Whilst it is impossible to anticipate all the questions that might be asked in interview, you should however prepare for the most common ones that professional interviewers tend to rely on. I have outlined below the ten most popular interview questions and given some guidelines on how to best answer them.
Hybrid working has placed increasing demands on organisations; changing how we collaborate with colleagues and blurring the boundaries between work and home.
More than ever, employers are placing a premium on emotional intelligence in their selection process to ensure their teams have the inbuilt flexibility required to weather any unexpected storms, yet remain on course.
With this in mind, what are the three top qualities employers look for?
In our youth obsessed culture, what’s the best way to navigate unconscious bias in interviews? Acknowledging its existence is a good starting point. Many of us have internalised the idea that risk, energy and agility are the preserve of the young. Yet when you reflect more deeply, we all know people in their 20s who crave security and routine, preferring Netflix to running marathons. The reality is, there’s as much diversity in the over 40s as there is in the under 40s.
To ensure you don’t get blindsided by ageism in interviews, consider paying attention to the following five areas:
The elephant in the room for many interviewers is whether you can work well with leaders who are younger than you. A good way of addressing this in the interview is by highlighting where you’ve worked on projects with younger mangers. Emphasise how you enjoyed collaborating with them and what you learnt from them. This will help present you as a team player and someone who can adapt easily to new situations.
Lead with passion not experience. Reframing your experience as passion will position you as someone who’s dynamic and constantly looking to expand your knowledge. Instead of saying “I’ve 20 years experience in the FMCG sector”, try saying “I’ve a passion for the FMCG and have focused my energies in building my knowledge in this sector.” By doing this you’re recognising that your journey is never ending and that you welcome new ideas and other peoples’ perspectives.
Many organisations now embrace a collaborative style of management which values initiative and the team development. In the interview position yourself as someone who champions this. Be aware of your language. Talk about how you “lead you team” instead of “managing your staff.” Emphasise how you empower people to reach their potential and find meaning in their work.
Having a natural curiosity and managing your learning and development is really important for employers. Skills get outdated very quickly so staying relevant through doing further education, attending seminars and going to networking events to stay abreast of industry trends is essential if you want to stay relevant.
When you’re researching the company, think critically about challenges they’re facing and what opportunities may exist. Use your network to speak to people in the company to get up to speed on current projects or developments. Strengthen your sector expertise by reading articles and meeting other contacts in their field.
By anticipating these challenges and highlighting how you’re addressed similar issues in the past, you’ll present yourself as a solutions focused, action oriented player.
Harvey Coleman in “Empowering Yourself. The Organisational Game Revealed.” attributes 30% of career success to image, so it’s worth paying attention to. Ask yourself what your clothes and body language are saying about you. If you’re not sure, ask a friend to give you honest feedback.
These steps will help you make that vital connection with the interview panel and spotlight the attention on why you’re the best fit for the role.
Laura McGrath is an Executive Coach with a background in recruitment and career coaching. She has a post graduate qualification in Executive Coaching from the IMI and has been a guest lecturer with Trinity College Dublin and TU Dublin. For more information call 087 669 1192 or leave a message on https://interviewtechniques.ie/contact/.
Throughout my career I’ve worked in partnership with hiring managers to ensure they attract and retain the best talent. In the past five years in executive interviews there’s been an increased emphasis on soft skills, with particular attention being paid to three focus areas. What are those skills? Influencing, learning agility and emotional intelligence.
In this article, I’ll explore why these qualities are important and guide you on how to weave them into the interview process.
As many organisations are moving from functional to matrix structures, soft power is becoming increasingly important. Cross collaboration and working in multidisciplinary teams are key tools used by organisations in their quest to be innovative and adapt with pace.
In your job interview it’s important to demonstrate your ability to get support from people over whom you’ve no direct authority. Highlight how you dedicate time to building new networks when you start a new position. Talk about how you invest energy in people you believe will be critical to your success. Give examples of how you identify those who are likely to support you and negotiate favourable outcomes with your opponents.
In a recent interview with the Harvard Business Review, Julie Sweet the CEO of Accenture stated that the ability to learn was the number one quality she valued. Whilst you may be hired for a particular skill set, rapid technological change necessitates a proactive approach to keep continuously updated.
How can you show your learning agility in interviews? By giving examples of how you continuously look for stretch assignments to get exposure to new skill sets. You can also highlight how you nurture a broad network to get access to new ideas and information. Consider giving examples of how feedback from clients has given new insights and improved your department’s performance. Further education, CPD and attending conferences are also highly regarded.
