ace the job interview Archives - Job Interview Coaching

August 25, 2021August 25, 2021

How to Answer the Interview Question ‘What are your greatest strengths?’

The ‘greatest strengths’ interview question is one of the most commonly quoted job interview questions, used across all job sectors.

Why is the ‘strengths’ question utilized so often? Because of the open nature of question.

Employers pick specific interview questions to help gained an understanding of the applicants knowledge, experience and potential.

Specific interview question will be directed at a key competencies:

“Give me an example of doing X?”
“How would you handle Y situation?”
“Have you ever used Z?”

Competency based interview questions are easy to cross-reference against the job criteria, which is why employers favor the structured job interview.

The barrier, when asking very specific job duty related questions, is that the applicant doesn’t have the opportunity to promote their additional skills, knowledge and experiences.

This is one of the reasons why employers ask more open-ended interview questions such as the famed ‘tell me about yourself’ or the ‘strengths’ interview question.

The article will explain how to approach the ‘what are your greatest strengths?’ job interview question. How to create a high-scoring answer, and how to make the high-scoring answer relevant to the job role.

Preparing for the Job Interview.

The key to answering the ‘greatest achievement’ interview question is in the applicants pre-interview preparation.

The barrier with an open question is the high probability of the applicant going off topic.

In a structured job interview, all interview answers receive points based on the number of job criteria referenced in the job interview answer.

Research shows that the higher number of words per interview answer, equates to a higher number of job offers. But, the answers have to be relevant to the job position.

When preparing for a ‘strengths’ interview question, applicants need to plan to talk about strengths required for the advertised position: an eye for detail, for a quality control officer, or calculations expertise, for a civil engineer.

A good exercise is to list of the essential duties for the advertised position, and in a second column write down a list of strengths, that the applicant possesses, that are required for each duty.

This exercise is to generate ideas, so details aren’t required at this stage. Applicants may list skills, qualities or experiences.

Example – Project Manager Job

Essential Duties	Strengths
Stakeholder management	Communication Able to influence and persuade Relationship building Having industry related connections Collaborative working
Project planning	Experienced in achieving project outcomes Analytical and logical approach Report writing Collaborative working
Cost projection
Risk assessments
etc

Next, look at the common skills, qualities and experiences that have been repeated throughout the list technique, in our example this is ‘collaborative working’.

Breakdown the reason why the quality, skill, or experience is a strength:

What do you specifically do?
What is your approach?
How is what you do better the a general approach?
What is the common result from your actions?
Does your attitude/work ethic part of the strength?
Do you plan or use intuition?
Is this a team effort or is the strength a personal achievement?
If a team effort, what is your role within the team?

Finally, think about a real-life (work) example, that will be used during the interview answer.

Make the Strength question strong.

To summarise the post so far.

Employers are likely to ask the ‘greatest strength’ interview question as it is documented as one of the most commonly asked job interview questions.

The interview question may be phrased as:

“Tell about one of your greatest successes?”
“What can you bring to the team?”
“How would you have an impact on the team/project?”

The ‘strengths’ interview question is open to interpretation, which requires the candidate to focus the interview answer on the essential criteria of the job role, to ensure the answer scores high.

The strength question needs to state strengths!

The applicant must talk about their unique selling point, relevant to the job role. The answer should show added value, high achieving examples, and the applicants work ethic, motivation as well as a high level of sector related knowledge and experiences.

Mistakes and mishaps.

There are three common mistakes that career professionals make when answering the ‘strengths’ question.

The wrong path.

Taking the wrong path, often comes from a lack of pre-interview preparation.

The unprepared interviewee is nervous and anxious, coming across as having an ‘incompetent’ interview identity.

When asked a question, the lack of confidence leaves the applicant pleading for an idea – anything to create an answer. Whatever random idea pops into their mind becomes the talking point, the main message of the interview answer.

In many cases, the unprepared interview answer lacks detail, is short, and most importantly doesn’t relate to the job criteria. This results in a low-scoring interview answer.

Self-disclosed weaknesses.

Consistently successful job applicants, in the main, aware of their skill set and possess a good level of confidence.

Being confident increases self-promotion.

Whereas, a lack of self-esteem, or having imposture syndrome increases the number of unprompted self-disclosed weaknesses.

When asked a question, the low self-esteem interviewee will initially list weaknesses before picking a ‘strength’. This self-disclosure, is often outside the awareness of the applicant. It is like they are externalizing their thought process:

Interviewer: “What are you greatest strengths?”

Low self-esteem interviewee: “What are my greatest strengths? Well..urm..im not vey good at IT…urm…I don’t work well under pressure…urm, my greatest strength is my ability to (strength)”.

Bragging.

Some applicants are highly confident, but lack industry experiences.

Highly confident applicants feel comfortable with communication. A high level of self-esteem increases self-promotion.

Confidence without knowledge can create a pretender interview identity, where the interviewee attempts to manipulate the employer by exaggerating their skill set.

Self-promotion is expected in the job interview, but when the applicant lacks experience and sector knowledge they rarely know what examples would meet the job criteria.

Instead of giving specific industry related examples, the candidate will self-praise using generalisations:

Interviewer: “What are your greatest strengths?”

Interviewee: “Everything!”

Other examples include:

“My passion, my attitude, my work ethic”
“I’m a good team player, I finish tasks and I am loyal.”
“In all my roles I put on 100% of effort. My previous managers often tell me that I am an excellent member of staff and that I have a positive impact on the team.”

Some of the examples sound positive, and indeed they are, but they lack the specific data the employer requires to cross-reference the interview answer against the criteria on the interview scorecard.

How to answer the what is your greatest strength interview question.

A simple structure to answer the ‘strengths’ interview question is:

Barriers + strengths + summary

Relevance is key here.

