Career Services from Measurability

Of course I am going to tell you that Interview Coaching works. After all Interview Coaching is a key service I provide through my company Measurability. I have provided Interview preparation support for many individuals across job functions and industry sectors. I have coached for all types of Interviews and Assessments.

Interview Coaching – Benefits

Read an email I received last week from a previous client. I facilitated a 2 hour Interview Coaching session with this individual. We focused on the key areas of interview preparation and spent some time on communicating the message through role play of difficult interview questions. I felt the interview coaching session went well but it is always nice to hear about the positive results.

“This email is long overdue but I suppose better late than never. I spent a couple of hours training with you for an interview in England for a research position. I wanted to let you know that I actually got the job and I am starting next week. I am over the moon obviously and wanted to thank you again for your help, you definitely gave me great confidence in facing the interview. If there’s a way I can leave feedback on your website or anything I would be more than happy to do that so just let me know. Thanks again and best wishes for the future” – Kate

Interview Coach – Ireland

I cannot guarantee success BUT I can guarantee that Measurability will offer full support to enhance your interview performance and confidence. For more information about our service visit – Interview Coaching.

Competency Based Interviews – Behavioral Interviews

Recruiters have used many techniques over the years to assess job applicants BUT a popular and successful technique is the Competency Based Interview or Behavioural Interview. The thinking behind these interviews in that the best indication of how an individual will behave in the future is how they have behaved in the past.

Competency Based Interviews – What are they?
 
A competency Based interview is a technique that employers use to determine whether you are a good fit for the job by asking questions that show evidence of your past behaviour. Anyone can say they are good at selling at interview BUT when individuals are asked to recall situations and they need to show evidence that they have done what they say.

Difference between competency questions and traditional.
 
Basically Competency Interview questions are specific behavioral question will be very specific. Traditional interview questions are “what if” – for example “how would you sell me a product”. These interviews are about the now or future and do not seek specific examples
 
An example of a Competency Based Interview question.
 
“Tell me about a situation where you had to use your initiative?”
 
Preparation & Techniques for Competency Based Interviews
 
It is important to identify what competencies will be assessed. Some employers will provide this information before interview and some will not. The important thing is to ask. If you are not provided you still will be able to work out what they could be. Prepare a few examples for each of the competencies to be assessed. Ensure that you use the STAR technique for your preparation – Situation/Task, Action & Result.

If you need help preparing for a competency interview we can help. Measurability is interview experts in Ireland offering interview preparation for Competency Based Interviews or Behavioural Interviews.

Job Interview Preparation – Is it important?

Absolutely YES!!! Most jobseekers neglect preparation before interview and fail as a result. Quite often jobseekers who prepare for interviews lack the knowledge or direction on how to prepare properly. Remember the saying “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. This is very true when we talk about interviews

What is important – Interview Preparation?

Understand the employer – This is the key to interview preparation. You need to know the employer and what they want. Only then can you focus your interview preparation.

Identify how you meet the job requirements – Hey this is what the employer will want to know at interview. You should also prepare examples and achievement to back this up.

Know your CV – The first question I ask individuals is when did you do you Leaving and most fumble to get an answer. This is just to prove a point. If you do not know yourself how do you expect the employer to know you.

Research the company – Expect to be asked the question – “what do you know about us?” Research the company shows you are prepared BUT also interested.

Interview questions – There are a number of questions that you can be certain that you will be asked. Having said this if you get the above points right you will be fine.

Another important point about Interview Preparation.

Try getting as much information about the recruitment process as you can. This will help you save time and improve focus during preparation.

Do you need help with interview preparation?

We can help you. We are experts in the area. Paul Mullan is a leading Interview Coach in Ireland (Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Louth) helping professional at all levels of the organisation across industry sectors. Read about Paul, the Interview Coaching service and what other individuals had to say about the service.

Even when you have prepared thoroughly some interviews may not go to plan and you can still struggle. This can happen for a wide variety of reasons.

If an interview is not going to plan what can you do?

There are two options:

a) Continue on as you are and accept your fate. Thank the interviewer and leave the interview. You have sealed your fate and you will not get the job.

OR

b) Address the situation and try to rectify it and fight yourself out of the corner. If you are aware of the mistake you can admit to the mistake. You can point out the mistake and explain what you meant to say. If you feel the interview is not going well but are unclear why then just ask the interviewer for feedback.

Let’s face it you may not be able to pull the interview back into a favorable scenario BUT if the interview is not going well you certainly have nothing to lose.

Measurability can help you with all your interview preparation. We offer expert interview coaching and advice. Work with a leading Irish Interview expert.

 Interview Preparation for jobseekers in Ireland

 Below is a list of common interview mistakes you should avoid at interview. These mistake are feedback from interviewers as to why jobseekers failed at interview. You have been warned!!

Interview Preparation will help you avoid these mistakes

Poor personal hygiene or appearance
Lack of interest
Money orientated
Negative about past employers
Lack of eye contact
Limp handshake (my pet hate!!)
Not following directions
Late for interview
Lack of appreciation for the interviewer’s time
Not asking questions
Indefinite response to questions
Aggressive or “know it all”
Poor communication
Lack of career direction or goals
Lack of confidence
Lack of participate in activities
Not prepared to get hands dirty
Excuses AND evasiveness
Poor tact
Bad manners
Immaturity
Lack of vitality
Indecisive
Poor application forms
Impression that only shopping around.
Indication that the job is short time solution
Lack of interest in company or the industry
Low standards or morals
Cynical
Laziness 

Interview Preparation – Do you need help?

