysaskthequesGon,Wherewereyou?Whathappenedthen?andI thinkhon

estyis thebestpolicy. Youllquiteo`enfindinlots ofindustriesthat everybody

knows everybodyelsesoifyouvebeenfiredfromsomewhere,Illfindoutbecause

Ill havefriendswhowill knowyou. So,I think,comecleanandsay,ow,Ivebeenmaderedundant.Itsoneofthosethings.Itspartofworkinglife.

Simon: Youcanbehonestandsay,IthoughtIdwalkintosomethinglike(X)but

itdidntworkoutthatwayandattheendoftheday,Iwaswrong.syoucansee,

itsveryhandsomewhenyouadmityouwerewrong.Peoplewill havemorerespect

foryouthanifyoutryandlieyourwaythroughit.So,thekeytoitistobehonest.

Liz: IntermsofqualificaGons,ImpreAyopenmindedbutifyouhaventgota uni

versitydegree,thereareplenty ofotherwaysofimprovingyourqualificaGonssuch

as membershipofprofessional bodies,partGmestudythings likethat.Soifsome

onesendsmeaCVtheyvecomestraightoutofschoolintoworkandthena fewyearslater,theyvegonebackanddonesomestudyinga`erhours,etc,etc, I think

thatsgreat.

Tim: So,whataninterviewermightdohewill askyouaquesGonandyouwillthen

respondtothatquesGonthensuddenly,theresa silence. Howyourespondtothat

silenceisreallycriGcal,movingforward.ow,myadvice toyouwouldbe something

like eitherstaysilentandsmile butmore seriously,Iwouldsuggestwhatyoudoissay

somethinglike, DoesthatansweryourquesGon? Is what Ivesaidclear? Put it

backonthem.PutthequesGonback.ItsrespecNul.Itbreaksthesilenceanditgets

youbackincontrol.Dontevertryandhandlesilencebycarryingontalkingbecause

itwillturnintoawuffle.

Jonathan: Oneofthetrickiestareasofthe interviewis wherepeoplegetstuckin

talkingaboutnegaGvesandthosenegaGvesnormallycomeupfromthequesGon

whyhaveyoule`yourlastjob,whyareyoulookingforamovenow?

Mark: Makesurethatyoupaintyourcurrentemployer inaposiGvelightandif

itsthecaseof they cantofferyouprospects anymore thentheres nothingwrong

withsayingthatininterviewifthatswhatyouwantoutoflife. Ifthe companycant

offer youwhatyouwant, theres nothingwrongwithmoving onbutforyoutosit

thereandslagthemonwouldnotlookverygoodatall.

David: PeoplelooktohowyoutalkaboutothersastohowpotenGallyyourego

ingtotalkaboutthem.

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Jonathan: Sowhenpeopleaskyouwhyyoule Whatwas wrongwithyourpre

vious job?tryandlookatitona posiGvesideandprepareyouranswertotalkposi

Gvelyaboutnotwhyyoureleavinga companybutactually,whatopportunityyoure

lookingfornextorwhatelse presenteditselfa`erthatjobandwhy youmadethat

change.Itsaminefieldandifyou wanttospendan hourina meeGngtalkingabout

youroldbossandgengyourselfintodeeperanddeepertrouble,goaheadbutyou

wontgetthejob.

Celia:nother thing you need tobevery carefulabout is if the interviewer starts

swearing. ow,pleasedontthinkyoucanmirror that. TheamountofGmes I have

myclients sayingtomethattheycouldntbelievehowmanyGmesthepersonswore

intheinterview. WhenI talkedtomycandidate aboutit,theysay,ll Iwasdoing

wasmirroringthem.

David: n interviewer may make some comments or make some suggesGons

whichyoumay findeitherinappropriateor thatyouthinkthattheyveoverstepped

themark.In thoseinstances,youshouldmake surethatyougetacross politely that

youthinkthat,thats incorrectortheyve oversteppedthemark. BeconstrucGveasyoucanaboutitbutmakesure thatyoustandyourground,andthatyouaretrueto

whatyourethinkingandwhatyoubelieve.

