Interviewing is like most things–

interview tips

the positive impressions you make with thecompanies you meet may become invaluable

the more you do it, the better at it you can

expect to become. The reality however is that

most people don’t interview well. They either

don’t know how to interview effectively or they

simply don’t take the time to prepare.

As a result, their interview technique is not

always reflective of their true abilities and they

can lose important career opportunities. Even if

the nature of your interview with a company is

exploratory and you have not decided on your

level of interest in the opportunity, we still

recommend preparing well for the meeting.

Creating a positive impression is important

irrespective of your motivations. Besides, in a

rapidly changing world, your motivations and

your options may change sooner than you

think. The positive impressions you make with

the companies you meet may become invalu-

able to you at a later date.

No matter what style of interview you encounter

(competency-based, behaviour-based, etc.)

many of the principles below will help you to

prepare. If you are not confident about your

ability to perform well in interviews, taking the

time to plan and develop an effective presenta-

tion is critical to your success. By following our

approach, we feel confident that you’ll see an

improvement in your ability to secure the posi-

tion you want.

building avalue proposition

Many of the principles applied to selling a product also apply to selling yourself in an interview. When companies are hiring, they are looking for people who can provide solutions to a problem or need. Your value proposition is essentially what you have to offer versus a company’s needs as perceived by the interviewer. If the perceived value of what you have to offer is not a solution, chances are you are not going to pass the interview stage

How do you build an effective valueproposition? There is no single best answer, but there are a number of critical things you should consider.

What is important to you?

Before you start thinking about how to present your

skills and experiences, we first recommend asking

yourself some fundamental questions to help clarify

what your objectives really are and what is important

to you.

These questions are not always easy to answer and

will raise other questions. We recommend you put

some thought into this if you really want to perform at

your best during an interview. Here’s why:

a. What type of role/function are you most interested

in pursuing and why?

b. What kind of company do you want to work for

and why?

a. The clearer your objectives are to you, the clearer

they will be to the interviewer. This should improve

your connection with the interviewer and increase

your chances of success.

b. When you understand what you want, it makes it

easier for you to link your motivations to the needs of

the organization. This alignment is important, not just

for the interview, but for your mid-long term prospects

with the company you are interviewing with.

Do you understand the position?

The more you understand about the position and the

challenges it presents, the better your ability to relate

your skills and experiences. The less you know, the

more difficult it will be to prepare and make that

connection. Consider the following:

a. What are the primary responsibilities and skill

requirements for the position?

You need to know what is going to be required of you

in the role if you are going to relate your own skills and

experiences and sell yourself as a solution.

b. Is it a replacement or newly created position?

A newly created position will most likely involve building

new systems and processes. A replacement position

usually means someone has either resigned or been

asked to leave. Either way you should try to find out why.

c. What career advancement and learning

potential does the position offer?

Because part of selling yourself includes selling your

potential to grow (your future career objectives), you

need to know where this position is leading for you to

make the connection.

d. Who will you be reporting to?

Knowing who you will reporting to, their background,

management style and skill set are important points

for you to understand when presenting yourself. If, for

example, the position requires reporting to someone

off-shore, you will know how best to address this

depending on your experience. If the position requires

reporting to someone in a foreign language, the

same applies.

Do you understand the organization?

Simply understanding the position is not enough. Take

some time to ask some strategic questions about the

company, their culture, leadership, market specialization,

strengths and weaknesses. You can then align your

value proposition and objectives to the overall

challenges and opportunities which exist.

The knowledge you gain in researching the company

and the industry will also be beneficial in showing the

interviewer that you are thoughtful and have invested

time to learn about their organization.

Here are a few suggestions:

a. What products or services does the company

specialize in?

b. What challenges is the company facing in

the market?

c. What are the opportunities?

d. Who are their customers?

e. Who are their key competitors and where is

the company placed against them?

f. What is the firm’s corporate culture and does

it seem like a match for you?

building yourvalue proposition

Again, relate your skills to the needs of the organiza-

tion. Once you are clear on this, the challenge will be

communicating it effectively.

