1. Interview Skills

2. Interview Skills - Introduction
In today’s session:
What makes a great interview?
What to avoid in interviews
Interview exercise: develop your skills

3. Interview Skills
How confident are you about going for a job interview?
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 5 where
1= not confident and
5 = very confident
Record your score on a piece of paper and keep it until the end.

4. Congratulations! What was it like?
You’ve got a job interview
How do you feel? Excited? Scared? Determined?
Who has had a job interview before?
What was it like?
How can you be sure that you get it right?

5. Prepare to Succeed Check the date/time and put in your phone / diary
Plan your travel: how will you get there?
What do you need to bring with you?
What do they want you do?
Test?
Presentation?
Interview?
Phone interview?
Role play?
Group exercise?

6. Research Before You Go HOW? Use the organisation’s website
Social media for latest news
Politely ask if you can visit
Apprenticeships - may ask you to only contact the learning provider not the employer
Local and national
media e.g. EDP
What is the company’s culture? What are their values?

7. Best and worst introductions - Exercise 1
Work with a colleague.
Introduce yourself as BADLY as you can.
Then re-introduce yourself as WELL
as you can.

8. A Great Introduction Be on time Dress to impress
Smile, shake hands, make eye contact.
Introduce yourself
First impressions count!

9. Body Language How should you sit? What should you do with your hands?
How should you speak? Think pace, tone, pitch.

10. What to Avoid Lying about your skills/experience Rudeness/using slang
Giving vague answers – back up with examples
Rudeness/using slang
Forgetting to turn off your phone
Making jokes
Going blank/not answering: better to
ask them to rephrase the question
instead.
Using negative words

11. Questions, Questions…. How can you get some idea of what they are
going to ask you?
Read the Job Description and Person Specification.
Make up questions based on the JD and PS, then practise
answering them.
EG: JD says: ‘Will be responsible for locking up office at night.’
Question: ‘Do you have any experience of taking responsibility for
closing up at night?’
ALWAYS GIVE EXAMPLES WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS

12. Tricky Questions You can prepare for these too!
‘Tell us about your biggest weakness’: Be honest,
But then show how you have learnt to deal with it.
Think of examples of team-working and dealing with difficult people.
Think of a time when you overcame a difficulty at work.
How would your friends describe you?

13. Just When You Thought It Was Over…..
Remember to prepare two questions which
YOU can ask THEM!
This is a very important part of the interview.
DO NOT ask about time off, holidays, snacks or salaries:
Save these for later, when you have got the job.
Ask questions which show you know the industry and the company
Eg: ‘how do you see the company expanding over the next five years?’

14. Interview Practice – Exercise 2
Work with one colleague.
Find a space where you can work.
Interview one another using the questions on your sheet:
listen respectfully.
Give your colleague some feedback

15. Interview Questions Can you tell me about a time when you worked
successfully in a team?
What is your greatest strength?
What is your biggest weakness?
What do you hope to be doing in five years’ time?
How would you deal with a customer/client who was
rude and difficult?

16. Interview Feedback What was it like to be interviewed?
Which question was the most difficult to answer?
Did you find it easy to give feedback?
Would YOU employ this candidate?

17. Your final score
Find your original score from the start of the session. Rate yourself again on a scale of 1 – 5 about how confident you are about going for an interview. 1= not confident and 5 = very confident Has your score increased?

18. Summary If you want to succeed, prepare well.
Be polite, be on time, be positive.
Speak to an adviser in the Advice Shop
if you need more interview practice.
Good Luck!