Tim: Ifyourenot clear onthequesGon, goback tothemand say, Excuseme, I

didnt quite understandwhatyou were saying. Could you just repeat that? or

Couldyoujustclarify?DoIunderstandwhatyoumeanbythis is (dada)Itsokay

todothatanditsevenokay insituaGons where someoneasksyoua really smart

quesGon. Its absolutelyokay tosay,I dontknow. Sorry,Icantanswerthatques

Gon. I haventgota clue!orwhateverit is. Dontmakethings up. Donttryand

blagyourwaythroughaninterview.Youllgetcaughtout.

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WRITEDOWN10GREATANSWERSTOTRICKYQUESTIONS

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PART7PRESENTING

Stephen: Okay. So,youvebeenawareofyourbodylanguage,youveaskedsome

great quesGons and youvedealt with some tricky situaGons. I understand that

theresalottothinkaboutbutfortherightjob,itsworthit.

So,yourenearlythere.ow,letslookatthefinalstageoftheinterviewprocess.

Jonathan: Partoftheinterviewprocess may involvea presentaGonandits really

importantifyouwanttonailthatjobthatwegetthisbitright.Whattypeofpresen

taGonandwhenyoushouldpresent,to acertainextent,is inthehands oftheinter

viewerandtheemployer.Theymayaskyouattheendofthefirstinterviewtopre

paresomethingforthenextmeeGng.

Mark: IfyouarebeingaskedtodoapresentaGonwhichalotofcompanies do

nowthenbeabsolutely clearwhat they are expecGng fromyouand ifyourenot

sure,phoneupagainbeforethesecondinterviewandasksomequesGons tobeclear

thatyouregoingtopresenttheinformaGonthattheyreactuallyaskingyoutopresent.

David: My ownpersonal opiniononthisis youshouldonly doone ifyourere

questedandtheres a danger by standing upanddoingapresentaGonwhenyou

havent beenaskedtodoonethat youcanmakeyourself lookbad,almostandif

yourevolunteering todoonewhen it hasnt been requested then youve got to

makesureitsabsolutelyspotonbecausetheyllbedrillingyoucriGcally.

Mark: Themostimportantway ofpresenGngthat informaGonis theway that

youfeelvery comfortableandconfidentwith. Soif yourea wizardonPowerPointandyouloveit,use it. Ifyouregreatwith whiteflipcharts andyoucanjustdoiton

thehuffthendoitthatway.

Jonathan: Ifyourenot comfortablewithusing any of thetechnology thats been

menGonedthengivethemahandout. Printitoutonpaperandhandittopeople.

Thatsfine.Dontgointoaninterviewunpreparedandnotknowthetechnology.

lison: presentaGonshouldnttakeany longer thanfiveortenminutes,they

shouldbevery direct, very succinct, havea beginning, a middleandanend, and

hopefully putsomecontentinthere that thepersonyourepresenGngtois notex

pecGngnewcontent. If they askyoutodoa presentaGonon theircompany,dontjust copy their websiteand give it back to them. Maybe, do aSWOT analysis

strengths,weaknesses,opportuniGes,threats.

lison: The key elementsof a good presentaGon are firstly, summarise what

youregoingtosay.Thatsveryimportant.Makesurethatyoudontrushandalso,

pleasedontwuffle.

Celia:Makesurethat its all aboutthebenefitsthatyouregoing todelivertothat

business.

Rob: Idalsolikethat intertwinewitha knowledgeof themarket. Idlikethemto

demonstratetheyknowaboutourmarketandthemarketdynamics.

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Mark: Peoples aAenGonspanisvery, very short sowhatyouvegot todois

keepitconcise.Keepitallaboutbenefits.

Jonathan: Timeyourselfbeforeyoudo it. Havea dummyrunandpracGceit. If

thereisnoGmeconstraint,sGcktoamaximumof10minutes.