Employers working in the same sector will face similar barriers. By stating the industry barriers at the start of the interview questions creates relevance. It also helps to build intrigue, as the employer will presume you are going to state a solution, which you will do by highlighting your strengths.

“As we all know, one of the biggest barriers we face in this industry is X. This barrier can lead to (add additional negative consequences)…”

The body of the interview answer will state the applicants strengths. The exercise above has resulted in a list of relevant strengths relating to the job criteria.

Don’t fall into the trap of just listing strengths, as this technique doesn’t result in a high-scoring answer.

Instead, give an example of using the listed strengths in a workplace setting.

Initially start the body of the interview answer, by stating a generic selling point. This could include the duration in the industry, a high-level sector related qualification or having worked on a well-known project that may impress the interview panel.

“…My (duration, qualification, experience on project) has taught me that (give the solution to the stated problem or an indication that you have the solution)…”

The example follow the opening statement.

Examples must include the situation, actions taken (highlighting strengths, positive outcome).

“…To give you an example of this, when working (at company/on X project) we faced (problem relating to the initial stated barrier)…

…my ability to (add first strength) allowed me to (state outcome). I achieved this by utilizing my (add second strength) which allowed me to (outcome). Throughout the task I faced (add additional barrier) but I was always able to overcome this by (state third strength)….”

“..the end result was (add positive outcome)….”

Conclude the interview answer by summarizing your key strengths.

A summary reinforces the applicants strengths, and clarifies any ambiguity from the example given.

“…To answer the question, my key strengths include (strength one, two and three).”

July 2, 2021July 2, 2021

How to Answer the Interview Question ‘what is your biggest regret?’

This article will explain how to answer the job interview questions ‘what is your biggest regret?’

To best answer any job interview question, the applicant needs to think about:

The advertised job role
The company culture
Required skills or knowledge.

This is because, an employer will have an ideal answer they are looking for. Meaning, for each interview question there is a reason.

The job interview, in short, is designed to predict the job performance of the further employee. As each interviewer will ask around 8 job interview questions, the recruiter doesn’t want to waste an opportunity to undercovers a required skill or trait by asking a pointless question.

The first thing each applicant should ask, when hearing an interview question, is:

What is the reason for this question?
What skill, knowledge or experience is the employer interested in hearing about?
Is there a hidden meaning?

The ‘biggest regret’ interview question.

The ‘biggest regret’ interview question is another way to ask ‘tell me about a mistake you have made?’ or ‘what are your weaknesses?’

For all negatively framed job interview questions, applicants need to train themselves not to answer the question on face value.

The biggest mistake interviewees make is listing regrets, mistakes and weaknesses.

“My biggest regrets was when I worked at….., also I regret not doing……and…..”

Listing a high number of regrets, mistakes and weaknesses will only result in a low-scoring job interview answer.

In fact, employers aren’t looking for a damaging interview answer – this isn’t a trick question.

What a hiring manager wants to hear is, what the applicant learned from the regret, the employer is wanting to hear the career professionals journey.

Applicants, therefore, should reference the regret, while focusing the main part of the interview answer on lessons learned. It is the journey the employer is interested in.

The job interview formula is: situation x regret x learning journey

How to answer the ‘regret’ interview question.

The 3 stages to the interview anwswer are:

Situation
Regret
Learning/Journey

Situation

In the interview answer opening, it is important to set the scene.

Explain the situation. This could be a problem the applicant, team or organisation faced, a business as usual task that went wrong or a new company objective.

“When working at X company, we were faced with (a problem). If not resolved this could lead to (negative outcome)….”

In the second part of the situation opening, the applicant can explain their role and their actions.

“…as the team leader I was responsible for A, B and C. To resolve the issue I (add actions taken)…”

Regret

The ‘regret’ needs to be reframed as a learning point.

If possible, stay away from over using the word regret. Instead, talk about reflection, or use ‘if I was undertaking the same task I would do it differently’

Remember a ‘regret’ example doesn’t mean that the applicant has to discuss a failure, instead the interview answer can be about a successful event, that could have been completed in a better way.

An example of this could be a career professional regretting not studying at university as they took the apprenticeship route option. What is important is the learning, not the regret.

Start the answer second part of the interview answer by stating the regret

“I regret taking the apprenticeship route rather then studying at university…”
“I regret not looking into other others that could have (saved overhead cost/increased production/etc)…”
“I regret listening to the advice of others when I should has used my own experience….”

The word ‘regret’ can be easily replaced by rewording the interview answer:

“I don’t think taking the apprenticeship route was the best for me….”
“I could have looked into other options that could have saved…”
“I wish I had listened to my own experience rather the listening to the advice of others…”

Learning/Journey

The learning journey comes in two parts.

Part 1 – past choice

Part 2 – future self

Past Choice

Learning comes from reflection.

In the past choice section it is important to expand on the reason for the choice (regret) as this expands on the initial situation.

“…On reflection I made this choice because of (add reasons)…”

The choice, the reason for the regret, could potentially be down to the direction of a manager, company culture or lack of experience.

Next, discuss the other options.

When explain the other options state the reason why they, at the time, didn’t seem appropriate.

“…The other option was to (add option). If I took this option, the benefits would have been (state positives) but the (barrier/risk) included (add negatives) which is why I went with the first option.”

Future Self.

Finally, show learning.

“Looking back, I have preferred (other choice) as this would have (state better outcome)…”

Explain what was learnt because of the experience.

“…but the experience taught me (add lessons leant) which has now (add a benefit from the learning experience)..”

End with a future action.

“..if i was in the same situation again I would A, B and C”

Example interview answer.

Putting all the elements together, an example answer would look like:

“When working at X company, we were faced with (a problem). If not resolved this could lead to (negative outcome)……as the team leader I was responsible for A, B and C.

