Before your interview

Hello and welcome to our Top Tips for Interviews. Today we're going to take you through 10 top tips on how to be successful in interviews. You can scan the QR code on the screen to access our section on interviews on the Careers Service website. Firstly, Tip 1: Know the differences in regard to types of interview. You may have an interview in person or via video or live online formats. There will be differences to consider with each of these formats. Some companies want the opportunity to meet you in person, usually at the employer premises. Often, online interviews are conducted on platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom and are carried out as a two-way option, mimicking an in-person interview. For both in person and online live formats, it's common to be interviewed by a panel of two or more interviewers to ensure impartiality in the decision making. Pre-recorded video interviews increased in popularity in recent years. Unlike live options previously mentioned, these operate in a one-way format, where all candidates answer the same set of questions to provide a level playing field for applicants, and are carried out at a time which suits the candidates to offer flexibility. Candidates can find that video interviews are a less pressured option as they're given thinking time and can bring prompts and notes. For example, post-it notes placed around the screen with keywords. You can often pause the interview after you've answered one question before you move on to the next question. Positives for the organisation include this format having less logistics to consider, such as finding mutually convenient times for interviews. And that the employer can replay interviewer's interviews to recap to ensure they pick up everything a candidate has said. The recording can also be shared and reviewed with a recruitment team, so it helps to eliminate bias. There's a time limit for responding to each question and a set deadline for completion, typically within one week of invitation. These are then reviewed by the organisation at their convenience. Online or video interviews are a popular alternative to face to face options, as they're cheap, flexible, and quicker than in-person interviews. Online platforms also offer tools for increased opportunities for diversity and inclusion. Downsides of pre-recorded video interviews include not having visual feedback from the interviewer. Talking to a non-responsive screen can be off-putting and or feel intimidating, and there are no supplementary questions to get you back on track if you haven't fully answered a question. Digital phone calls or standard phone calls are sometimes used, usually as a first stage of the interview process and may also be arranged via online digital channels. These are sometimes completed by a recruitment company on behalf of the organisation. Tip number 2, Prepare. Preparation is key, but it's not about ensuring your responses are worded perfectly or that they're rehearsed, but ensuring you've considered two key questions, why them and why me. So for why them, do your research. Find out as much as you can about the organisation you're applying to in advance. Their mission, purpose, values and plans. Use social media as well as their website and recent press releases so you can speak confidently about the company and how it stands out from its competitors. You may also wish to contact employees of the company to get inside information. Next, why you? Consider how your experience relates to the requirements of the job. Where do you fit in?  Do your values, interests and skills align? Although it's very tricky to know exactly what you'll be asked in advance, you can try to anticipate the questions and think about how you'd answer. There will usually be introductory questions such as, tell us a bit about yourself, and what motivated you to apply for this role. Along with what do you know about us, which you can think about in advance and give yourself a good confident start to the interview. Revisit the job specification detailing the strengths and competencies required, and consider the evidence from your experience, which shows these competencies well. Competency based questions are a commonly used type of question, working on the principle that past behaviour is the best indicator of future performance. If an employer wants to recruit with great organisational competency, excellent communication, effective teamwork skills, then think of good example answers from your past experience which demonstrates these skills well. The STAR technique, which is situation, task, action and result, provides a good structure to follow and helps emphasise your contributions in response to competency based questions. Check if the interview will be strengths or competency based, or a combination of both. Review the interview invitation and the job description or persons spec before contacting the recruiter to ask. Review sites such as Glassdoor can sometimes also offer insights into past candidate interview experiences, which can help you to prepare. If the interview is live, you should also prepare questions. You can ask the interviewers. At this point, you are in control, so use that opportunity well. Questions should show your interest and enthusiasm for the role and can also show that you know the organisation and sector area well. Some questions can help you decide if the work culture at the organisation sounds like a good fit for you, as of course, an interview is a two-way process. So some examples of questions you could consider. Maybe what do you enjoy about your job? Can you tell me more about the day to day responsibilities of the role? Where do you think the company is headed in the next five years? You can ask around three to five open questions. But avoid asking about salary, holiday allowance, and working hours as these are negotiated once you've been offered a position, not before.  