Interviewers need to see evidence of you doing the

things you say can do in order to visualize you doing

the same work in their organization. The simplest way

to do this is anecdotally - by giving specific examples

of you demonstrating these skills/benefits in your

current or previous positions.

Quantifying your results is also a powerful way of

convincing people that you can do what you say

you can. For example, if you believe that the design

and implementation of a new CRM system you

were responsible for in a previous role resulted in

increased sales, you should be able to quantify those

improvements with actual numbers. What was the

improvement post implementation – 10%? What

aspects of the new system can be attributed to

the improved results?

What are three of the mostvaluable skills/benefits that Ican bring to the organization?

Good companies don’t simply want people who fulfil

the skill criteria for a position. They want people who

are a good cultural fit, who are ambitious and can

progress within the organization and add value beyond

the role they are hired for. The more you can show that

your objectives are aligned with the organization, the

easier it is for the interviewer to imagine you in the role.

Are my career objectivesand the needs of theorganization aligned?

Once you have a deeper understanding of the firm and their needs, you should be in a stronger position to understand how relevant your skills and experience are, and how you can add value. You need to be versatile when presenting your value proposition. You should be able to draw on pieces of it throughout the interview as required.

Ask yourself the following questions as they relate to your value proposition:

you shouldbe in a

strongerposition tounderstandhow relevantyour skills

& experienceare

No matter how con�dent you are with your value proposition, it’s essential you develop a strong level of rapport with the

interviewer. If you can’t achieve this with the interviewer, how can you expect him/her to visualize you building rapport

with customers or with the rest of the team? Here are a few tips which may help:

engage theinterviewer

Most interviewers are not trained to interview

people. Most interviews are conducted without

a clear methodology in place. As a result �nal

judgements are usually based on intuition or

“gut feeling”. Whether you are interviewing an

experienced interviewer or someone who has

no idea, it’s important to make sure the

interview is a discussion, not a Q&A session.

Take the opportunity to lead the meeting when

the opportunity arises. Direct the conversation

in a way which allows you to articulate your

value proposition. Since most interviewers

aren’t prepared, they will often appreciate you

�lling in the gaps and leading the discussion in

a constructive manner.

have an opinionAmbitious companies want people who can

think, make decisions and see the bigger

picture. Be inquisitive and express your

opinions on the small things and on the big

things - like where the market is going and

were you see key business opportunities.

be honestand open

Being you is important. When people can

see you are genuine, they will like you all the

more for it.

Highlight your achievements but be open about

the mistakes you have made. Talking about a

mistake can work to your advantage, as long as

you show you have learnt from the mistake and

improved as a result.

ask greatquestions

The best candidates don’t simply give great

responses, they ask great questions. Interview -

ing is your chance to sell yourself, but it’s also

an opportunity for you to gather information and

get answers to critical questions you need in

order to decide if this is the right opportunity for

you. Interviewers will respect you more when

they can see you are clear about what you

want and what is important to you and that you

won’t accept any o�er which comes along.

Prepare questions which are important to you

but at the same time are challenging and will

make the interviewer think.

building rapport

be positiveHaving a positive and con�dent outlook is

critical. Even if both you and the interviewer

know that the position is a little beyond the

scope of your experience and skills, enthusi -

asm and a “can do” attitude are worth a

thousand words on a resume. Preparing well

for the interview will help you to be more

positive about your ability to meet the challenges

of the position.

talk aboutyour passions

Genuine enthusiasm is contagious. Explaining

what aspects of your work and life you are

passionate about is a great tool for engaging

the interviewer and giving them a greater insight

into what type of person you are. Make a

shortlist of the things you love about your work,

your company, your life. You may �nd you have

a lot in common with the interviewer and �nding

these commonalities is a sure way to help build

rapport. Show what it is that stimulates and

drives you.

listen While some interviewers talk too much and

don’t listen well, all interviewers will notice if you

aren’t listening to them. Giving 100% of your

attention is critical. Don’t get distracted.

be awareof your posture

Observant interviewers take note of the way

you communicate physically - your body

language. Sit up straight and take pride in your

appearance. Always maintain good eye contact

and avoid crossing your arms across your

chest or crossing your legs since these are

often construed as signs of insecurity.

always berespectful

Not matter who you are interviewing with

(someone senior or junior to you), always be

respectful and remember your place as a guest

within their organization. This doesn’t mean you

can’t have a di�ering opinion, but you should

always show the utmost respect for the

individual interviewing you and their organization.

