Interview Tips

Going for a new job interview can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be a fun learning experience which is constructive and easy!
You too are interviewing the employer as your goal is to find a career that matches with your desires, skills and adapts to your culture!

  • Review the company website and be able to discuss comfortably
  • Know well the job description of the role you are applying for
  • Come prepared with several questions about the job and the company
  • Be authentic and sincere.
  • Adapt your non-verbal communication skills (speed of voice, attitude, gestures, vocabulary) to the interviewer
  • Think about what makes you unique and different. Sharing an anecdote or something personal about you helps the interviewer to remember you and stand out! Each individual has their own story, what is yours?
  • Answer these questions to yourself to prepare:

What is your value for this company?

What is your value to this specific job?

Companies are looking for people who are communicative, have the ability to adapt to change, are flexible and can follow the business evolution. Your ability to transfer knowledge, share your experience, have a positive ‘can do’ attitude and collaborate in a group, show real commitment, take responsibility for your actions and examine yourself, focus on results, extend your full potential.

Think about experiences in your personal and professional life where you are able to show these qualities!

Behavioral interviewing technique

Behavioral interviewing is used to examine how you previously reacted or ‘behaved’ in a specific situation. Employers use this technique because it is believed that past behavior is a way to predict future behavior. The aim is to assess your competencies or ‘soft skills’ for the job.  
When the interviewer asks you a question, try to follow this approach: Situation /  Action / Outcome.

  1. Describe the specific event, activity or ‘Situation’; and then to;
  2. Discuss your own ‘Action’ or reaction to the event or situation; and then;
  3. Outline the outcome or final result

Question:

Can you give me an example of a time when you managed well your stress level in the workplace?

Answer:

Situation
I was working on a new system migration from windows XP to Vista. This was a rollout for 1,500 PCs. My main tasks were to manage this project within an aggressive time frame, while still providing business continuity, a quality roll-out, and within the budget allocated.

Action
Using established arguments with facts and figures, I had to convince my management to increase the task force and extend the project deliverables by several weeks.

Outcome
The results of my efforts are that the client expectations were managed in a better way, the project was delivered successfully, on time and in a quality manner.