To resolve the issue I (add actions taken)…I wish I had listened to my own experience rather the listening to the advice of others….On reflection I made this choice because of (add reasons)…..The other option was to (add option). If I took this option, the benefits would have been (state positives) but the (barrier/risk) included (add negatives) which is why I went with the first option.

Looking back, I have preferred (other choice) as this would have (state better outcome)…..but the experience taught me (add lessons leant) which has now (add a benefit from the learning experience)….if I was in the same situation again I would A, B and C”

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021

Horns Effect

The psychological impact of the halo or horns effect has a subconscious influence on the employers decision making process.

What is the job interview halo effect?

The now famed halo effect is a cognitive bias where the employers overall impression of a job candidate influences how the hiring manager receives the applicants interview answers.

At a basic level, an applicant can be seen as ‘suitable’ or ‘hirable’ when the halo effect is in play. The halo effect can be created when an employer finds the candidate attractive. We call this ‘the what is beautiful is good‘ bias.

People believe attractiveness to be linked to other positive traits; intelligence, reliability, and being skilled, without any evidence.

Prior to the job interview, the halo effect can take effect.

An employer reading a candidate’s application form can form a positive opinion, where the hiring managers believe this applicant is the most suitable person for the role, even without interviewing anyone.

An everyday example of the halo effect is a friend introducing you to one of their colleagues. Prior to meeting the colleague, the friend says “the (colleague) is a really nice person, I know you will really like them.” This seeding of a positive character creates the halo effect. As would reading their (positive) social media feed, or finding out that you both have a common interest.

How does the halo effect, effect the job interview?

Being attractive doesn’t guarantee a job offer.

Instead, the halo effect creates a positive filter. The employer, liking the applicant, will search for evidence of suitability.

The hiring manager will want the candidate to do well. In fact, research shows that the subtle changes in an employer’s behavior, influence how the interviewee acts, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What is the Horns Effect?

There is an opposite to the famed halo effect, the ‘horns effect’.

If an employer is predisposed to dislike the applicant, they will subconsciously search for reasons to reduce an interview score.

Several information sources can lead to a ‘horn effect’.

The employer hearing bad things from a colleague about the applicant prior to the job interview (this is most common in internal interviews) can create a pre-interview negative opinion.

This scenario worsens when the colleagues reference how the applicant may lie or be deceitful during the job interview. Being viewed as having a ‘dishonest‘ interview identity creates a barrier that is hard to remove.

Many employers now use social media as one way to ‘get to know the real applicant’ before they attend the recruitment process.

A social media page that creates a negative impression, such as photos of drinking and partying, can create a negative stereotype.

Even the candidate’s communication skills during the application process can create a halo or horns effect. A weak worded email, spelling errors, or even working for an organization with a poor reputation can create a negative association.

First Impression Horns Effect

The horns effect can take place prior to the job interview but also during the initial introduction.

As the employer meets the applicant in reception, a number of non-job-related criteria can influence the hiring manager’s decision-making process.

Being overweight, as an example, can have a negative association. Obese equals laziness.

An experiment shown how being obese reduces the number of jobs offers an applicant received. Employers were sent one application, which either had attached to it, a picture of an overweight job applicant or an average size person. The conclusion was that the image of an overweight individual had a negative horns effect on their application process.

But a number of other non-job-related criteria can create a positive or negative first impression:

Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Height
Weight
Hair colour
Stance
Tonality

The research is proving how a job interview is never a fair recruitment process, as opinions are made at the subconscious level.

These initial impressions act as the filter throughout the recruitment process, with an employer filtering each answer, and therefore searching for evidence to back up their belief, through the filter suitable or not suitable, liked or disliked.

Interviewees can help to shape the way they are viewed by creating a positive job interview identity during the answering of the initial interview questions.

The stating of key competencies, when communicated confidently, can override the initial impression. This is because the structured process of a job interview means the employer must mark the applicant’s answers against the job interview scorecard.

June 13, 2021June 13, 2021

What No One Tells You About Job Interviews

What is the one thing all career professionals have in common?

Each must attend a job interview to advance their career.

Understanding the recruitment process, therefore, is key to a successful career, gaining promotions, and increasing a salary.

On average, career professionals will change jobs at least once every three to five years. The days of working in one organisation for life have long gone.

Are you interview-ready?

Even with regular job interviews, the number of job hunters who prepare in advance for a job interview is extremely low.

Being ‘interview ready’ means an increase in confidence. Confidence increase self-promotion and self-promotion increases job offers.

More importantly, understanding the secrets of a job interview can lead to consistent high-scoring interview answers.

What makes a successful job interview?

Research has shown that an applicant’s ability to predict the job criteria, due to possessing a high level of sector knowledge/experience, results in the interviewer being able to accurately predict the job performance (the objective of the interview process) of each candidate.

This means, the more an interviewee reference industry jargon, sector models, and relevant working examples, especially when communicated confidently, the more an employer will presume or predict that the applicant is well suited for the advertised role: the applicant’s interview identity.

Each interview answer is referenced against the job criteria on the interview scorecard as part of a structured job interview – the most commonly used recruitment process. Answers that don’t highlight the candidate’s high level of expertise are likely to score low.

The interview is a two-horse race.

On average, applicants are asked 8 job interview questions, with each question scored on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the best scoring answer.

The total number of points available is 32.

Because weaker applicants are shifted out during the application process stage, the candidates being interviewed will all score, in the main, 3’s or 4’s for each interview question.

This creates a close race, where every point counts.

Employers have told us how the winning interviewee will only have one or two additional points above the next most suitable applicant.

Unforeseen forces affect the interviewer’s allocated scores, such as job interview unconscious bias. But in the main, the candidate’s ability to communicate competencies creates high or low scoring answers.

How to ace the job interview.

The three rules for a successful job interview outcome are:

Identify the job criteria
Be a self-promoter
Communicate with confidence

In addition, there are psychological interview tactics that can be embedded into the recruitment process including the process of creating likeability.

