This was our Interview week and for preparation we had Maria Brown help us by giving us a one hour lecture all about Interviews.
Interview Preparation
The key areas she talked about included preparation before the interview, during the interview and interview questions. We were told that is very important to research the company we are applying for before the interview and that we should go into the interview knowing as much as possible about the company. We were also advised to know our own CV, know everything about it for the interview and read up fully on the job specification and requirements. We were asked to think about how much we want the job, to really convince the employer that we are the right person for the job and to have this prepared going into the interview. We were also given the very good advice of writing out and practicing interview style questions that may come up in the interview as this would help us alot during the interview.
During the Interview
We were now given advice on the interview stage. We were advised to arrive wearing smart clothing and that wearing a suit would make the best initial impression as first impressions are very important. We were told to give the interviewer a warm shake, to be alert and to maintain eye contact throughout the interview. We were told it is a good idea to elaborate on questions asked at the interview which the interviewer is interesting in and not to waffle on. If we were not sure about a question it is best to ask for clarification on that question. We were also told it was a good idea to speak calmly and clearly during the interview and to appear relaxed but not overly relaxed.
Interview Questions
We were given these interview questions as common questions that arise regularly at interviews:
Tell me about yourself
What do you know about our company?
Can you take us through your work experience to date
What are your strong points?
What are your weak points?
How did you do in your third level studies?
What kind of people do you find difficult to work with?
Why do you want to work for this company?
Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
What is the most difficult situation you had to deal with (job related or other)?
Describe situation / worked under pressure? (meeting deadlines)
Why should we hire you?
Tell us about an achievement/proud of?
My Thoughts
I have always found interviews to be daunting but this was a very usefull lecture and provided good information on how we should prepare ourselves for the interview. We had our interview’s a few days following this lecture and the advice that we received from Maria definitely helped. I was quite nervous during the interview and I think this is only natural, but with more practice they do get easier. I had some very tough questions about conflict and teamworking but I think I did good in the end, well I hope so!.