Tip 3, consider the types of questions you'll be asked. The examples on this slide, here are the types of interview you're likely to come across in the UK. So firstly, strengths. Strength-based interviews draw out a candidate's innate strengths and preferences. They allow you to be authentic and genuine in your responses. Interviewers don't want prepared or rehearsed answers, they want to see a natural honest reaction. Organisations are likely to list the strengths they value on their website with an explanation of what they mean by each of them. So examples of questions you could be asked at a strength based interview could be along the lines of, talk about your proudest achievement in an extra curricular activity, interest or hobby. When would your friends and family see your happiest? Next, competency based questions, which are the most commonly asked questions. Questions will tend to be based on the competencies required for the role, for example, of effective team working or problem solving. Examples for these two elements could be asked in many different ways. But here are two examples. Describe a time when you worked with someone you didn't get on with. Tell me about a time when you came up with a good idea to solve a problem you faced. And technical interviews. If your interview is described as technical, the interviewer will want to find out if you have the subject knowledge and the ability to apply it to practical problems. Technical interviews are only relevant for some industries and roles. An example of a technical question you'd be asked could be, explain your technical knowledge, which is relevant to the role. You may also be asked to talk through a project and your approach, your methodology, and decision making is likely to be explored through probing questions. You may also be asked for a behavioural interview. Questions are used by employers in order to understand more about a candidate's personality, the way they work, and their potential team fit. An example of this type of question may be, what would you do if, for example, a client, customer, or colleague gets in touch to see that they're not happy with the work you've done for them? Tip 4: Practice to build confidence. Spending time practising will build your confidence. The employer doesn't expect you to be perfect, but you can improve by preparing. Keep in mind that the interviewer wants you to answer the strength of your competency, demonstrate effective time management and comfortably answer naturally. There are different ways to practise. Perhaps, ask a friend or family member to record you introducing yourself or answering a question. This way you'll be able to note if you're speaking too quickly, making eye contact with the camera, you can also pick up on your body language, voice pitch, et cetera. And by doing so, this will allow you to adjust before the actual interview. Try to reflect on how well you're answering the questions and also pick up on your energy levels. Is your enthusiasm coming across? Well, for example, having a person you trust to critique you can be useful. You could also use our simulator tool, Interview360, which is an excellent online interview preparation resource which helps you to see your areas of strength as well as areas for improvement. Access it through MyCareerHub in the resources tab by selecting Interview360, via the QR code or Quicklinks on the Careers Service website. You can also book in practise interviews with Career Consultants. Tip 5, think about your tone, pace, and body language. Getting in the right mindset is key to a good interview. Take some deep breaths to calm any nerves, warm up your voice before you start, particularly if it's an early morning interview and you've not used your voice yet, speak to a friend, to the mirror, or even to a pet. Getting some fresh air before an interview is a great way to clear your head and focus your mind for the task ahead. During the interview, you'll get more air into your lungs and speak clearly if you sit up or stand up, where possible, so you should avoid slouching or looking too casual. Online interviews can sometimes experience slight delays, so be careful not to interrupt the interviewer. And don't worry about short silences. You're not expected to respond immediately. And it's always best to collect your thoughts before answering. If your mind has gone blank and this causes a longer delay, you could ask to come back to the question at the end of the interviewer. At the end of the interview. If the interviewer has asked for an example from a past performance and you really can't think of any, you can always be honest and ask them as a next best option, if you could answer what you would do hypothetically, if this situation arose. During the interview, Smile. Even on a call, you can hear a smile. Smiling helps you sound more enthusiastic and builds rapport with the interviewer. Aim to speak calmly and clearly. Nerves can make candidates speak quickly. If you're prone to nerves, be conscious of how this might impact you. Take regular pauses to take stock of whether this has impacted how quickly you're speaking. Noticing it is the first step and you can practise slowing down in your preparation. Show energy and enthusiasm in what you're saying. Try to avoid speaking in a monotone. Varying the pitch and tone of your voice can help to engage your listener. And try your best to avoid fidgeting. Things like drumming fingers, touching hair or jewellery. It is a personal choice, but please do consider requesting an adjustment if you have a condition which affects your ability to maintain eye contact, show enthusiasm, or avoid fidgeting, for example. And there's a link here to Amy Cuddy's body language, which is an interesting thing to follow up on later. Tip 6, Persevere if things go wrong. Remember, the recruiter hopes to understand what you'll bring to