The vast majority of job applications involve an interview at some point, while some countries require you to attend an assessment centre. The below information will help you with preparing for these.
Interviews
Our Make Applications page has information and links to help you prepare for an interview, including examples of questions. To quote:
Interviews may seem scary, but they don’t have to be. By preparing well they can be a positive experience. Review your application form, letter or CV and build on the research you have started. Find out as much as you can about what the employer expects during their interview process and prepare and practise answers to typical interview questions.
Work out in advance what you will wear and how you will get to your interview; and on the day be positive and enthusiastic to make the best impression possible.
The Careers Network also delivered some workshops in Spring 2017 entitled Interview Workshop for International Students. Key points include that it doesn’t matter where you gained your skills as long as you can demonstrate them, how to answer ‘tell me about yourself’, the different types of interview questions and how to prepare for them.
In addition, pages 20 – 23 of ‘How to excel in applications and interviews’ also has information about different types of interviews and how to prepare for the questions you’ll be asked.
Video Interviews
The Careers Network has teamed up with Sonru, a leading provider of video interview software, to bring you the change to practise a video interview. Details on how to prepare for video interview and about Sonru can be found here. To quote from ‘How to excel in applications and interviews’:
Video interviews can sound scary, especially when you are responding to pre-recorded questions. But the more you can practise the more relaxed you will be for the real thing. These types of interviews may involve you talking face to face with the employer (like a Skype chat), you could have a recorded video of the employer giving you a question and you are allotted an amount of time to respond, or you may just have questions pop up on your screen for you to answer.
You may be given multiple chances to re-record your answer or you may only be given one chance. It is therefore important to establish what type of video interview you will be taking part in. Before your interview make sure to do the following:
- Dress smartly – you may be at home but you are still being assessed as if you were in an interview room.
- Take the interview in a quiet room with no distractions.
- Tidy the space behind you so the employer will not see any embarrassing posters, clothes strewn on the floor or dirty plates!
- Test your workspace: is the lighting correct? Do you have a reasonable enough internet connection? Do your microphone and webcam work? Is there any loud traffic outside?
Telephone Interviews
Telephone interviews may be similar to face to face interviews so remember to respond and act as if you were in the room with the employer. The benefit is that you can use notes to prompt you for difficult questions. However, be warned – too many notes can be distracting.
- Try to smile when you talk, it will help vary the tone of your voice and make you sound friendly and approachable. Consider dressing smartly to help you get into your ‘professional’ mind set.
- You will be told a time to expect your call so make sure you use a quiet room with a good phone signal.
- Have a notepad handy to take notes, but don’t use a computer if the interviewer can hear the keyboard tapping!
- Don’t worry if there are short silences at the other end, the employer is probably taking notes.
Assessment Centres
Assessment centres, (sometimes called second interviews), are often the final stage in the graduate recruitment process – and are increasingly used in placement selection too. They are usually held at the employer’s premises or a hotel and involve a variety of individual and group exercises designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate specific skills and qualities against a predetermined set of criteria.
Find out if you need to prepare anything to take with you to the assessment centre. Some employers ask you to prepare a short presentation. Identify which skills and qualities the organisation is looking for and work out how you can best demonstrate these. When you get there be friendly, positive and professional and be yourself. Make a contribution to all activities so that the assessors have something to mark you on.
For more detailed advice, see our guidebook – How to excel in applications and interviews 2017.
If you would like help with any of the above, then please do not hesitate to book an appointment with the Careers Network.