The common mistakes applicants make in job interviews are:

Using the same job examples in all job interviews

Having pre-prepared interview answers is a must in a job interview, as the rehearsal of the perfect answer ensures that the answer is delivered with confidence – rules 3.

The barrier though is ‘laziness’. Many career professionals will re-use the same interview stories time and time again.

Yes, their answer is perfectly delivered, as practice creates perfection. But, the original answer was designed for a previous role.

Rule 1, is to identify the job criteria. Creating interview answers based only on the job criteria for each position ensures that each answer will score high as the examples used will reference the required skills, knowledge, and experience for that role.

The same example or situation can be used for multiple recruitment processes, but the frame of the answer – what the example is highlighting has to be specific to the advertised position and the culture of the organisation.

Reserved or forthcoming?

In the UK, especially, job applicants like to be reserved. They will answer interview questions, but the answers lack the benefits, fail to self-promote and in general the interviewee is unforthcoming.

The job interview is the one place where you must be a self-promoter – the 2nd rule of a successful job interview.

To self-promote candidates can ustilse verbal and non-verbal communciation:

Non-verbal communication

Smiling is associated with confidence and competence
Nodding in agreement as the employers speaks and this helps to build rapport
Open body language, gestures and a relaxed postures is linked self-esteem
Strong eye-contact while speaking creates authority
What you wear can influence how the candidate is seen – desirable or unsuitable

Verbal communication

Long descriptive paragraphs help to paint the scene allowing an employer to understand the relevance of the job interview answer
Positive language is associated with a good worker
Mentioning the job criteria (rule 1) shows suitability
Giving examples highlights experiences
Explaining models and theories shows expertise
Changing pitch, tonality, and volume help to maintain employer interest

Is confidence charismatic?

Certain people stand out in the crowd.

We don’t know why our eyes are drawn to them, but something about them; how they dress, their posture, the way th move, or maybe a communication of facts make them a focus point.

It is the same in a job interview. A team of interviewers speak to numerous applicants throughout the recruitment period, with most candidates having a similar level of skills and experiences, but one or maybe two applicant stand out – why?

It is often the self-assurance of an applicant that increases their internal level of confidence. An increase in confidence, increases charisma.

Imposture syndrome, not believing you are at the right level for the job in question (even though you meet the criteria for the advertised role), is the biggest barrier to interview confidence.

Are you an anxious interviewee?

Anxious interviewees will:

Fidgeting, which distracts the employer’s attention
Mumble and use excessive filler words
Give short snappy answers to technical interview questions
Often look down, killing any previously built up rapport including that from the halo effect
Self-disclose weaknesses and past errors which results in low scoring interview answers

Charismatic and highly confident applicants will:

Frame interview questions so all answers sound positive
Focus on solutions, not problems
Create a conversation by asking questions throughout the job interview
Have a relaxed manner; sitting back in the chair, taking their time to reply, and using anecdotes and stories
Eye contact is strong, and they speak using natural gestures
Interview answers are detailed and well structured
Answers naturally reference several key job criteria
Give their full attention to the interviewer

November 2, 2020December 23, 2020

How to plan for a care assistant job interview

Care assistant employers, when interviewing applicants, look at candidates’ work ethic and personal skills.

A desire to help people is key, but employers also look for communication skills, empathy, patience, calm when in a stressful situation and an employee who can follow directions accurately.

Care assistants can work in a care home or in the community, supporting vulnerable people living in their own homes. The interview questions asked in a care assistant job interview will be based on the applicant’s temperament as well as their ability to perform caring duties which can include;

supporting people with their physical needs
completing household tasks – washing, cleaning and cooking
monitoring health and communicating with nurses

To prepare for a care assistant structured job interview, applicants can answer many interview questions by relating to real-life experiences, from helping their own family members to volunteering in a caring role.

Care Assistant Job Interview Questions and Answers

Below is a list of the most commonly asked care assistant job interview questions and a detailed breakdown of how to answer the question.

Do you having any caring experience?

Normally an opening question, applicants can easily answer this question using a common interview formula; stating duration, qualification and selling point.

The interview answer starts by reassuring the interviewer by stating the duration in the industry “I have over 10 years experience as a care assistant…” For applicants new to the industry this answer can be slightly tweaked “In all my previous roles I have had to support and help vulnerable people…”

Applicants can continue by giving additional detail about a previous position “…while working at X company my key caring duties included (add duties)..”

Next, candidates can explain their level of qualification (only suitable for applicants with an industry qualification) “….In 2010 I gained a caring assistant Btec Level 3 diploma, during he course I leant (add sector theories and models)…”

End with a unique selling point. This could include a care assistant skill or a personality trait “…I’ve applied for this role because I am passionate about caring for vulnerable adults…”

What support do you expect a vulnerable person requires?

Answers to this interview question need to be relevant. If working with the elderly, explain what support an elderly person requires. If working with an ex-addict, discuss the barriers they face.

When answering the ‘vulnerable’ question, answers can be split between a logical and an example answer.

Initially start the interview answer by listing what support an average (vulnerable group) requires. Listing all common support needs shows an awareness and here an applicant is likely to hit the required criteria the interviewees are marked against.

Next, use a story to highlight sector related experience “While working as an X, I worked closely with Y (vulnerable person). It was clear that the client required Z (support needs), so I (explain the action you took)….”

When providing personal care how would you maintain a person’s dignity and respect?

This question is key to a successful job interview outcome. Employers in the care industry are looking to hire empathetic professionals.

The reply to this answer can be broken down into the 3 Cs:

Confirmation – state how a person’s dignity and respect are at the uppermost importance

Communication – explain how your communication is designed to be respectful. An example of this would be asking a vulnerable person who had been in the bathroom for a long duration ‘if they need any assistance’ rather than asking ‘whats up, you have been ages?’

