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.
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.
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?”
Anxiety and fear of interviews is a common problem. As a business coach, I have worked with clients whose fear has crippled their career development and earning potential. My clients are very capable and know their anxiety is irrational but sometimes that’s not enough. It takes time and effort to understand and overcome such emotions but all is possible with the right help.
Competency questions are still hugely popular and form part of most interviews. Whilst recent research has questioned their value in predicting success in fast moving environments (Harvard Business Review Feb 10th 2016), you’d be well advised to anticipate competency questions and have examples to hand.
Here’s a few things to consider in the lead up to your interview:
Be strategic with your examples:
Review the last 5 years in your job, identify your biggest wins and build your examples around them. Choose examples that most closely align with your target role. For promotion interviews, try to choose examples where you’ve already “acted up” in your role – eg where you’ve deputised for your manager or taken a lead role in a project.
In his book “Empowering Yourself”, Harvey Coleman puts career success under the microscope to get a better understanding of where you should spend your energy to get maximum return. It turns out that being great at your job isn’t enough – in fact it accounts for only 10 % of career success. It’s just the entry point. Your image, exposure and how people perceive you accounts for the remaining 90 %. In a nutshell, to be successful, people need to know who you are, what you do and why it matters.
Linkedin is a great vehicle for boosting your exposure. It allows you showcase your expertise and lets people know what value you can bring to a company and how you can contribute to its success.
Here’s 10 tips you should consider when crafting your online profile.
Being told that you were unsuccessful in interview is a brutal blow but it is important to view each interview as a learning experience, quickly identify where you fell down and make the necessary changes to ensure that next time round you get over the line. To help you critically assess your performance, I have outlined below the five most common interview mistakes.
Fashion touches every aspect of our lives – our latest phone model, hair style, colours we wear, music we buy…. The recruitment sector is no different and is subject to “what’s hot and what’s not”. So what are the latest interview trends and how do you best adapt your style to beat the competition?
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.
Take Control of Your Future & Unlock Your Full Potential. I work with clients face-to-face and on skype or zoom.
Could you benefit from interview coaching?
Maybe you haven’t interviewed in several years and you’re rusty or you’re already good at interviews but want to get that extra edge to land you the job.
