Winning At Interviews

Are you getting interviews but not getting the job?

Told ‘you did well but came a close second’?

Not had an interview for many years and find the thought terrifying?
 
Don’t worry – help is at hand!

SMP Solutions has a fantastic success record (see Lynda, Veronica's and Jo's personal success stories) of helping our clients to beat their interview blues by coaching you to adopt winning strategies!

We have 3 solutions and will tailor a session or sessions to suit your needs taking account of location, time and budget:

1) Face to face 1:1 Interview Skills Coaching and Practice
Typically a mixture of interview best practice, interview practice and review -  Minimum 2 hour session. 

2) Telephone Coaching
Can be a similar mix to the face to face session but shorter 1 hour session or coaching on specifics that are of concern.

3) Winning @ Interviews Workshops 
In addition to running Interview Skills workshops as part of a Redundancy Outplacement Programme, we also run these workshops by specific request for clubs or a group of individuals.   

If you have a few friends or colleagues who have a similar need then why not make up a group of your own and contact us for a customised quote to suit your needs.

What is the purpose of an interview?

This is not a trick question but one that many candidates overlook

• It is a 2 way opportunity for the employer to decide if you are right for the job and for you to decide if the job is right for you

• Your opportunity to sell yourself 

• Opportunity for the employer to sell themselves to you

What are the secrets of winning at Interviews?

There are dozens of websites and many consultancies that will provide lots of valuable information to help. However, the majority only tell you about the ‘traditional’ face to face process.

We will take the lid off and uncover the many possibilities.

How many different types of Interviews are there?
 
In today’s technological age and with competition for talent being fiercer than ever, employers are becoming increasingly creative to ensure they find the right candidates! The list below will give you a flavour but is not exhaustive:

• Telephone (normally pre- arranged but could be ad hoc, as a result of sending out your CV or from some previous networking)  

• Video conferencing (usually to a different part of the world)

• Practical (e.g. have to build or demonstrate something)

• Presentations (usually planned but sometimes on spec as part of the interview to see how you cope under pressure) 

• Tests (ability & aptitude)

• Personality profiling 

• Group (could be group exercises and role plays or 1 large group to see how people interact)

• Assessment Centres (usually full day events covering a range of activities) 

• HR/Screening (often a first stage to eliminate a large percentage of candidates)

• Technical (detailed questioning of a technical nature by line manager) 

• Panel (anything from 2 upwards – 17 is the record we know of!)

• 1:1

• Formal (usually HR led and well structured) 

• Informal (could be in the pub or ‘trial by sherry’)

• Unstructured (could be fairly random, ‘going with the flow’)

• ‘Stress’ (typically senior posts, as you may have seen in ‘The Apprentice’) 

• ‘Hidden’ – the sneakiest of the lot, as you are unlikely to realise!

Employers nowadays often have multiple rounds of interviews to narrow down the candidates, with potential combinations of any from this list, over a period of weeks.

What should I do next?

The good news is that you won’t need to know everything about all these interview possibilities. However, we will be delighted to help you with your specific interview needs. 

The next step is to see how we can help and give us a call on: 01895 474887 or contact us via email.

1. 4 P’s – Plan, Prepare, Practice, Punctual – Preparation is key e.g. research on company, culture, job role, your journey, type of interview, what you have to offer, your questions plus practice, practice, practice!

2. Belief – you must believe that you have a chance of success  

3. Positive, polite and enthusiastic – SMILE and show confidence!

4. Remember first impressions count - dress for success and aim to quickly build rapport

5. Importance of listening, keeping eye contact and positive body language

6. ‘Aim to intrigue not inform’ - don’t waffle and illustrate your points with specific examples, showing competence

7. Sell yourself  by highlighting achievements and positives – don’t say anything that could be misconstrued or deemed as negative  

8. Ask relevant questions and show interest 

9. Expect the unexpected – watch out for the ‘wobblers’ and stay calm and if in doubt ask for clarification rather than ‘winging it’

10. Follow up afterwards – send an email to thank the interviewer and express your interest