Clarity – many vulnerable people are very independent. Having someone ‘do everything’ for them can be demoralizing. Explain when working with a new vulnerable person you, through a rapport-building conversation, will clarify what support the client requires and what they need the care assistant to support them with.

Give an example of being in an emergency situation?

During the lifetime of a care assistant, they will come across many emergency situations from an elderly person having a heart attack to a vulnerable person attempting to commit suicide.

Example job interview questions require storytelling First, it is important to pick an example that is relevant to the job role the applicant is applying for. This is because the employer will have a list of job criteria that they score each job interview answer against. The highest scoring interview questions result in that applicant being offered the advertised position.

When answering the interview question with an example give context by explaining the situation and vulnerable persons’ background. This makes the interview answer relevant and easy to understand.

It is important, when explaining the steps the applicant took, to explain how they remain calm and professional throughout the emergency situation, even going as far as explaining how they had prepared for this, or similar, situation.

Next, discuss the policies and processes the candidate followed; informing social services, family members, managers. If they had to take notes or update systems.

How would you support a person who suffered from X?

Some interviewees feel that this interview question is a curveball, but in fact it isn’t.

If asked a specific technical question it is because this X is the employer’s bread and butter. Here, the candidate needs to show their level of knowledge and experience.

Explain, initially, the competency level “I have worked with X client for the previous 10 years” “in all my previous roles I have supported service users suffering from X” “I cared for my mother for 20 years who had X”

Next, show knowledge by discussing X in detail: “a symptom of X is…” “What care assistants have to be aware of is ….” “A side effect of X is…”

To end the interview question, spell out the actions required to support a person with X and how this positively implements on the vulnerable person life and wellbeing.

How do you feel about working flexibly?

Care assistants don’t have time off. That, obviously, is an exaggeration, but the truth is care workers (or the care team) are required 24 hrs a day 352 days a year.

Employers, therefore, need to hire care assistants who are willing to work bank holidays, over the Christmas period and during different shifts.

Some career professionals prefer the variety of working different shifts, is this is you make this clear in the job interview. Experienced care assistants can also reference how they have previously worked varying shift patterns, and how for them time is irrelevant, as they enjoy the work of a care assistant so much.

Why are you drawn to this area of work?

Question around the reason for applying for a position within an organization or industry come down to one thing – passion.

Employers know that if they hire a team of passionate employees with a strong work ethic that they will be highly productive. This is especially true in the care sector, where workers will go above and beyond to support their charges.

Not only does this interview question need to be answered with the right language, but the non-verbal communication of an applicant must also emphasise the passion of the words.

Stories relating to how an applicant has cared for a parent work well, as does explaining how for you working in the care sector is more important than a higher-paid none caring job role.

Highlighting ones values (everyone should have a decent life) also reinforces the passion of the applicant.

But hopefully, as you are applying for a caring role, this interview answer comes easy to you.

Is there anything else you would like to know?

At the interview end, the employers will ask each applicant if they have any questions about the job role or company.

Questions to ask an employer in the care sector can include:

What different vulnerable groups does the organisation work with?
Is there any specific training to support staff when working with a certain vulnerable group?
How is the organisation funded?
What is the size of the oranisation?
Do you invest in staff development?

Job Interview Advice

November 1, 2020November 1, 2020

Interview Question Formulas

To be seen possessing a high level of knowledge and experience, interviewees utilise interview formulas when answering interview questions. The interview formula allows applicants to have a structural approach to the job interview.

Having a structure to fall back on not only increases confidence, as the structure creates an order for the applicant to follow, but also presents the candidates competencies clearly to the employer, increasing the likelihood of a high scoring interview answer.

The formulas can be adapted to job roles across all sectors, and only requires the applicant to embed their own knowledge and experience to each formula.

Model and example (ME)

Referencing industry relevant theories and models in the interview answer highlights a level of knowledge, as the model is explained as a step-by-step process, before experience is shown through giving a real life example of using the model in a work situation.

This formula is powerful as it adds content to interview answers that may lack substance. The two parts complement each other as they repeat the same process but in two different ways logical (explaining the model and emotional (via storytelling)

Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

‘How do you assess risk?’
‘How do you collaborate with stakeholders?’
‘How do you manage your time?’

Example answer:

“When X I use the Y model (explain model in a step by step process) an example of this is when I (add example; situation, action, outcome)”

Experience, Qualification, Selling Point (EQS)

Stating the duration working in a sector improves perceived competencies as the association between time-served and knowledge is closely linked. Reinforcing sector knowledge by describing industry related qualifications backs-up the time-served/knowledge link. But as many interviewees will have a similar background, applicants need to stand out by highlighting an unknown unique selling point – explaining what they can bring to the team.

Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

‘What is your experience in this sector?’
‘Why should I hire you?’
‘What can you bring to the role?’

Example answer:

“With over X years in the sector and a qualification in Y, I have worked as a Z (add various roles). In that time I have been able to (add unique selling point)”

Problem, Actions, Outcome (PAO)

Behavioral interview questions are designed to predict job performance based on an applicant’s previous actions. Therefore, candidates must ensure they explain the circumstances of the situations they will describe as this offers context to the employer, allowing the interviewer to better understand why certain actions were undertaken. The interview answer needs to end with an outcome, which could include lessons learnt, a new approach or an increase in profits.

Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

‘Give me an example of…’
‘When have you ever…’
‘What experience do you have in…’

Example answer:

“When working at X, Y happened (add specific problem) which could have resulted in Z. To solve this problem I (add specific actions) which resulted in (add positive outcome)”

Barriers, Solution, Projected Outcome (BSPo)

For future scenario interview answers it is important for an applicant to show how they understand the threat of the potential situation – the barriers this problem would create, as this shows industry insight. Stating the specific actions that need to be taken shows expertise and competencies, and stating how these actions would have a positive intent can highlight the added value the applicant can bring to the team.

Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

‘What would you do if…’
‘How would you approach..’
‘If you were working on X project, what would you need to consider?’

Example answer:

“If this situation was to happen, my concerns would be A (add potential barriers). To take action I would B (add specific actions). The outcome of this would be C (state positive outcome including the benefits to the company)

Pro and Con (PC)

The frame of some interview questions can be seen as a trap, with an interviewer asking for an opinion. If the opinion given by an applicant is one that resonates with the employer the interview answer will score high, but if the opposite is true the answer will be marked low.

In this situation, applicants can hedge their bets by answering all options in all ways, ensuring one of the elements of the interview answer will resonate.

Suitable for the following types of interview questions:

‘What is more important X or Y?’
‘What is your opinion about X?’
‘Are you A or B?’

Example answer:

“What I like about X is (add pro’s) but you also have to consider (add Con’s)”

For the multiple-choice answer, applicants can repeat the formula for the second part of the question. The 3rd example interview question is often stated to check an applicant’s temperament or working style – “Are you a task starter or task finisher?” This type of interview question is used in strength-based interviews. Similarly, applicants can explain the pro and con of each trait, but it is likely that the interviewer will push for a direct answer.

Job Interview Advice

October 27, 2020November 7, 2020

Everything You Need to Do to Prepare for a Job Interview

The job interview is one of the most important meetings in life.

Why? Because being successful in a job interview has a direct impact on a person’s work/life balance, their stress and motivation levels, potential salary earning which links to the person’s lifestyle.

So, it makes sense to prepare for this highly important event.

This article will cover everything any job seeker and career professional needs to do to prepare for the job interview.

To help job seekers find employment, we will link to relevant articles under each of the interview sub-headings allowing each interviewee to read the source article for a more in-depth understanding of each job interview topic.

What to wear to a job interview

Your outfit is your armor.

What you wear in a job interview makes a difference in two distinct ways: 1) ‘dress to impress’ increase personal confidence levels, 2) a professional look changes the employer’s initial impression of a candidate.

Down to basics:

Wear smart professional clothing.

What an applicant wears influences the interviewer’s first impression of a candidate. Interviewer’s, as does everyone, has ‘unconscious bias’ – an opinion is made based on how one person views another. Research shows how an interviewee’s outfit can create a positive or negative opinion.

The ‘professional look’ can only help to increase likeness.

Avoid:

Unironed clothes
Casual wear
Not shaving
Dark colours
Getting caught in the rain (resulting in you looking helpless)

There is something about the choice of clothing that affects the emotional state. Dressing in gym wear, as an example, will result in a person being more likely to complete exercise. In the same sense, dressing confidently creates confidence.

Source: what to wear for an interview

What you need to research before a job interview

Pre-interview preparation creates perfection

Prior to the job interview, there are 2 must research objectives: 1) company research 2) interview question research.

Initially, applicants need to research the organisation to ensure that this is a position they would like to accept, once offered the advertised role.

3 key facts that affect workplace happiness

The company – does the company vision and values align with your own?
The boss – does the boss’s managerial style motivate you?
The co-worker(s) – does the company culture draw you in?

The pre-interview research on accepting a hiring decision can save time – only attend the interviews with employers you are interested in.

Once an applicant knows which organisations they are interested in, the next step is to prepare for the job interview by researching the potential job interview questions.

Check potential questions by reading the job profile for the advertised role. Each essential duty will be referenced as a job interview question
Use the internet to search for the organisation asked out the box job interview questions
Plan your interveiw stories as storytelling interview answers often rate higher on the job interview scorecard

Source: questions to ask before accepting a job

How to plan for the interview

The initial interview planning is based on the type of job interview the candidate has to attend.

Job interview types include:

Screening Interviews
Video Interviews
Panel Interviews
Structured Interviews
Group Interviews

Understanding how each job interview is different gives the pro-active job seeker an upper hand. As an example, most screening job interviews are conducted over the telephone.

The interview itself needs planning for. For an online interview, ergonomics is key. A clear background, eye-level screen and clean space, not only helps the applicant feel relax, there are no visual distractions for the interviewer.

A common mistake career professionals make is their interview preparation. Most job seekers will check the duration from their home to the interview establishment, this is good, pro-active. But the mistake is made at the time of night they choose to prepare for the job interview.

Most people prepare for interviews at night and plan, using an online map, the duration of travel. But if the job interview is scheduled early in the morning, the duration to the venue can change, as travel times vary depending on the time of day.

The barrier here is that a late applicant creates a negative impression that distorts how the interviewer views the applicant during the course of the job interview. Is easy to make error can have a lasting effect on the job interview.

Source: types of job interviews

How to prepare for the first impression

The first impression defines the rest of the job interview. The initial barrier is the interviewers unconscious bias, and then their reaction to how they perceive the applicant will perform once employed.

The initial impression is formed by the senses taking in billions of pieces of information, which is then filtered by the interviewers values, beliefs and experiences, resulting in an impression being created within milliseconds of the interviewer coming face to face with the candidate.

These 5 factors affect the initial impression:

An applicant’s smile – smiling helps build rapport. Research has shown how a smile improves likeability
What the candidate wears – association from clothes to persona is powerful. If you dress ‘professionally’ you will be seen as a ‘professional’
The firmness of the handshake – a firm handshake shows strength and confidence, both of these traits improve how an employer views an applicant
Eye contact – strong direct eye contact shows confidence. Weak people will often look down or away. Employers for all job roles are looking for confident employees who can make decisions and take action
The level of confidence in communication – asking questions, varied tonality, a strong pace are all ways to communicate confidently. Confident communicators score well in job interviews as they are able to give answers that reference the job criteria

Source: Make a good first impression

How to reduce interview anxiety

Job interview anxiety is the number one reason why job applicants fail in job interviews. A lack of confidence can only result in a poor job interview performance.

