1. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 1 How to Succeed At UK Interviews Careers Adviser Abi Sharma

2. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 2 What we will cover today… What do you need to consider when interviewing in a country that is not your home country How to establish credibility in the UK What employers are looking for in an interview How The Careers Service can help you

3. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 3 Interviewing in the UK Consider: - What are the local UK expectations for establishing credibility? - Are these different for local graduates than they are for international graduates? - How do these expectations differ from what you are used to? - How can you adjust your behaviour to be credible in the interview?

4. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 4 Establishing credibility in the UK Dress and appearance Your role during interview Formality Atmosphere of the interview

5. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 5 Pacing of the interview Relationship interviewer and candidate Value of education qualifications versus experience

6. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 6 In an employers shoes… Are you capable of doing the job well? Will you enjoy, and therefore continue to do, the job?

7. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 7 What to expect in interview Are you capable of doing the job well - Competency questions - Current issue questions Will you enjoy, and therefore continue to do the job? - Motivation questions Your questions

8. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 8 Competency Questions Whether you have certain skills and qualities that they are looking for Demonstrate them through real examples

9. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 9 Example…. Q.Tell me about a particular achievement of yours where you have demonstrated organisational skills?

10. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 10 A. Organised the netball society dinner, for 60 people which was a real success and they’ve asked me to organise another one next year. A. Organised the netball society dinner for 60 people. I had to send out invites and collect RSVPs, book a venue and liaise with them about numbers and food requirements and decorations and welcome people when they arrived. To do this efficiently I drew up a list of tasks and prioritised them, I noted any deadlines and allocated time in my diary for working on that task before the given deadline. It was a success and they have asked me to do another one next year.

11. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 11 Use the CAR technique Context - describe the situation you were in and your objective/task you had to do Action - what action did you take to achieve your objective? Result - what was the outcome - show the success!

12. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 12 Current Issue Questions 2) Be aware of the business context in which the organisation operates & an understanding of the industry and factors affecting it.

13. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 13 Motivation Questions Why do you want to work for us? Why have you applied for this role? What do you imagine you will spend most of your time doing in this job?

14. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 14 1) Know about the employer & what you like about them “It never ceases to amaze me how many graduates don’t bother to find out who it is that they are applying to… I can’t stress enough how important it is to read up on this beforehand. Preparation really shows!”

15. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 15 2) Know about the job role & why you want to do it

16. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 16 Tactics!!! Give yourself thinking time –Repeat, comment, “Can I have a minute?” Think of the “punchline” before you talk Seek clarification –“Are you looking for an example of...?” Ask for feedback –“Is this example useful?” When in a hole, stop digging –“Sorry, I’ve got a bit lost. May I start again?”

17. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 17 Your questions! 5) Your chance to interview!

18. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 18 How we can help… Mock interviews Interview DVDs Workshops on assessment centres

19. Careers Service www.careers.qmul.ac.uk 19 Queen Mary Careers Service WG3 Queens Building – 020 7882 5065 Opening times: Monday-Thursday10.30am-5pm Friday10.30am-4pm Drop-in sessions: Monday-Thursday10.30am-12.30pm 2.00pm-4.30pm Part of www.careers.qmul.ac.uk