Any whi� of disrespect and the opportunity will

be taken from you.

frequently askedinterview questions

Be honest about your reasons for moving, but never

be negative about a previous position or employer,

even if you feel you have the right to. The interviewer

may know more about your current or previous firms

than you imagine and negative comments can raise

red flags about your suitability.

If your reason for moving is to find a more challenging

role, explain that what your present position has been

a great learning experience but you need something

more stimulating and in line with your career objectives.

If you aren’t actively looking to change jobs and you

are simply taking the interview to explore other options,

be honest about it – just make sure the interviewer

doesn’t feel you are wasting their time.

An appropriate explanation could be something like

this: “I’m happy in my current role, it’s stimulating and

it’s been a great experience for me, but I’m always

open to exploring other options which will help advance

my career. This position seems interesting so I thought I

should keep an open mind and meet you to learn

more. I’d be willing to seriously consider it if we agreed

after the interview process that I would be a good fit”.

below is a list of frequently asked interview questions listed by category.

We’ve also included some suggestions on how you could

answer these. The preparation you have done in building

your value proposition should also help.

For reference, we have included a behavioural style

interview approach known as the “STAR” technique at

the end of this document. The STAR technique is a great,

simple approach to help to prepare for any interview.

your current orprevious position

Why are you considering moving from your current position? Why did you leave your previous company?

Focus on your value proposition and draw on specific

real life examples when you had to utilize or develop

the skills required for the role.

your experienceand skills

What skills/qualities do you havethat would make you a good hire for this position?

It’s important you can speak very positively about your

experiences. Interviewers want to see that you are able

to take the best out of situations and not focus on the

negative. Make a short list of all the great things you

experienced and learnt in previous jobs so you can

speak about them proudly.

Tell me some of things you like about your company or position?

As above, you need to focus on the positives. It

doesn’t mean you should say you agree with every

decision your boss has ever made, but you need to

show that you were respectful towards those

decisions. Think about what you have learnt from your

current or previous supervisors. Companies want team

players who can get along with and support manage-

ment. Part of being a team player means understand-

ing and supporting the challenges management faces

at all levels within an organization.

Tell me about your relationshipwith your boss?

Draw on your knowledge of the company and

the position and link it to your experience and

career aspirations.

You need to show the interviewer than you have clear

goals and know what type of �rm you want to be

working for.

Why did you decide to apply forthis position and what interests you about our company?

The interviewer wants to see that you understand

what you are getting into and what the job involves.

You may want to relate your own experience so the

interviewer can see that you genuinely understand

what the challenges are and how they can be

overcome.

What do you think the key challenges will be in this role?

Explain in general the type of research you have done.

For example:

reading over the company website and other

internet research (blogs, etc)

reading trade journals

reading the company annual report

speaking with former or current employees about

the culture and bene�ts or working for the �rm

researching competitors and how they are placed

against them

You could then move on to say “I think I have a general

understanding and I’m very interested in leaning more,

but I’d be happy to try to answer any questions you

have about my knowledge of speci�c aspects of the

company…” This allows the discussion to evolve

naturally from there.

about the companyand the position

how much do you know about our �rm?

Simply saying you believe in teamwork is not going to

convince anyone. Give examples of cases where you

were required to work on a team or lead a team. What

was it that made the team work? Companies want

people who are prepared to lead, sacri�ce, and work

towards a shared goal.

managementand teamwork

Are you a team player?

Be honest but always present your weaknesses as an

opportunity for you to grow. You should be able to

provide two examples of things you can improve on.

At least one of these should be work related.

What are your weaknesses?

All companies need leaders and as such seek people

with leadership experience or leadership potential. If

you have experience in leading, share your experienc-

es. Include your achievements and your failures and

what you learnt from them. If you don’t have experience

leading but want to, explain why it’s important to you

and draw on leadership experiences you may have had

in other situations, perhaps at school or in sports.