Rob: I actually want to seeduring thePowerPoint somewhere,what impact you

thinkyouregoingtohaveonmybusiness.Thatsoneofthekeythingsofcourse,Im

lookingfor.

Jonathan: So inotherwords, demonstratewhat youwill dofor thatorganisaGon

whenyougetthere.

WRITEDOWNHOWYOUWOULDPREFERTOPRESENT

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PART8CLOSINGWITHSTYLE

Mark: Closingtheinterview probably themostimportantcoupleofminutes

youregoingtohaveinthewholeofthatmeeGng.

Therereacoupleofkeysteps youneedtogothroughwhenyouclose themeeGng.

Firstofall,summarisethemeeGng. Summarisewhatyouloveaboutthecompany,

whatyousee is thegreatopportunitywiththatparGcularrole. Summariseanynext

acGonsthatyoumayhaveagreedtodoforthatindividualandalso,askthatperson,

whataretheirthoughts onyouas a candidateforthatrole,okay?Dontbeshy.This

is not theGmetobeshy. Onceyoureout ofthatdoor,youmight nevergetback

throughitsodrawoutanyconcernsthattheymighthaveaboutyoudoingthatjob.

Jonathan: Flushoutwhy youvegot thechancewiththeinterviewersanything,

anybarriers thatstopyougoingforwardoranybarriers thatwouldstopthemoffer

ingyoua job.Itmaybe somethingsmallthatyoucanclearup.Itmaybe somethingintheinterviewthatyouhaventexplainedverywell. I thinkthis is agreatGmeat

theendoftheinterviewjusttomakesurethatsright.

Mark: Iftheysay,o,Ivegotnoreal concernsatall. Ithink,youcoulddothe

job,thensay,reat,thankyouverymuch. I reallywantthis job. HowdoImove

thisforward?WhatdoIneedtodo?Whatistheinterviewprocess?WhoelsedoI

needtomeet?HowdoI demonstratetoyouthatI wantthis job,candothis joband

youregoingtooffermethisjob?

Rob: Oneguyrecentlycametoseemeandatthe endoftheinterview,he demon

stratedhis enthusiasmbutactuallytoldme,hereallywantedthejob,andhis keennessandenthusiasmwasa sincereone,andthatsoldittome.Hemadea demon

straGveimpressionandthatguygotthejobintheend.

Jonathan: Whatyouneedtogetrightyouneedtohavea conclusionthat thanks

themfortheir Gme,youneeda conclusionthatwill saytothemthatyoureinter

estedandyouneeda conclusionthataskswhatthenextstepis. Ifatthe very least

youdothosethreethings,youvegonesomeway toclosingtheinterview. Ifyou

wanttotake it further,thats fine,tooandtakingit furtherwouldthenbemoving

intoclassicclosingtechniques. Thoseclosingtechniqueswouldbeaskingforwhen

thesecondinterviewsare. Whenwouldyouliketoseemeagain?IfI wasavailable,whenwouldyouprefertoseeme,nextweekortheweeka`eronMondayorTues

day? Soformanypeople,thatwouldseemabhorrenttoevencomeclosetoasking

people thosetypes ofquesGonsbut onceagain, execuGve,management andsales

posiGonspeoplewill be expecGngyoutolaydownonthelineandsay,youreinter

estedinthejob. If youcomeandfeel uncomfortablewithdoingany ofthose,just

makesureas youwalkout,youtelltheinterviewerthatyoureverykeentopursueit

andifyouareaskedback,youdsay,Yes.

Simon: MyownpersonalexperienceofclosinganinterviewwaswhenImetthe

MDofthe lastrecruitmentcompany I workedforandbuilta financial recruitment

divisionfor. ttheendofthe firstinterview, I askedhimdidhehaveanyreservaGonsaboutmyability tofill therolethathewaslookingtofillandhesaid,as faras

hecouldsee,Iwas ayoungmanwithabrightfutureinrecruitmentaheadofmeand

Ithenaskedhim ifthatbrightfutureinvolvedworkingforhiscompanyandhe just

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sortoflaughedandsaid,Youretryingtocloseme,andsaid,Lets seeatthesec

ondinterview.

lison: ttheendoftheinterview,someGmesitcangoa bitdeadbutwhatIlike

tosee is someonewhois sGlllively,getsup, shakesmyhandandtells me,theyve

reallyenjoyedmeeGngmeandtheyrereallylookingforwardtohearingfromme.