A leader’s mood and behaviour is like an electrical current, driving the energy of their team. An optimistic, authentic leader will infuse his team with these same qualities; ultimately feeding into financial performance and the bottom line.
It can be common to approach the interview process as an exam, where success or failure depends on your answering questions correctly. Reframing the interview from a competitive process to one where you’re in negotiations with a business partner of equals can be useful. Remind yourself that you both have a common goal – to explore if you can work well together. This reframing will help you be yourself, getting out of “interview speak” and anchor you in the present. Showing your warmth and personality is powerful in an interview as it creates that vital connection with the hiring manager. Being aware of how you show up in an interview can give you that critical edge.
The best way to stand out in executive interviews is to think like a buyer not a seller. By reflecting on what’s most important to prospective employers you’ll be able to address their concerns before they’re even aware of them. In senior management and executive interviews, highlighting these 3 qualities will give you that critical edge over other the competition.
Laura McGrath is an Executive Coach with a background in executive recruitment and career coaching. She has a post graduate qualification in Executive Coaching from the IMI and has been a guest lecturer with Trinity College Dublin and TU Dublin. Laura has recently hosted an interview masterclass webinar for the Institute of Chartered Public Accountants. For more information call 087 669 1192 or leave a message on https://interviewtechniques.ie/contact/
Even if this question isn’t specifically asked in the interview, it will be the elephant in the room. With this in mind, what do you need to consider when answering the question “where do you see yourself in five years’ time?”
Negotiating salary is an exercise that many people find uncomfortable, even in a buoyant market. It is worthwhile remembering that regardless of the economic climate, good candidates are always hard to find. An employer is looking for a specific combination of qualities – relevant work experience, technical and IT skills, cultural fit, ability to fit in with the team – so when they identify their preferred candidate they are usually willing to negotiate on salary. With this in mind, how can you increase your influence at the negotiating table?
Humour and interviews don’t often go hand in hand but to get your year off on a happy note, we would like to share some funny stories with you. These are taken from a survey we recently conducted with over 1,000 Human Resource Managers.
Sweaty palms, racing heart, blood pumping through the veins. Only 60 minutes to prove yourself and wipe the competition to the floor. Winner takes all, no prizes for runners up. These days, interviews are a fraught process, brutally competitive and require nerves of steel.
Many of these emotions are also experienced by athletes before entering a big competition. Sports psychologists have been employed by world class athletes since the1988 Olympics, to help them manage the intense pressure that comes with competing in world championships. In this article we will look at some of the mental exercises used by elite athletes to ensure they excel in their field and win that coveted gold medal.
Competency Interview Questions – Problem Solving
As today’s market place is dominated by uncertainty, employers are placing an increasingly high value on a candidate’s ability to problem solve, show sound judgement and make quick decisions.
Whilst promotional interviews share many of the same features as traditional interviews, you need to be aware of their subtle differences to ensure you avoid any potential pitfalls and that you maximise your performance.
When asking employers for feedback as to how they selected their preferred candidate in a closely run interview contest, the answer often comes down to the quality of questions asked at the end of the interview. Yet whilst preparing for such meetings, job-seekers often neglect spending time in selecting the most appropriate questions to ask.
New Year, new start……. time to get your house in order, shed the Christmas kilos and put some vigour back into your job search.
When entering the New Year –it is important to start on a positive note. Acknowledge that searching for a job is difficult and will take some time and on some days it can be very hard to stay positive.
Whilst none of us can control global economic forces or government policy, in a job search, the one thing you can control is your outlook and attitude.
In our previous article we discussed the main reasons why people fail to secure a job offer and suggested focusing on three main areas to heighten chances of success.
In this article we will concentrate on guiding you through the second interview process. As with the first interview, preparation is the key to success. There are some subtle differences, however, between the first and second interview and it is worth highlighting these to help you in your preparation.
Why do employers value team work?
In a recent survey, teamwork and communication skills ranked amongst the top five qualities sought by employers. Many companies are now focusing on team building as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors in the belief that it will positively impact their bottom line. They recognise that team work brings about synergy – “the sum of the parts being greater than the whole” and if implemented correctly, teambuilding can make a company more productive, increase staff morale and foster innovation.
Many multinational companies use telephone interviews as an initial screening tool when hiring candidates. From their point of view it’s a quick, cheap way of assessing candidate suitability and finding out if they’ll fit the company culture.
There are some crucial differences between telephone and face to face interviews and understanding these will help you get through to the next stage.
Take Control of Your Future & Unlock Your Full Potential. I work with clients face-to-face and on skype or zoom.
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