the role and to see your authentic self, so you don't have to be perfect. Employers understand this is an artificial situation. Making mistakes is common. Don't dwell on a mistake. You can demonstrate your resilience and how you deal with it by taking a breath and carrying on. In a live interview, ask the interviewer to repeat or clarify the question if you need to, which is better than going down the wrong track with your answer. With video interviews, aim to fully answer the question using the time you have available. But don't feel like you have to use the whole time allocation. It's often used as a rough indication of how long the employers think you'll need to answer the question in a live interview. Try to pick up on cues from the interviewer for signs encouraging you to add more information or maybe to stop talking. And remember, even with the best preparation, unforeseen circumstances can happen. Don't panic, there's often the chance to prove you have the skill in question or answer more fully in your responses within other questions. If something happens, such as your internet cutting out, send an e-mail to ask for a reset of the video interview link or call the interviewer to let them know what has happened. Tip 7: Consider your appearance. Dressing professionally for an online or video interview is recommended, just as you would for an in person interview. A professional outfit can help you get into the right mindset for the approaching task, even if the interviewer won't see when it is a telephone interview or you can only see your head and shoulders online. Pick an outfit you feel confident in. If you have an online or video interview, test out how you appear on screen, Avoid wearing distracting jewellery or accessories, which will make noise. If you have long hair, consider tying it back to avoid touching it and so your face is fully visible. Tip 8: Plan how to get there or set up your technology. For an in-person interview, build in extra time to allow for any unforeseen delays and so that you can relax and perhaps read over notes beforehand. With video, online, or live, interviews, check your technology. Test your camera and microphone settings and ensure your speakers aren't muted. It's a good idea to close any unnecessary web browser tabs and applications. Test your Wi Fi signal, and if you're in an area where Wi Fi could be an issue, try to find a more reliable area for the interview. Organise your background, clean and tidy is best. Or use a simple background screen setting. Most online platforms offer these. Look into the camera.  A photo next to the camera can remind you to do this. Test your lighting. It's best to have a light source in front and not behind you. If possible, keep any webcams at eye level. And finally, try to ensure you have no interruptions, maybe a do not disturb sign on the door and turn any notifications off. For phone interviews, charge your device, test your Wi Fi signal in the place you intend to take the interview. And again, set notifications to do not disturb. Ask yourself, is anything going to be unfamiliar? If so, what can you do to limit its impact? Always have a Plan B in place. Make sure you have the contact details of the employer to hand. If you run into technical difficulties or experience a travel delay. And handy to remember that you can book the booth in the Careers Service for interviews, Wi Fi is reliable and it's a quiet space. Tip 9: Reflect after the interview. We would recommend spending time after the interview reflecting on how the interview went. Getting into the practise of reflecting helps you acknowledge your areas of strength, as well as identifying areas for improvement. Think about and possibly jot down the different types of questions you were asked. What went well? Which questions did you feel most confident to answer? Are there any gaps in your skills that you would like to work on? What would you do differently? Next time, we would encourage you to ask for feedback from the employer for non-live interviews. You can also ask to see your video interview for your own development. Our tenth and final tip is to use the Careers Service. There's a huge range of information available on the Careers Service website. The link is shown here. Or scan the QR code. This is a good starting point and of course it's available 24/7. You can find our interview simulator to Interview360 on the careers service plus section of our website which is useful as well. For support and to prepare for your interview, you can book an appointment or practise interview with a careers consultant via MyCareerHub. You can find us in person at our two careers service areas in the third floor of the Main Library building at George Square, which is also where you'll find the interview booth. And the first floor at the Nucleus Kings buildings. Scan this QR code to see our schedule of careers information and advice drop ins. Finally, let's summarise and think about your next steps. Number 1, know the differences with the different types of interviews you may attend. Number 2, prepare. Preparation is key. 3, consider the types of questions you may be asked. Number 4, spend time practising to build your confidence. 5, think about your tone, pace, and body language. 6, persevere if things go wrong. 7, consider your appearance. 8, plan how to get there for in-person interviews or set up your technology for digital formats. 9, spend some time reflecting after the interview. And 10, finally, use the Careers Service. We would recommend that you take some time now to write down three actions you will complete as a result of watching this session. For example, has anything stood out to you about this advice which you now feel is a priority to address? Have you learned something new which you'd like to follow up on with further research or practise? Thank you for listening and best of luck with your upcoming interviews.