Cardinal candidate sins

...Forget your place

I've had many candidates acting in interview as if they were doing the employer a huge favour by attending, which only serves to ruin any chance of securing a position. However highly skilled and sought after a candidate may be, it is ultimately their job to sell themselves to an employer.

...Forget to mute that mobile

I've had a report from an interviewer about a candidate who had interrupted the interview to answer his mobile phone, at which point he slouched back in his chair, put his feet on the table and began tapping away at his laptop.

...Shoot yourself in the foot

I know of one candidate who said "I hate being managed by women" while being interviewed by a female manager!

Connex Recruitment

...Force your research about the company on the interviewer

The interviewer might be impressed to know that you have taken the trouble but you may come across as smart. Include what you have discovered in conversation rather than by producing reams of paper and charts!

...Criticise former employees or colleagues

It is important to keep the exchange of information as positive as possible. You don't want a recruiter to see any negative baggage that you could potentially bring with you. Also, a recruiter wouldn't want to think you would repeat criticism about them or their organisation!

...Talk about personal or domestic matters unless specifically asked to

Firstly, how relevant is this information in convincing a recruiter that you can do the job? Secondly, by going off the beaten track you are in danger of boring the recruiter, showing lack of focus and displaying poor listening skills.

...Read from your CV or refer to notes

You should be confident enough to discuss and expand upon your skills and achievements fluently without referring to supporting information. You may, however, need to refer to prepared questions that you want to ask at the end of the interview.

...Argue

It would be very unwise to take on the interviewer head to head, even if you felt it was warranted. Make yourself as attractive as possible without challenging the interviewer in any way.

Top questions to ask

To find out about the company

Our advice is to ask lots of open-ended questions which would encourage the employer to talk. Questions like: 'What is the vision for the company?' and 'How would you describe the culture in the business?'

You can also find out a lot about the company by directing questions to the interviewer in their capacity as an employee. For example: 'What attracted you (the interviewer) to join the company?' or 'How long have you been here and what has made you stay so long?'

Ask for more information on the company. If you have secured financial statements, then ask for more information about them. Engage the interviewer in a discussion about them. It is important to do this even if the position is a non-financial one. It shows that you have keen business sense. Also, it shows that you're aware that the meeting involves two parties. Similarly, ask questions on the company's vision, mission statement, and strategy for the coming years.
Office Team

In organisations with flatter structures, be careful when asking about promotion. A better way to tackle this would be 'how can you see the role developing?' Other questions to ask are: 'what circumstances have led you to be recruiting?' and 'how long do people stay in the role?'
Working Careers

To find out about the role

Find out if there are consistencies between your ambitions and the direction of the job by asking, for example, what development opportunities there are in the role.
Cooper Lomaz Recruitment

1 I have read the job description, can you expand on the job I will be doing?
2 What type of training is provided?
3 How do you see me in the role?
4 Do you have performance targets?
5 How will I know that I am doing well?
6 What are team members achieving?
Working Careers

It's important that you find out about the role in the wider context of the organisation. Asking questions about the organisation and the role will give you an idea of whether it is indeed the right job for you. Questions like: 'What will the scope for learning and development be?' and 'What are the opportunities for progression?' allow you to determine whether the job will take your career in the direction you have chosen for yourself.

Questions like: 'What can you tell me about my boss?' and 'Can you tell me about the management/leadership style within the business?' should give you an idea of whether the organisation's values and the way it operates will suit you. It's important that candidates inform themselves about what they're letting themselves in for. Often people will see a job advertised, and think I'd love to work for that company, without knowing what the reality of life inside that company is like.
Strategic Dimensions

To find out how well you've performed

I suggest that people ask for feedback at the end of the interview. For example, what's the next step in the hiring process, what sort of chance do I have, and so on. This shows that you're open-minded and mature enough to handle any criticism and advice. It also shows that you're mature enough to learn. Interviews have changed. It's not a secretive process anymore, where the company invites you in to screen you. It's now a transaction. Asking for feedback tells the interviewer that you see yourself as an equal party in a transaction.
Office Team

You must always close the sales process, so ask 'how do you see me fitting in?' and 'what is the next step [in the recruitment process]?'
Working Careers

To impress your potential employers

Ask questions that are focused on embodying your enthusiasm, as well as your willingness and ability:
1 What is the team working on at the moment?
2 Can I meet the team?
3 Can I look around?
4 What are your strategies for growth?
5 How soon do you want an employee in place?
6 If there was one major achievement that you would like to see happen within the role from the outset, what would it be?
7 Can you describe what made the last person successful in this role?
8 What are the immediate improvements or priorities that need to be applied to this role?
9 What changes would you like to see in the way the job is performed?
10 To ensure I would be able to hit the ground running would you be able to supply any procedures, literature or other supporting information in preparation for my first day in the role?