Confidence can be improved. The biggest barrier to self-doubt is comparison. Often employees will compare themselves to another colleague prior to the job interview. This behaviour is unhealthy and effects the nervousness level in a job interview.

The comparison leads to self doubt. Self doubt, is extreme cases, lead to some career professionals finding excuses not to attend the job interview, and those that do often perform badly.

Confidence in the job interview can be improved by making a few tweaks to your thinking. Having self-appreciation instead of self doubt increases self-esteem.

For career confidence, listing your achievements, your skills and abilities change the focus of thinking, helping applicants to realise their worth, improving their self-worth.

Source: how to boost self-confidence

What to do to stand out during the job interview

The competition for the advertised position is competitive as everyone attending the job interview has a similar level of skills, experiences and qualifications, at the minimum the applicants all meet the job criteria or they wouldn’t have been invited to be interviewed.

What this means is that you need to stand out in the job interview.

First, is the basics; having killer answers to tricky job interview questions but more importantly successful career professionals need to go one step further.

A simple and underplayed stand out tactic is being enthusiastic.

Think about it! Most interviewees are nervous, resulting in standard job interview answers communicated in a monotone voice. If the next interviewer delivers strong interview answers, delivered with passion and enthusiasm, they will grab the employer’s attention.

Creating an interview conversation, rather then just answering questions is enough to be uniquely, as is bring evidence of your expertise in the form of stats, graphs and references. Having a growth mindset, showing you can take the initiative and simply becoming confident create a string persona because most applicants are, well, nervous wrecks.

Source: stand out in a job interview

The pre-interview checklist

You know the date and time of the interview
The interview venue, building name and room number is correct
A copy of the application, ID and certificates have been prepared
Research on the organisation has been completed
Potential interview questions have been researched
And answers to interview questions have been prepared and researched
For online interviews, the room ergonomics have been reviewed and for face to face job interviews, the duration to the venue has been checked
The interview type has been checked and actions completed to ensure confidence levels are high for all interview types
A self-review of industry skills has been completed to increase confidence
Many mock interviews have been completed, as practice makes perfection

Job Interview Advice

October 21, 2020October 21, 2020

How to prepare and pass a telephone job interview.

Telephone job interviews are, in the main, viewed by employers as a recruitment cost saving process.

Think about it, to deliver a structured job interview requires time, resources and of course money. It makes much more time to plan for a face to face job interview than it does a telephone one.

With employers receiving hundreds of suitable application forms from high skilled applicants, recruiters need to be able to reduce the number of job seekers they will eventually offer a job interview to.

Initially, the employer will reduce the ‘suitable’ applicants down to a reasonable number through the application process, but as the number of applications received for each position rises, the employer needs to add in a ‘screening’ interview which is designed to result in only the most suitable candidates being offered a face-to-face job interview.

The telephone interview is the most common way to ‘screen’ applicants.

What questions are asked in a telephone interview?

A telephone screening interview is short. Unlike a structured job interview, where each interviewee is asked the same job interview questions, the telephone screening interview is an investigation.

Employers, after reading the job applications from applicants that they feel have the required skills and experiences, still need to reduce the applications to around 6-10 applicants that they will invite to a job interview.

While reviewing the application forms, employers may require specific information to ambiguous statements: “12 years sector experience…” The conscious interviewer will be asking “12 years experience in the same position? company? level of responsibility?”

It is this specific ‘data’ that will be the basis of the screening interview. In this way, each screening telephone interview will be different.

Applicants, even though interview questions are harder to predict can still prepare in advance for the telephone interview.

Below is a list of the types of telephone screening interview questions that will be asked during the telephone job interview.

Telephone Interview Question 1

Can you tell me more about your experience at X?

Telephone Interview Question 2

What were your specific duties?

Telephone Interview Question 3

Tell me about a problem that happened during this (project)?

Telephone Interview Question 4

Explain, exactly, what your level of responsibility was?

Telephone Interview Question 5

How do you put into practice the systems and models you learnt during your degree?

Telephone Interview Question 6

Over your years working in X sector what has been your biggest weakness?

Telephone Interview Question 7

How did you communicate across different departments?

Telephone Interview Question 8

What has made you apply for this role in this organisation?

Job Interview Advice

October 21, 2020October 21, 2020

How to answer the ‘weakness’ interview question

Out of all the common interview questions asked, the ‘what is your greatest weakness’ question, is among the hardest to answer.

Candidates, applying for an advertised position within a new organisations, struggle to answer a direct interview question that deliberately focuses on a negative, not a strength, because they believe that a ‘negative’ interview answer will score low, on the interview scorecard

Who is asked the ‘weakness’ interview question?

What many applicants don’t consider, is that all interviewees will be asked the same ‘weakness’ interview question.

Some of these applicants will try to influence the job interview by not directly answering the question: ‘I don’t have any weaknesses!’

This answer is weak within itself. It is the same as being asked ‘are you a team player?’ to then talk about working on your own initiative. Employers ask each job interview question for a particular reason – they want to know something specific about the applicant that is relevant to the job vacancy.

Job seekers who state: ‘I have no weaknesses’ will be scored low.

Interviewers are really asking ‘how do you develop?’ or ‘what have you done to improve an area of development?’

Mainly the ‘weakness’ interview question is asked for low skilled positions or within the ‘supportive’ sector that needs career professionals to be lifelong learners.

How to approach the ‘weakness’ question?

We have established that the ‘weakness’ question is really about a candidate’s approach to development. More specifically, self-reflection and development.

The 3 step process to answer the ‘weakness’ interview question is:

Self-reflection – identifying a weakness or area of development
Upskilling – taking action to develop the weakness
Ability test – completing a self-check to ensure the weakness or area of development has been overcome

How to answer ‘do you have any weaknesses?’ Interview question.