Simon: `er the secondinterview, IclosedthemagainandI saidtohim, DidI

havethejob?andhe saidthat hedseenanumberofpeopleandwaslookingto

formulatepackagesorstructuredpackages forindividuals towhichI asked,Will I be

thefirstpersonyourelookingtostructureapackagefor?andhe said,hedphone

melateratwhichhedidoffermethejob.

Jonathan: When the interviews finishedandyouve le , take thechanceto just

feedbacktowhoever itwas that introducedyou to theinterviewer or set up the

meeGng. Maybe,itwasthepersonneldepartment. Maybe,itwasHR. Maybe, it

wasanotherlinemanager.

lison: WhatIwouldrecommendisyouwritealeAer justtoreiterateyourenthusiasmaboutwanGngtoworkforthe company,sayinghowniceitwastomeetme

andthatwouldjustremindmeofyou, whereas ifyou leave itandsomeoneelse

writesmetheleAer,Imgoingtothinkaboutthem.

Celia:Play ittowin. othroughtheinterview. Makesureyouget theoffer. You

want asmany offers aspossible. Youwanttobein a posiGonofchoice. However

muchduringthe interviewyoufeelthatitsnotforyou,dontletthatinfluencehow

youcomeover.Youcouldchangeyourminddowntheline.

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PART9THEJOBOFFER

Mark: Thefinal stagewillbereferences.Theywill takeupreferences,obviously

normally, thereferences that youvegiventhem. So, this iso`enwherepeople

havemademistakes in thepast wheretheypull out referencesoutofthinairand

theyhaventcheckedwiththerefereesthattheycanactuallyusethisinformaGon.

Soas partof this process,get thereferences all sortedout beforeyougo evento

yourfirstinterview.Linethemup,phonethemupandsay,(Dadada)Imgoingfor

aninterview. Is itokayif I useyouas areference?etc,etc. So,checkyour refer

encesandmakesurethattheyaregoingtosaywhatyouwantthemtosay.

lison: Onething thatmightimpress theinterviewer isby youasking tomeet

peopleinthosecurrentrolesinthatcompany,youknow,becauseyoucanobviously

thendemonstrate tothemthatyouwanttofindoutmoresothat youwouldput

yourselfinaposiGonifofferedthejobthatyouhave gotstrongfactual basis tomake

a decision onand its not a woolly decision. Youve doneasmuchpreparaGon,lookedintoitasmuchasyoucan,foundoutasmuchasyoucan.

David: Youregoingtobespendinga lotofGmeatthis place.Where areyougo

ingtowork?Youvehadaninterviewinanoffice.Youvegotnoidea whattherestof

theofficesarelike.So,I wouldrecommendthatyoumaybeaskifyoucanspendhalf

aday.etthemtoshowyouaroundwhereyouregoingtowork.Meetsomeofthe

peopleyouregoingtobeworkingwith. I thinkthatshows alotof commitmentand

enthusiasm,andifthatwasmeandsomeoneaskedmeif theycoulddothat, Idbe

veryimpressed.

David: Lookandseehowtheotheremployees are. Dothey lookhappy? Do

theylookliketheyresortof asaGsfied,enthusiasGcbunch?Doyoufeelyoure going

tobeabletogetalongwiththeethosandthecultureofthecompany?

