How to plan the journey to your interview effectively…
Victoria Walker, Consultant at CK Science gives advice as to how to plan the journey to your interview effectively.
1. Check and double check that you have the correct details:
A couple of days before your interview, check that you have the correct name, address and telephone number of the company you will be interviewing with. Make sure you double check these details both with your Consultant and on the company website.
2. If you are travelling by car…
If you are travelling by car and will be using a sat nav, please ensure that you have the correct postcode. It is also a good ideas to print off back-up maps (e.g. from Google Maps or AA Route Planner).
3. If you are going to be using public transport…
If you are going to using public transport, make sure you check the train connections and bus times prior to your interview. If there is going to be a walk from the bus or train station to the company, try to find out how long this will take. If you need to take a taxi to get there, find the numbers of a few local taxi companies and call them prior to your interview to find out how long the journey will take and fare prices.
4. If you have any questions…
If you have any questions about the company or the interview, please contact your Consultant as they have all the resources to answer any queries for you.
5. If you’re running late…
If you are running late? Please do call your Consultant as soon as possible as they will be able to advise the company of the situation quickly. If you interview is out of hours, your Consultant will be able to provide you with a phone number so as you can contact the Interviewer directly yourself.
Read the job description in detail, from start to end. Are the location and salary right for you? Is it a contract or permanent role? Many candidates we deal with will apply for contract positions when they are only looking for permanent roles, simply because they haven’t read the job description in full.
2. Do you have the right skills and experience?
Always check that your skills and experience exactly matches those detailed on the job description. When a skill or experience is listed as ‘essential’ on a job description, it means it’s essential!
If your CV does not mention the essential skills and experience listed in the job description, you are not suitable so do not apply. If you do apply, this could tarnish any future job applications to the company.
3. Tailor your CV and cover letter
Highlight the skills and experience mentioned on the job description on your CV.
One technique that is used throughout both technical and competency based interviews is that of Behavioural Questioning. This is designed to get practical examples from interviewees as demonstrations of particular skills or competencies.
In order to prepare for this during your interview preparation you should identify examples of situations from your experiences on your CV where you have demonstrated skills and competencies that you feel are relevant to the role – please refer to the Job and/or Person Specification as well as the companies website for these.
During the interview, your responses need to be specific and detailed. Tell them about a particular situation that relates to the question, not a general one. Briefly tell them about the situation, what actions you took, and the positive result or outcome. One proven way to structure your answers is using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result or “STAR”) format (please see below).
Situation or Task: Describe 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.
Action you took: Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing 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.
Results you achieved: What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?
Unfortunately, not all interviewers are trained interview techniques. Many can be unprepared and inexperienced. Some will not ask you the right questions and manage the interview effectively to help you give the best impression.
Here are some tips to help you take control of the interview and put yourself in the best possible light:
Guide the interview – Perhaps offer to talk the interviewer through your CV – referring back to the job description to highlight your expertise.
Interview you Interviewer – If you feel the interview is floundering, don’t wait until the end of the interview to start asking your questions.
Be prepared – Always bring a couple of copies of your CV with you to the interview, just in case the interviewer forgets.
Keep calm – If you asked some unexpected questions not matter how unsuitable they might be, simply ask for some thinking time and will stop you from blurting out anything inappropriate.
CK Science was recently invited by Sheffield University to run a cv and interview techniques workshop for the Microbiology and Biochemistry departments. The workshops are aimed at 2nd and 3rd year under graduate students and offer valuable instruction to the students as they embark on their daunting search for a job in the scientific industry. Philippa Robertson, the Senior Consultant running the course said ” So far CK has run with the applications workshop and got an excellent response from the students who seemed to really enjoy receiving practical advice tailored to science jobs rather than just general tips. I hope the interview tips workshop this Friday goes equally well”. CK Science remains committed to supporting the promoting science as a worthwhile and rewarding career in 21st century Britain
5 Ways to Deal with Criticism at Work
Meet our team:
