5 top tips for acing the interview

As we move into a new year, now would be a good time to think about what you would like to achieve by the end of 2024 and consider whether your current role is likely to enable this or not. If it isn’t, then perhaps a change is in order and a new position in a different company might be the answer in which case here are five top tips to maximise your chances of successfully negotiating the interview. 

1.     Do Your Preparation

It is well worth thinking hard about the reasons you want to leave your current role and determine whether the decision is based on the nature of the work, personal growth, the people you are working with or for or the culture of the business. Your decision about which jobs to apply for depends very heavily on this and you are highly likely to be asked why you want the role anyway. Simply having the skill to do the job is not a sufficiently good reason to apply for it. Also ensure that you find out as much as you can about the company in advance since being able to talk intelligently about what the company does will reflect well on your level of interest in the job.

2.     Have some key examples at the ready

Some interviewers use what is known as a ‘competency based selection’ interviewing approach. This technique looks for evidence that a particular skill or level of experience exists and usually asks for specific examples that demonstrate this. If you think back over your career, chances are that you should be able to identify at least three or four examples which demonstrate specific skills or experience you possess. Often there are multiple positive aspects associated with these that you can use to demonstrate knowledge, work ethic, integrity, teamwork or leadership etc.

3.     Get the balance right

The whole purpose of an interview is for the candidate to give the best possible account of themselves so that the prospective employer is able to make a sound judgment on their suitability for the vacant role. This means that there is no point being unduly modest about your achievements since the interviewer needs to know about what you have done well. Having said that, this should be done with a certain level of humility so that you don’t fall into the trap of coming across as arrogant or boastful. Aim for quiet self-confidence and be prepared to share some of your failures as well, ideally along with what you learned from these.

4.     Listen well

May sound obvious, but there is usually a good reason for the question itself and so it is worth taking the time to think briefly about what may be behind it so that you give an appropriate reply.  There is nothing wrong with taking the time to think and so avoid the temptation to give an off the top of the head response. Understanding what the interviewer is looking for may allow you to draw on other relevant skills or experiences to provide a more comprehensive answer.

5.     Have great questions prepared

Having three to four questions that you genuinely want answered will demonstrate interest in the role and may well come out of the preparation activity mentioned in item 1. above.  Two that I believe are essential are to find out as much as you can about the culture of the company (how do they describe it? what do they want it to be?) and the second concerns the nature of the role (what are the specific responsibilities and will these change over time etc). Good luck!

Ian Ash ACC, AInstIB

Managing Director OrgMent Business Solutions - www.omtalent.com.au