{"id":149,"date":"2011-11-01T09:10:43","date_gmt":"2011-11-01T09:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/?page_id=149"},"modified":"2012-05-04T11:45:43","modified_gmt":"2012-05-04T10:45:43","slug":"advice-for-candidates","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/?page_id=149","title":{"rendered":"Advice for Candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTERVIEW ADVICE FOR CANDIDATES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Put yourself in the interviewer\u2019s place.<\/strong>
\nThe interviewer wants and needs to find out about you, and will, on occasions when you are referring to \u2018we\u2019, ask you to concentrate specifically on your role.\u00a0 However, constantly referring to yourself in answer to more general questions is not very attractive to a potential employer.
\nFor example a popular question is to ask a candidate \u201cwhy do you want this position?\u201d
\nIn response, consider the question from the interviewer\u2019s point of view.\u00a0 Do not simply concentrate on the tangible benefits or how it would suit you at this stage in your career.\u00a0 Much better to mention how much you enjoy this type of work, or admire the employing organisation.\u00a0 Don\u2019t overdo it, be genuine and (as always) be prepared to back up your assertions with concrete examples.<\/p>\n

Allow the interviewer space to ask questions<\/strong>
\nMost people become nervous when being interviewed.\u00a0 If you have a tendency to \u2018babble\u2019 in such circumstances, then:
\na)\u00a0 be aware of it
\nb)\u00a0 slow your speech down to a normal rate
\nc)\u00a0 put in some 1 – 2 second pauses to allow the interviewer space ask questions without interrupting<\/p>\n

Answer the Question you were Asked<\/strong>
\nFew things irritate interviewers more than \u2018politicians answers\u2019 – making a point unrelated to the question.
\na) Answer the question the interviewer has asked.
\nb) Answer it reasonably fully, then stop.
\nc) If necessary check if they would like you to give more information.<\/p>\n

Open and Friendly<\/strong>
\nCandidates who are open and friendly and who help the interviewer to gather the information they need are always considered more favourably than those who are defensive, aggressive, or evasive. Often, the interviewer has not had much interview experience, or time to prepare, or is nervous.\u00a0 They will really appreciate your co-operation throughout the interview.
\nAvoid over-embellishing your accomplishments.\u00a0 If an interwiewer catches you doing this, they will probably discount everything else you say.\u00a0 If you succeed in successfully overstating your case and misleading the interviewer, you may find yourself failing in a job for which you are under-qualified.\u00a0 Deceptions often return to haunt us.<\/p>\n

Prepare Fully for the Interview<\/strong>
\nThe interviewer will want to establish if you can do the job well.\u00a0 They will want to establish that you have the necessary specialist knowledge and skills to do the job at basic, fundamental level.\u00a0 In addition, they will want to establish whether you will be able to do the job well.\u00a0 Consider the competency requirements for the job (if you\u2019re not sure what they are, the general competencies<\/a> will help.\u00a0 Be prepared to give real recent examples of when you have demonstrated the competencies.
\nFind out about the organisation through a brief web search.\u00a0 An interviewer will expect any applicant to have relevant understanding of the organisation\u2019s core products, services or processes.\u00a0 Try to find out what the current key issues are.
\nEnsure that you know when and where the interview will be held; and how to get there on time to announce your arrival 5 minutes before the interview time.<\/p>\n

Practice an interview with a friend and ask them for feedback.
\n<\/strong>Prime your friend to ask you about your education and career history from leaving school.\u00a0 Practice until you can describe it in about 10 mins, and ask for feedback on style and content.\u00a0 Was it logical (easy to follow), clear and open?
\nDo you appear friendly and engaged?
\nRecall real recent examples of the competencies required for the job.\u00a0 Ask your friend to ‘probe’ your answers for details.\u00a0 Did your examples have real depth?\u00a0 Could you think of other, better examples to use?<\/p>\n

Observe the Courtesies<\/strong>
\nYou may be an outstandingly creative and interesting person.\u00a0 Allow the interviewer to discover that in your responses during the course of the interview.\u00a0 Try to dress appropriately for the organisation you wish to join, which generally means:\u00a0 slightly smarter than the people who are already working there, and usually either business suit or \u2018smart casual\u2019.\u00a0 Don\u2019t allow your clothes to do the talking.\u00a0 Show your \u2018individuality\u2019 through what you say.
\nArrive on time.\u00a0 5 minutes early is good; 45 minutes early is not.\u00a0 Being late will seriously damage your prospects.
\nSmile, be friendly and courteous at the interview.\u00a0 If offered a hot drink, consider whether your hand will shake, rattling the cup on the saucer.\u00a0 Accepting a glass of water is usually safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INTERVIEW ADVICE FOR CANDIDATES Put yourself in the interviewer\u2019s place. The interviewer wants and needs to find out about you, and will, on occasions when you are referring to \u2018we\u2019, ask you to concentrate specifically on your role.\u00a0 However, constantly …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":206,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-149","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/149"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/149\/revisions\/152"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/topl.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}