If you are seeking interview preparation support contact us for more information about how we can help you to success at interview.

Jobseekers can fail interviews for many reasons. I received a phone call from a jobseeker I had previously help with CV design. Their problem had now moved another step down the line. They were able to locate the jobs and get the interview but unfortunately failing at interview. My initial response was to enquire what feedback they were getting from the employers. There was a mixed response which can be normal as may employers feel they do jobseekers a favour by letting them down politely greatly reducing the opportunity to improve. Two bit of feedback stood out. The individual said one employer said that he came across as desperate to leave his current job. Another employer said that he didn’t seem interested in the job.

Interview preparation – hiding desperation.

Quite often a jobseeker can be desperate to leave a job BUT employers will look on this negatively as the question will always be there – does this individual want to join us or just get away from the current role. The likelihood is that most employers will shy away from these individuals as could be perceived that negativity is your driving factor and you would take any job. If you are desperate you must ensure that you do not portray this to the employer.

Interview preparation – playing it cool

Many jobseekers use a play it cool strategy when job hunting. They will not show desire to join a company for fear that they may seem desperate or that it may affect salary and package negotiation. Playing it too cool though can give the impression of lack of interest.

Conclusion

There are responses that can help you get the balance right ensuring that you do not fall into the above pitfalls at interview. Interview preparation will hone these skills so ensure you spend the time. Interview coaching can help you iron out the problems and improve your success.

Interview preparation is the key ingredient to interview success. Interview preparation will boost your confidence and improve performance getting you the important job offers.

Why is researching the company important?

An important part of interview preparation is research the potential company and related industry. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly it benefits you the jobseeker indicating if this is the company or industry you want to join. It also shows the employer that you have put some work in before interview – evidence that you have planned your approach to the interview and you job hunting in general.

How to get information on a potential employer.

Internet – This is the obvious port of call. Most organisations have a website which will provide most of what you need. It is important that you don’t stop there. Use Google searches to identify live information that could help you stand out in the crowd. Remember most of your competition will be rhyming of material from a website – so you go the extra mile.

Employees – do you know anyone working in the company? This can be a great resource. If you don’t know anyone directly can you network of friends, work colleagues or family help you.

Marketing Material – The company may have brochures or other marketing material that you can request. To be honest this has been replace by the internet but still can add value.

Competitors – What information can you get from the competition about the employer or as importantly about the competitor as this again can help you differentiate from other interviewees.

Newspapers – It is quite common that you will be asked about what you read in the papers that morning so you should flick through the papers anyway before an interview. I did come across it one time where a friend interviewed with a company with a huge announcement in the papers that he missed before his interview.

Researching the employer is a key ingredient to interview preparation. There are however other important aspects to it. Do you need help with interview preparation contact an interview expert now.

It is impossible to predict what questions you will be asked at interview. Preparation should focus on covering all possibilities. You can do this by focusing on a number of key areas as opposed to specific questions.

I am regularly asked what questions will be asked at interview – her are some questions that keep coming up. Answer these positively and you will take a big step towards landing that dream job.

What are your strengths / weaknesses?
Why should we employ you?
Tell me why you want to work for this company?
What are your career goals?
Tell me why you are you leaving (left) your job?
When are you motivated at work?
What can you offer that other applicants can’t?
Tell me a positive thing your boss would say about you?
What salary are you looking for?

If you get your interview preparation right it will improve your confidence and improve your performance. If you need help with interview preparation – contact Measurability.

It is difficult to predict what questions will arise at interviews. There are however a few gems that keep coming up over and over again. I posted previously about the “Salary Question” and in this post I will examine how to handle two additional interview questions that may come up at your next interview.Interview Coaching – Question – Why should we employ you?
This can be taken as a guaranteed question at any interview. Here you have the employer asking you how you meet the job requirements. Some jobseekers take this as the opportunity to babble on about everything positive they have ever achieved. Be careful!! You must take a focused approach. You will have identified the key points the employer is seeking and now is your opportunity to tell them how you meet the requirements. Back up any points with evidence. So tell them what you did but also the results and achievements.Interview Coaching – Question – Why do you want to work for our company?
This question is the employers establishing if you have researched and planned your job hunt and if you have researched their organisation. Another way to ask this question is “How do the company and the role meet your needs?” This question is important as it helps the interviewer find out if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting or a planned approach. You will need to research the company and analyse the role and pick out key points that relate to your career goals.Preparing for interviews can be a daunting thought. By working with an Interview Coach you can access unlimited professional support, experience and advice. This could make the difference between success and failure. Contact us for more information about our service and costs.

This post will look at two reasons why many jobseekers fail at interview and why Interview Coaching can help..

 Poor communication at a Job Interview - I am not talking about verbal but non-verbal communications. Have you ever heard the 55:38:7 rule. 7% of communication is the words you say so 93% is actually non-verbal. This means that honing non-verbal skills is essential for interview success. You have heard the urban myth that many interviewers make a decision within a few minutes of meeting the interviewee. Interview Coaching can help you get the basics right and you can improve your performance greatly.

Not asking questions at a Job Interview - It is essential that you ask questions. Interviewees will be asked if they have questions at a job interview so have must be prepared for this. By not asking any questions you are sending out the wrong message and a lack of interest in the position or even a lack of preparation for the job interview. Not asking a question is a missed opportunity to get valuable information to help you make important career choices. A job interview is a 2-way process and it is an opportunity for you to find out information about the company.

Interested in interview coaching?