Mark: ninterviewermightsaytoyou,Whatareyour salaryexpectaGonsfor

thisrole? ow,do notfall intothis trap. Donottell them. Turnthataroundand

askthemwhatdotheythinkthis jobis worthtotheircompany,whatisthevalue,

whataretheyexpecGngtopay?owina lotofcases,youllhaveanidea becauseit

would havebeenput in the advertor someone wouldhave told you during the

courseoftheprocess.Mostofthe Gme,conversaGons aboutmoneycomeupinthe

secondorfinalmeeGng,they dontgenerally comeup inthefirst unlesstheinterviewerisconcernedthatyourexpectaGonsare a longway out fromwhatthey are

preparedtopay andatthefirst interview ifthatsarealconcernforeither youor

themthengetitoutintotheopeninmeeGngbecauseyoudontwanttowasteGme

withcompaniesthat cant affordyouandyoudontwanttowasteGmetalking to

companiesthathavegotnointenGonofpayingyouwhatyouthinkyoureworthor

whatyourecurrentlyearning.

David: Ithink, itsquiteokay tosay,Obviously, Imnot earningthatnowbut

thats what Im looking for inmy newjob. Its withoutgiving away becauseyou

dontwanttogiveawaytoomuchbutyoudowanttoaspiretodothings. Somyad

vicewouldbetellthemwhatyourelookingforObviously,its notwhatImbeingpaidnowbutitswhat Imlookingfor inmy next job,andIthink,Imworthitand

thatswhatImgoingfor.

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Jonathan: Letsnotforget,this isaverysensiGvepartoftheprocess.Ifyou highball

whichmeans goinginwithafigurethatsunrealisGc,theyrelikelytorejectyoufrom

theoverall processandgoforsomebodycheaper. Equally ifyougoinwitha figure

thatstoolowalowballfigurethenyoumayendupmakinga moveforajobthats

payingyoulessthanyourecurrentlyonorthe sameaswhatyoureearninginwhich

case,yourchancesofstayingtherediminishwithyoursaGsfacGonlevels.So,itsim

portant,bothparGesunderstandthatitsafigurerightforyouandforthem.

lison: Youneedtomakesureyouknowwhat companies like mine arepaying

forthatlevelofjob.

Celia:Youneedtorememberthatwhateveryouaskfor,thecompanymaylooktone

goGateyoudownaswellsobeverysure.

lison: Iwouldnevergoinwithmytopoffer.I wouldrecommendthatyouactu

ally findoutwhatthecurrentratesareinyourmarketplaceso thatyoucannegoG

ate.

Mark: Whataretheypreparedtopay?What is thebandingfor thissalary?If

theres a bonuselement,what is thebonuselement? Is itopenended? Whatisit

basedon?Whatwouldthey expectmetoearninthefirstyearif I wasa salesper

son? Whatis theirtopsalespersonearningthis year? Whatis theirworstsalesper

sonearningthisyear? etsomeevidencefromthemaswell andturnitintoadis

cussionratherthanjustapurequesGonandanswersituaGon.

David: IfyoureinthefortunateposiGonofbeingnearthatjobofferoractually

havinghadthejobofferanditsdowntosalarynegoGaGonifyouuse a recruitment

agency,mysuggesGonis,usethemtonegoGateyoursalary.Takeyourselfawayfrom

that.Itgets veryemoGveandveryemoGonal. tthe sameGme,getthe professionalsin.TheymightbeabletosecureabeAerdealonyourbehalf.

lison: Onceyouveactuallygotyourjobofferandyourelookingatthesalary

justthefigureorthe salaryanditsnotquite whatyourelookingforbuteverything

else isniceaboutthe job,why dontyoumaybe just askfora review,perhaps,in

threemonthsasalaryreviewinthreemonths.

David: Print off all of your benefitspackage and lay them out side by side.

SomeGmes,therearebenefitswhichthecompaniesaregivingyouwhichare valued

higherthanyouexpectedwhenyou lookatthema secondGme. Similarly,youmay

findthatyoure goingtoit fromacompany thathada greathealthcare policy toa

companywithahealthcarepolicybuthas a500excessonit.So,youwanttomake

sure that you understandthefull benefitspackageandyou doa reallikefor like

comparison.

lison: Youmighthaveparking. Youmightbeworking ina citywhere its a

nightmaretoparkanditsgoingtocostyouafortunetoparkthere. Youmightbe

offeredflexiGme.