Dealing with 'trick' questions

Negative questions are more about how a candidate copes with the question. They are about putting the pressure on. Interviewers are certainly looking for honesty in the answers, but if the role involves pressure then they want to know how the candidate copes with pressure.
Cooper Lomaz Recruitment

Always answer the 'What are your weaknesses' question with honesty, but be careful in your choice of weaknesses. Don't give a long list. Make sure the weaknesses you talk about are real. Don't just list the classics like I am a perfectionist. Proving that you have a good knowledge of your weaknesses means you know yourself and are comfortable with yourself. List specific characteristics about yourself like I have a big group of friends rather than I am a team player.

It's important to be very open and honest. Don't try to hide things by saying things like 'I encountered this problem, but it wasn't my fault, it happened because I had a bad manager'. Don't be defensive. If you are asked to describe a time you made a mistake, explain exactly what happened and talk about what you learnt and what you would do in the future if faced with the same situation again.
Office Team

If you are asked about a time when you have made a mistake or had difficulties, always present your answer in terms of what you learned from the situation. Be careful, though, not to come across as too practised in the way you answer the question. I have seen people who interview very well, they come across as slick and packaged, but there's a sense that they are putting up a front. Interviewers look for honesty, so don't be afraid to inject a bit of yourself into the exchange. Don't be afraid to show that you are human. Don't compromise and don't try to be something you're not.
Strategic Dimensions

With any question like 'what would you say your weaknesses are?' employers are testing two issues: first, are you self-aware, ie are you able to see that there are things you are not so good at; and, secondly, are you the sort of person who does something to correct it? Avoid giving weaknesses critical to the job.

If they ask what salary you require, avoid being too specific. Use a phrase like: "In the range of..." Try not to discuss salary until you are offered the position because then you are in a better position to negotiate terms and responsibilities. If you are unsure what to answer, bounce the question back if this seems appropriate.

Another difficult question is 'describe a situation where your work or an idea was criticised'. You are being asked to describe how you handle criticism. It is advisable to describe a poor idea rather than poor work. What does matter is how you handled the criticism. So a good answer, for example, would be: "I asked for further advice, then we worked together to come up with a more viable idea. My supervisor/manager's input was invaluable."

If you're asked where you see yourself in five years' time, they're asking what will keep you motivated. To prepare, think about what has motivated you in the past that would be relevant to the job. For example it could be as simple as knowing that you are doing the job well.

Questions you're likely to face

http://www.workthing.com/career-advice/

"Why do you want to work for us?"
Explain why you see the company as an attractive employer. Financial package should never be given as a reason, but think about things like the company culture, training program, company structure, the ability to cross-train into different technologies, or the company's ethic. Obviously these need to be relevant and well-researched.

"Where do you see yourself in five years' time?"
Think about where you really want to be within a company: in a lead role with a team under you; or a lead consultant; or a director of the company. Be ambitious but realistic and have direction in your answers.

"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
Talk specifically about the positive things you've achieved to illustrate your strengths rather than generalising and make them relevant to the role you are going for. Try to show your weaknesses in a positive light and give examples of where you have addressed and overcome your weaknesses.

Office Team

"Why did you apply for this job?"
The candidate should be careful not to mention a desire for promotion or money. They should really focus on the actual content of the job, referring to the possibility of learning, new challenges, or the prospect of putting their previous experience to work in a new role. They should always provide examples with their answer, rather than just simply stating 'I'm ready for the next step.'

"Why should we hire you?"
Many companies will ask the candidate to sell themselves using their strengths. Prepare a list of your strengths beforehand and think about how they relate to the job. I would advise people not to be modest and to only speak about their weaknesses if they are asked directly. Of course you should avoid being arrogant as much as possible, but arrogance comes across in body language more than anything else.

Strategic Dimensions

"What are your major achievements in terms of your career, education and life to date?"
Achievement means different things to different people. For example, one person's idea of achievement might simply be the fact that they have completed their studies, particularly if, say, they experienced a tough time going through school. Another person's idea of achievement might be having secured a place on a good graduate scheme. It's not so much the actual achievement that's important in a candidate's answer, but the way they present it. This question always provides a good indication of a person's level of self-awareness.

"What motivates or drives you?"
For some people this could be learning or work/life balance, for others it could be money or professional acceleration. The answer really tells the interviewer about what makes someone tick. Not everyone wants to be a board director, and an interviewer isn't necessarily going to see it as a weakness if you don't. It's important to be honest.

"Tell me about your depth of knowledge in your subject area?"
Most job interviews are going involve questions about your professional knowledge. We are always interested in how a candidate keeps up to date in their field - what magazines and journals they read, what sort of models they are using in their work, what their network is like, whether they go to conferences - all of these things tell us about how a candidate keeps up their professional knowledge.