The 3 step process, when answering the interview question, can be framed with an opening and summary.

Interview answer opening.

“I believe everyone has areas of development…”

“One of my strengths is recognising my weaknesses, so I ca develop my skills….”

“Because I believe in self-development, I am always self-assessing my skills…”

Interview answer 3 step process.

Self-reflection – “…an example of this is when I (give an example of a self-development process IE during an employee review, completing a skill test, via a mentor, etc)…”
Upskilling – “….to develop this skill I focused my time on (add actions you took to improve the (area of development)…”
Ability test – “….I knew I had improved on this area when (give an example of using the skill with confidence and competence)

Job Interview Advice

October 13, 2020January 12, 2023

How to pass a civil service administrator job interview

Working for a government department, a civil service administrator is responsible for the administration of government policies to serve the public.

Civil service administrative tasks can be a front or back-office job. Front office includes dealing directly with the public, requiring an additional set of skills. In fact, for each civil service role, duties will vary.

In this sense, applicants need to carefully read the job description to help predict the job interview questions. Below is a list of the most common interview questions and answers for a civil service administrator.

Civil Service Administrator Job Interview Questions and Answers

Each of the commonly asked job interview questions can be phrased differently for each particular job interview, but the required answer (meeting the job criteria) will be the same.

Read the interview question, relate the question to your own experience and skill set, and use the example formats as a basis to create an answer that will score high during the job interview.

Civil Service Administrator Interview – have you worked in a government office before?

Of course, the ideal answer to any interview question is ‘yes’, but if you haven’t worked with a government office don’t worry that this will be a barrier to employment.

The ‘experience’ question is designed to check that the applicant has the required competencies to confidently complete the day-to-day duties of a civil service administrator.

The opening statement to the interview answer needs to state clearly the administration experience the applicant possesses.

“Yes I have 12 years experience working in government offices, with the past 5 years being spent at …..”

Or for non-government experience, pass this question by focusing on the candidates office experience.

“For the last 22 years, I have worked in administration where I have been responsible for….”

For each version of the answer, the interviewee should state experiences and skills relevant for the role they are applying for.

“…my strengths include (list duties that match the job criteria) …”

Civil Service Administrator Interview – give me an example of dealing with customer/service users sensitively

As a civil service front-of-house administrator, the employee will be dealing with customers, and their sensitive issues, on a daily basis. Even back of office administrators often communicate with customers (this could be online or via the telephone), therefore, all administrators in one form or another need to possess customer service, interpersonal and communication skills.

‘Example’ interview questions are designed to see how the applicant has previously dealt with a situation (similar to a situation that they will face once employed).

When giving ‘examples’ applicants must embed the skills and qualities they used to gain a successful outcome. Don’t simply state the situation, several actions, and an outcome. Instead, explain the strategy behind the conversation.

3 steps for answering ‘example’ interview questions

Step 1 – set the scene. Describe in detail the customer, how they were feeling, their communication style, and the sensitive issue.

Step 2 – focus on thinking. Explain the strategy or thought process you went through to ensure the approach you took best fitted the situation. Give detail here by explaining that normally you would do X, but due to the nature of the situation you did Y (as this shows creative problem-solving skills)

Step 3 – conclude. Finally discuss what happened post the conversation, etherizing the positive outcome.

Civil Service Administrator Interview – when report writing, what do you think about?

As a civil service administrator, there will be an expectation to produce accurate and high-quality reports.

In many administration job interviews, a literacy test will be mandatory. In addition, the employer will ask questions are report writing,

A strategy for answering ‘skill-based interview questions is to set out the steps required for the task. As an example for report writing you may;

Quantify what is required
Research, collect data, find evidence
Plan the report structure depending on the intended audience
Draft, analyze and rewrite the report
Process report

A process answer needs to be wrapped around with a confirmation opening line that confirms the applicant is an experienced report writer, and a summary to close the interview answer.

Civil Service Administrator Interview – how would you ensure you are adhering to a high number of complex procedures?

Working in the civil service can be a stressful career, due to the tight deadlines, having to support customers with their complaints, and having to follow processes and procedures that often change.

The employer here is asking how the employee can adhere to the many processes embedded in the civil service sector.

By explaining the applicant’s understanding of procedures can help an employer to identify a strong or weak employee.

Initially, discuss how it is important to understand the ‘aim’ of a policy or procedure (by understanding the aim, employees are more likely to adhere to the policy) before embedding the process into business as usual.

Next, give an example of following a complex procedure in the workplace. explain the consequences of not complying with the process and, in the example, set out the outcome that was created from following the procedure.

Civil Service Administrator Interview – give me an example of your research skills

Research skills are paramount in the civil service sector. As a key skill, the answer to the ‘research’ question must showcase the applicant’s research skill set.

Stay away from giving an example that states an easy piece of research. Instead, explain the complexities of research- did the applicant use qualitative or quantitative data? Why does the data source matter?

By stating problems and solutions to research problems only helps to highlight an applicant’s research knowledge. After explaining the complexities of research, the interviewee can give a research example.

The example can explain the reason for the research, any potential barriers to the research project, and the actions the applicant took to gather and write up the research knowledge they found.

Civil Service Administrator Interview – tell me about a time you worked as part of a project team

A civil service office is a team within a much large, national, team. Within the office team, smaller project teams will be put together to complete mini-projects. Therefore, teamwork skills in this role are a must.

To answer ‘project’ interview questions, compared to answering an interview question relating to business as usual, the applicant needs to set out the reason and objectives of the project “I was part of X project, the project was a 2-year project designed to X, Y, and Z…”

Because ‘projects,’ within the civil service, are commonplace, applicants need to discuss the project tools they can use; Gantt charts, risk assessment, finance sheets, and how they utilize the tools within the project.

Finally, state the impact the project had on business as usual.