Interview tips

[Arabian Princess]

I might be going through interviews for jobs soon ..
this is the first time I will be seriously interviewd.
I wanna know what kind of questions they will be asking and is I anything I can do to make my interview a success?!

hope I can ger contribution from members who were interviewd before :)

[mimosa]

Princess,

Maybe you can tell us what kind of job the interview's for, and what kind of people will be interviewing you? From my own limited experience in being interviewed (and interviewing prospective employees etc), I will try to help :)

[Arabian Princess]

Well, I dont know yet I was not called for interviews yet.

BUt I meant generally .. what do they asK?
I will go mostly for govt compnaies and govt agencies .. if you want to know what kind of jobs am looking for it is mostly in marketing sectons or human resources.

[samy]

Interviewing..(an interviewer)

¡§ The STAR approach : Avoiding personal bias.. dealing in facts..¡¨

1. Opening :
„h Check personal presentation.
„h Strong introduction( firm handshake ,eye contact ,offer seat)
„h Build support ( use information from C.V)
„h Check candidate preparation --- What questions do u have?
----What do u know a bout us?
„h Introduce objective and agenda
„h Brief description of job vacancy.

2. questioning and assessing
„h value-gaining questions
„h fact gaining questions
„h the STAR approach
1. situation or Task
2. Action
3. result
3.presenting the company and vacancy
„h focus on the benefits of position to the candidate

4.concluding
„h summarise
„h assess commitment
„h confirm next step

NEXT TO COME ¡K negotiation

[mimosa]

Good stuff Samy, if a little jargonistic.......sorry Princess, I've been a litte busy so haven;t given you a proper reply yet. Will reply soon, I promise (and the Sufis too!) :)

[Arabian Princess]

Thanx samy, intresting points but I think they are related to how would the interview rate me, but still intresting coz I would know what to concentrate in when I am being interviewed.
Thanx.

Mimosa, take your time :)

[mimosa]

Princess,

OK, here's what I think when I'm interviewing someone for a job:

First impressions are important, like Samy said. You really need to be confident, but not flippant. Smile(but don't laugh) and look comfortable (even if you're not). Eye contact with everyone when appropriate, like when being introduced or asked a question - but try not to stare!
Wear the kind of clothing that you would expect to wear every day in the new job (you will know if you got it right when you see the other people on the office, particularly your potenatil boss!). Look neat, but not like your going to a wedding. Make-up is ok, but just a little, don't look like you've been at it for hours, it makes it seem your trying to hise something! And easy on the perfume (that goes for men too......powerful cologne is not charming, it just kills flies:D). Sit up straight but not like you're in an electric chair, look relaxed but not sleepy. If there's no desk in front of you, then maybe cross your legs and put your hands in your lap, keeping your back straight. It's a good combination of relaxed and alert. Don't fidget!

Try to know as much as possible about you employer before you go. You won;t be expected to know everything, but if you know something then it gives the impression that you're actually interested in the job and it's not just one of a hundred you've applied for. If you can, have a good chat with the personnel person before you go for interview and find out about rules, office hours etc. Work out your transport and leave arrangements before you go, the last thing they want to hear is that you won't be able to get to work when they need you or that the hours will be difficult.

Think carefully about your personal qualities, and be able to give examples. Things like honesty are taken for granted, it would sound weird if you said that was what made you a good prospect. Go for things like creativity, teamwork, determination, and if you have previous employment references, make sure some of the qualities and examples match those the interviewer will already have read before the interview - it adds to your credibility.

Be polite, but not fawning. The goal is to present yourself as someone they can imagine themselves working with, not someone who's so desperate to please they'll say anything. Try to highlight anything you've got in common with the interviewers, but don't dwell on them at length (trying too hard is as off-putting as not trying at all).

Finally, don't be afraid to ask questions yourself when asked. Many interviewers will ask at the end if there's anything you need to know. Don't ask too many questions, but try to be prepared with one or two e.g. on the structure of your department, who you'll be working with, long term opportunities (although be careful on the last one - to look ambitious is good, to give the impression that the job's not good enough for you isn't!)

Good luck........:)

[Arabian Princess]

Thanx mimosa, Intersting points I will keep them in mind.

I also was woundering what kind of questions do they ask: is it something about what I wrote in the CV or they will try to test my knowladge about whats going on recently. Just to be prepared :)

[mimosa]

Princess,

I hope they won't try to catch you out on what you wrote on your CV......hope it was all true :p :D

The questions will depend on the company/organisation and the job, and also on how professional the interviewers are. But the main themes will probably be your experience and skills, what you think you can offer the company, and why you want the job, not necessarily in that order! They might ask you a bit about yourself personally as well e.g. family status, hobbies....and beware, there is no sex discrimination act in Oman that I'm aware of, so they might be very interested in your family plans: They might be worried that you're about to start a family and are looking for the first place to give you paid maternity leave!

If it's not already on your list, have you thought of working for OCIPED? I've heard it's a great place to work, and you seem to fit the bill: good English, business graduate etc.....just a thought:)

[Arabian Princess]

I just came back from an interview..
I really cant judge how did it go, I was confident (I guess :loss: ) and provided a presentation of my intrest (I wanna write a book someday :) )

but, when it came to ask me about general information I did baaaaadly. He asked me about the president of Cuba (I knowwwwww its Fidel Castro, but the name disapeared from my memo :( ) he reminded me : Fidel and I said yaah Fidel Castro .. I dont know how he would judge on that.

mmm any way at the end he said soemthing nice, he said I wrote a good presentation about it .. I will tell the peoplenot to let go of such a good employee .. I really hope he meant what he was saying :rolleyes:

[samy]

All the best AP .. the right woman for the right place.. :)

[Arabian Princess]

Thanx samy :)
Beleive me it is nice to have suport from my family which is sabla :)

[mimosa]

Princess,

I hope you have a real family too! But I would be happy to be your brother :D

It sounds like your interview went well - I wouldn't worry about 'Fidel'. You obviously knew the answer, just needed a prompt. But that's just to check you're not completely ignorant (!); they're looking for someone to do a job,not answer a general knowledge quiz.

Will you tell us what the job is?:)