Add impact to your
job interviews
How can you be a memorable candidate? Stephanie
Sparrow reports
Setting out your achievements, technical skills and
academic qualifications on a CV could help secure an interview, but an
interview which demonstrates your interpersonal skills will take you over the
final hurdle to win a job in the science industries.
Qualities such as communication skills will add impact
to your efforts, say specialist recruiters as they look at job opportunities
ahead. The increasingly collaborative, and international, nature of work, and
the involvement of smaller investors, means that candidates who can express
themselves with energy and professionalism are highly sought-after.
Apply research skills-Job Interview:
Good research and analytical skills have taken you
this far in your science career, and an interview offers the chance to put them
to good use.
In addition, find out about the people who are
interviewing you—did they set up the company for example? Why? What are their
aims? If the interview is at a large multi-national what career path did your
interviewers follow? Can you relate to their motivations, or the company’s
mission statement to your own?
The benchmark of a successful interview is whether it
becomes a dialogue. Finding important detail in advance will help you to ask
and answer questions, and to establish conversation.
Understand the job and why you want it:
Following the research pattern above will make you
into a well-informed interviewee, but you need to back this up with self-
knowledge.
“No matter what role the interview is for, you need to
communicate why you want to do it.
Impactful candidates are those who remember Peacock’s
advice and go on to talk about the benefits they can bring to a company. They
show their pre-interview research and flesh out statements on their resumes.
Know the competencies:
By the time you have reached interview stage you
should be aware of the competencies (behaviors', knowledge and skills) required
to do the role because the people specification is included in most recruitment
adverts.
Impact interviewees are those who are ready to be
questioned about what are commonly called behavioral competencies and define
the type of people who would work well in that company. “Be prepared”, says
Ricky Martin, managing director of Hyper Recruitment Solutions. “The technical
fit [of skills] could already be obvious, but employers want to see a cultural
fit too.”
Thorough research should help you to pick up clues on
what you could be asked, and allow you to think ahead. So, if the advert asks
for “an innovative thinker who can drive change”, be prepared for a question
along the lines of: “describe a time when you had to win the trust of your
colleagues and implement change.”
Enjoy the rehearsal:
Always be confident and curious when you go to
interview. Think of it as a rehearsal for the job which will give you an
insight into who you could be working with, and how you would be expected to
work. Thinking ahead about what you could be asked, and what you would like to
ask, will boost your confidence.
Remember that the international and collaborative
nature of much emerging work across the sciences requires good communicators.
You might be asked to give a presentation or answer a curve-ball question such
as the perennial favorite: “how would you sell me this pen”.
Employers are looking for other qualities too:
“Candidates
should have get-up-and-go. In any role you have to keep going. You need to be
self-motivated, work on initiative and show resilience.
Candidates who exhibit those qualities, which they can
back up with examples of their achievements, will have impact she says.
How to answer tough
interview questions
Your ability to deal with tough questions during an
interview is based on how well you have anticipated potential questions and
prepared how you will answer each one. Practice makes perfect, so rehearse a
variety of types of questions in front of a mirror or with someone you trust.
You will appear more relaxed and confident if you've practiced the most likely
technical, competency-based and general questions beforehand. Most importantly
make sure you know everything you can about the role, company and industry
before stepping into the interview.
Tell Me about Yourself:
This is the same question as "Why do you want
this job?" and "Why should we hire you?" so make sure you that
you have prepared a brief summary of your background and are ready to speak
clearly and confidently. Here is your chance to demonstrate why you are the
right person for the job and you should aim to speak for about two or three
minutes. Talk about how your skills and qualifications have prepared you for
the role and how it how it fits in with your career goals. Demonstrate that
you've done your research and are aware of the challenges facing the company,
along with identifying the skills that are essential for the position.
Highlight the unique qualities you bring to the table that will put you ahead
of the other candidates, who may well have similar backgrounds to you. Then
give a couple of examples of your achievements and ask the interviewer if they
would like you to go into more detail.
Remember that "Tell me about yourself" means
“Tell me why I need you on my team”. It's also an icebreaker and a way for the
interviewer to get some insight into your personality and see how well you
communicate and build rapport. Overall, be ready to share your strengths and
areas of expertise to make a good first impression. If you sense it is
appropriate, then you may wish to share some of your interests, such as team
sports or volunteering, in order to show you are a well-rounded individual. Be
sure to avoid controversial topics and anything that might cause concern about
your character. Note that there is no need to discuss your family or private
life, however if you do then this is entirely up to you.
What Areas Are You Looking To Improve?
Although this is another way of asking about your
weaknesses, don’t miss the point of the question. The interviewer is testing
your self-awareness, willingness to learn, and ability to bring about change
and improvements. It’s generally good advice to choose a weakness that isn't
critical to the role and explain the steps you’re taking to improve yourself.
Never try to deceive the interviewer by presenting strength as a weakness, but
rather speak honestly about a flaw and your strategy to overcome it.
Tell Me About a Time When You Had To Overcome a
Problem:
This is a classic competency-based question, so it’s
smart to prepare three or four examples in advance. Structure your answer by
talking about the challenge you faced followed by how you analyzed the possible
solutions and then reflects on the outcome and what you learned from the
experience. This question is designed to test whether you have the key
abilities necessary for the role, as well as communication, time management and
team-working skills.