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Attending an interview is usually a nerve-wracking time. Those who say that they don’t feel stage fright are either not taking the meeting seriously or are committing terminological inexactitudes! Preparation is paramount, so here are a few tips to help you through the experience.
Be prepared
Everyone likes to make a good impression, so start by selecting appropriate clothes from your wardrobe. If this is to be your first job in the pharmaceutical industry, take note that most people dress conservatively. Ladies: a trouser suit is perfectly in order if you prefer that style. Gentlemen: a dark suit, collar, tie and well shined shoes are appropriate. Pay particular attention to personal grooming and remember that excessive jewellery, perfume/aftershave can leave the wrong impression.
Make yourself familiar with the company’s website and find out the names of the people you will be meeting. Be ready to answer questions about your personal characteristics, your current role, your achievements and your reasons for wanting to change jobs. Find out in good time what style of interviewing the company uses. For instance, many companies use competency based interviews. Unless you are prepared for this, there can be awkward silences whilst you think of answers. Typical competency questions would start with “Tell me about a time when you had to ….” or “Give me an example of …” or “How did you feel when …” Your recruitment consultant (if you are working through an agency) should be able to help you to prepare.
Planning your journey seems an obvious suggestion, but not everyone allows time for hold-ups. If you are travelling by car, will parking be available for visitors on the day of your interview? If you are travelling by train, how will you get from the station to the company? Will you have to report to a security point to be allowed to enter the company’s complex? Such procedures can take longer than expected and can result in eating into precious minutes that you were going to use to settle your nerves. To avoid unnecessary surprises when you reach the company’s offices, telephone a few days beforehand and speak to someone who can give you the advice you need. A general rule is to arrive at the company’s reception desk no later than 5 minutes before the interview time and no earlier than 20 minutes.
At the interview
No matter what level of position you have, remember to be polite and courteous to everyone you meet. Take note - receptionists and secretaries are often asked what they thought of interviewees. Happy people are more likely to be employed than miserable people. I have no statistics to support this; it just seems commonsense, so remember to greet people with a smile and avoid negative comments about the weather or your journey. Where appropriate, for instance with the interviewers, offer to shake hands. This simple greeting helps to create a bond between two people. However, for some, for instance those attending their first interview, it can be a strange experience. After all, university undergraduates usually don’t get a lot of practice at shaking hands. Therefore, take the time to practise this common greeting before you attend interview. Remember to shake hands firmly - a limp handshake can be very off-putting.
It may be apparent from a notepad or papers on a desk where the interviewer has chosen to sit. If you have a choice, choose a chair across the desk from the interviewer but not too close. Remember to lean against the back of the chair. Sometimes people who are nervous sit forward or perhaps bolt upright which creates tension in the posture. Using the back of the chair will help you to relax. What should you do with your hands? If you have brought a notepad and pen with you, the question is solved. Interviewers won’t object to you resting a notepad on your lap. You may have chosen to write down a few questions of your own, so using this simple aide will help you to remember them.
Make eye contact with the person who is speaking to you. Obviously, you can take this to extremes by fixing the person with a stare, which certainly won’t give the right impression.
Listen attentively and give concise and unambiguous answers. It is sometimes the case that you won’t know how long the interview is expected to last, so don’t ramble or provide information that has not been requested. If the interviewer’s style is one of “Tell me about yourself”, you can assume that he/she wants to know what skills you have that are relevant to the vacancy and why you should be offered the job. Make sure you’ve thoroughly read the job description. In an interview situation, these can be regarded as examination papers to which your skills and experience should provide the answers. At all times, be honest and be yourself. Don’t be lured into informality or making disparaging remarks about the company’s competitors or people with whom you have worked. Remember that an interview is a two-way process, so ask sufficient questions to allow you to find out what you need to know about the company, the role and the person to whom you will report. As a general rule, it is customary to reserve negotiations on salary and benefits until later in the selection process.
When there is a clear signal that the interview is at an end, thank the interviewer for their time and shake hands, remembering to smile and use eye contact.
After the interview
If the interview has been arranged by a recruitment agency, they need to speak with you as soon as possible after your meeting. Your memory of events, questions and your answers will be clearest at that time. Your impression is just as important to them as hearing what the company thinks about you. Most importantly, they will want to know if you will accept the job if it is offered, subject of course to salary and benefit negotiations.
If you approached the company directly, you should write a personal letter to the interviewer as soon as possible after the interview. This further reminds the interviewer of your candidature. Unless you have been advised that you will not hear news for a specified period of time, allow no more than one week for news of the outcome of the interview, after which you should telephone the company and ask to speak with the interviewer or his PA in order to find out whether you are to be offered the job or if you will be invited back for further meetings in the selection process.
Good Luck!
Copyright © 2009 PDR Partners, incorporating Bob Gammon Associates. |
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