If the role doesn’t really require leadership and you

don’t see yourself as a leader, that’s �ne also. If this is

the case then you can simply say that you “lead from

behind”, by supporting the decisions made by your

manager or the leaders of your �rm.

Are you a leader?

Knowing where you want to be in five years and how

you are going to get there is not always easy. Regard-

less, the clearer you are about this, the more confi-

dence it will give the interviewer that you are the right

person for the position, if your ambitions and the

position are aligned.

Start by explaining your short and mid-term goals

(linked to the position requirements) and then move on

to explain your more distant goals or vision for where

you see yourself as a professional and the type of firm

you’d like to be working for.

What are your career goals and where do you want to be five years from now?

When answering this question, try to make a connection

with some of your key achievements at work. For

example, perhaps you are the kind of person who

responds well to critical time bound projects. Give

examples of these types of projects and explain how

they made you feel and why.

questions about you

What motivates you?

Avoid connecting your motivations with money, even if

it is a significant factor for you. Companies understand

good people need to be paid competitively, but if they

feel money is your primary motivator, you will put your

success in getting the job at risk. Explain that you work

hard and you expect to be compensated competitively

for your work but your primary motivator is finding the

right position with the right company. Salary is some-

thing you can negotiate in the final stages of the

process when you have more leverage and a better

understanding of what is going to be required of you.

How important is compensation to you?

This is a great opportunity to show your passion for

specific aspects of the job you are applying for. You

can also highlight one or two passions in your life

outside of work so the interviewer can visualize you

outside the office.

Whatever you speak about, speak about it with

enthusiasm and explain why you are passionate about

these things.

What are you passionate about?

How do I answer questions about skills

or experience I don’t have?

If you are asked if you have a specific skill, and you

don’t, be honest and open about it. It’s probably

something you would want to learn anyway, so show

your willingness to learn. Dig deeper and engage the

interviewer and clarify how that particular skillset is

used in the position. By doing this you may realize that

you have other skills which could apply or which would

make it easier for you to learn.

How do I explain I was fired from a

previous position?

You have to be honest about this. If you were fired

due to performance reasons or because you broke

company policy or something serious, then you should

explain what happened. The important thing is that you

are willing to address the issue and learn from it. If you

were wrong, admit to being wrong. If you were asked

to leave your firm due to downsizing then this is all you

need to say. If the interviewer starts pressing you about

your performance and why you were one of the people

who was asked to leave, once again, you need to be

honest and open and show what you learnt from the

experience.

If you voluntarily left your previous position, again, you

need to be honest about the reasons why. Ultimately,

however, you need to put a positive spin on your story.

For example, you may have resigned because you

outgrew the position you were in and wanted to take

some time off work to refocus and find something

more challenging and aligned with your career objectives.

How do I explain the gap in-between jobs when I

was not working?

Focus on the things you achieved during that period.

Perhaps you were studying, concentrating on your

health or helping improve the family business. The

important thing is to show that you were productive

and did not want to take any job which came along–

you were looking for the right opportunity.

Can I ask about salary/compensation?

It’s best not to bring up the topic of compensation

early in the process unless the interviewer brings it up.

Money may not be your key concern, but asking about

compensation levels may give the wrong impression,

even if it is not your intention. Wait until the final stages

of the process, or do it through your recruiter if you are

being introduced by a search firm.

When should I ask the questions I have prepared?

You should be asking them throughout the interview as

part of a discussion, but if there are any questions you

don’t have answers to, wait until the end of the

interview and ask then.

How should I exit the interview?

Thank the interviewer for their time. Let them know

that you learnt a lot speaking with them and that you

welcome the opportunity to speak again and have

more meetings. Confirm if there is anything they need

you to do and what the next steps will be. If you are

interested in pursuing the role further, it’s often a good

practice to send a short “thank you” e-mail to the

interviewer(s).

I have been asked to prepare references,

what should I do?