Mark: Ifyouvegotanyconcerns,voicethem,okay? Voicethemandgetthose

concernsout. Peoplewill respect youmorefor itandIveheardmanyGmeswhenIvetriedtotalkmyselfoutofajobandsaid, Look,honestly, I dontthinkImthe

bestpersonfor thisjob,andthen,theroleisflippedcompletelyandtheindividual

startspersuadingyouthatyouarethebestpersonforthisrole.

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Tim: Makesureyoudoabsoluteduediligenceonthecompanythatyoucanspeakto

anybodythatyouknoworfindoutpeoplethatcanworkthere. Theycangiveyouan

insightintothecompany.EvenmakeasecondphonecallifyouvegotanyquesGons

or athirdphonecallbacktohumanresourcesortoyour potenGalnewboss. You

want tomakeabsolutelysure that,thatcompanys rightforyou. Youdontwantto

begoingintosomewhereandthentwomonthslater,figuringoutthatyouvemade

aterriblemistake.

Mark: lsolookatwhatexperienceyouregoingtogain.Whereis this jobgoing

toleadyou? Itsgoingtoleadyoutothenextstagesoits notjustaboutthesalary.

Its abouttheorganisaGon, thebenefits,theworkingenvironmentandwhatyoure

goingtolearnsomakesureyoudontjustlookattheboAomline.

David: owasa byproductofasuccessful,moving,growingcompany,youllget

thebenefits sothatswhatyoushouldbetalkingabout. Throwitbackatthem. It

makesyoumuchmoreconfident,muchmorecredible andthinking,wow,Iminter

estedinthis guy.Hes notonlyinterestedinthe compensaGonbuthes interestedin

howhecangrow,howhe canmoveandhowhecanchallengeandbechallengedinathriving,working,onforwardmovingenvironment.

Jonathan: Yourein a really vulnerableGmeonceyouvehandedyournoGceinbe

fore youstartwithanycompany. Try andworktothe starttheyofferyouorifyou

can,actuallygetinthereabitearliertoshowyourwillingness. Itsreally important

whenyourechangingjobs tokeepthe momentummoving.Soifthecompanywants

youtostartthefollowingMondayandyoucandoit,doit,okay?Itsimportantyou

getinthejob.YoullgetyourholidayGmeifthats owedtoyouandneeds tobepaid.

Fine,butdontdelayit.

lison: BecauseifIinterviewsomeoneelsewhois just asniceasyouandtheycanstartquickerthanyouaremorethanlikely,toofferthemthejob.

Jonathan: lright. Pungthattogether,the mostimportantthingtoremember is

this theintervieweris lookingtorecruitsomeone forthejob.TheyhaveaposiGon.

Theywantitfilled.Theinterviewingis a si`ingprocess. Maybe,one,twoorthree

interviewswhoknows?PeopleseeitasanegaGveprocess. Theyseeitasanop

portunity to be rejected and to be knocked out. Every Gme a candidatewalks

throughthatdoor,the interviewers hopingits goingtobe therightone. lltheyre

lookingforisenoughexcusestogiveyouthejob.IfyouaAackeveryinterviewwith

thatmentalapproach,youregoingtobemoreposiGve,more enthusiasGcandyoull

getmoresuccesses. Theywantyou. They actuallywantyou. Theywantyoutobe

right.Justgivethemtheopportunitytorecruityou.

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PART10ANDFINALLY....

Stephen: CongratulaGons!Youvemade it. Youveheardlotsofopinions andlots

ofadvice.ow,itsGmetostartthinkingaboutyou.

Oneofthemost importantthings torememberis tocreateyourownstyleandap

proachusingthetechniquesthatapplytoyou.

Wecantguaranteeyoursuccessbuttheexperiencesofourexpertshaveshownthat

byapplyingtheseskills,theyllimproveyourchancessignificantly.
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