This will depend on the type of references a potential

employer is requesting. Companies conduct reference

checks in a number of ways but the most common

approaches are:

a) You provide written references from your

current/previous employer stating how long you

were with the firm, your function and how well you

performed, etc. If you don’t have written references,

you will need to contact your previous manager or

direct report and ask him/her if they can write a

reference letter for you.

b) You designate specific individuals the company can

contact directly to speak about you – usually a previ-

ous supervisor or co-worker. This means you will need

to contact the references in advance and get their

consent to have someone from the firm you are

interviewing with to contact them.

other situations

Make sure you have the following things prepared prior to your interview:

Should I arrive early for the interview?

You should arrive at the location of the interview with

plenty of time to spare but you should not announce

your arrival until the designated time of the interview. If

you are expected at 5:00pm, announce your arrival at

5:00pm. Why not 15 minutes earlier? Because people

are busy and arrange their schedules so they can

meet you. Arriving early can disrupt the interviewer’s

schedule and is disrespectful. Arriving late is very bad,

but arriving too early can be negative as well.

> Make sure you have at least �ve copies of your business card.> Print a copy of your resume to take to the interview in case you need it.> Print out a map and a copy of the company address. Include the contact information and the names of the people you need to ask for when you arrive. Make sure you have the contact information of a person you can call if there is a problem and you get delayed.> Make sure you know how long it will take to get to the interview location so you can arrive at the building 15 minutes in advance. This will give you time to relax and collect your thoughts. > If you have been asked to give a presenta -tion on a computer etc., make sure they will have the technology you need to do this. If you are using hard copies, make sure you take a least three copies in case additional interview-ers join the meeting.

> Have your question list prepared.> Take a professional looking binder or writing pad so you can take notes if need be.> Make sure you look neat and professional. Never assume that because a company has a casual culture that you can dress casually. If you aren’t sure on dress code, make sure you con�rm prior to the meeting.> If you smoke, try not to smoke just prior to the meeting. If you do, brush your teeth if you can. Non-smokers can be very sensitive to smokers.> Con�rm who you will be meeting and try to get some background information on those individuals, either through your own research or through your recruiter if you are meeting the company through a search �rm.> Con�rm how long the interview should take and plan for it. You don’t want to have to be thinking about your next appointment during the interview.

Checklist

dig deeper &engage theinterviewer

STAR approach

Some companies follow the “STAR” behavioural interview style. The premise behind behavioural interviewing is that the

most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Using the STAR approach,

interviewers will ask very pointed questions to elicit detailed responses aimed at determining if the candidate possesses

the desired characteristics. The “STAR” style can be described below as:

As a candidate, you should be equipped to answer the questions thoroughly. In the interview, your response needs to

be specific and detailed. Candidates who tell the interviewer about particular situations that relate to each question will

be far more effective and successful than those who respond in general terms. Ideally, you should briefly describe the

situation, what specific action you took to have an effect on the situation, and the positive result or outcome. Frame it as

a three-step process, usually called a S-A-R, P-A-R, or S-T-A-R statement: 1. Situation (or Task, Problem), 2. Action,

3. Result/Outcome.

to Prepar ing for Interviews:

situation or taskDescribe the situation that you were in or the

task that you needed to accomplish. You must

describe a specific event or situation, not a

generalized description of what you have done

in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for

the interviewer to understand. This situation can

be from a previous job, from a volunteer

experience, or any relevant event.

Describe the action you took and be sure to

keep the focus on you. Even if you are discuss-

ing a group project or effort, describe what you

did - not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what

you might do, tell what you did.

action you took

results you achieved

What happened? How did the event end?

What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

(R)

resultWe signed contracts with fifteen

former advertisers for daily ads

and five for special supplements.

We increased our new advertis-

ers by twenty percent [quantities

are always good] over the same

period last year.

(A)

actionI designed a new promotional packet to

go with the rate sheet and compared

the benefits of Reporter circulation with

other ad media in the area. I also set up

a special training session for the

account executives with a School of

Business Administration Professor who

discussed competitive selling strategies.

(S)

situationAdvertising revenue was falling

off for my college newspaper, the

Stetson Reporter, and large

numbers of long-term advertisers

were not renewing contracts.

optia partners kk.

5F Reinanzaka Building, 1-14-2 AkasakaMinato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052

(+81) 3-4540-7899