INTERVIEW GUIDELINES

MBA BCom III

Michael Lohan
Types of Interviews
2 types:

Traditional interviewing – tell me about yourself, where do

you hope to be in 5 years’ time?

Behavioural Interviewing – what have you done?

Behavioural interviewing is structured around asking for

examples, action taken and the outcome.
In responding to Behavioural Interviewing think STAR
• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result or Outcome
How the Interviewer thinks
Remember past performances predict future behaviour.

Possible question: Tell me about a time you had to do a

team project. What was your role within the team? What
did you do to complete the task?
• 
(Think of a team project in class. Describe how it was structured, its
purpose, what your role was, what did you do, what was the outcome.)
 
Give details because details lead to credibility.
Know your skills
Task: Make a list of job specific competencies.
• Assertiveness, Communication effectiveness, coping,
creativity and imagination, dealing with ambiguity,
flexibility, goal setting/achieving, management
effectiveness, policy and procedure, strategic/ critical
thinking
 
Get into the head of the interviewer

When asking questions, ask about areas that you care

about/are passionate about, for e.g.. Corporate
responsibility, environment or ethical issues.
What’s being assessed?

• Appearance
• Posture
• Voice
• Content
The importance of your CV
Before you come into the room the interviewer already has
an image of you.

Where does this image come from?

Your CV
Is your CV really You?
Make sure your CV reflects who you really are: don’t make
wild statements.
• E.g.. A confident, forceful leader who has driven the sales
team to break all the sales targets set by the company.
(Wow, we want him then!)

The interviewer has already highlighted parts of your CV,

which he/she would like you to expand on.
Know yourself
What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Focused, had working, dedicated, determined, intuitive

 “ I came first in my class.” (Not a great achievement if
there were only 2 students in the class and the other rarely
showed up for class).
 
Remember, if you copy and paste then make sure you find
that person to go into the interview for you.
 
Appearance
If you say in your Interests section: “ I have a
keen interest in fashion and hair styles” and
you show up to a business meeting dressed
like a punk then forget about getting the post.

However, if you go for an interview in a

fashion company, your quirky style may be just what
they are looking for.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses.

If you know you speak too quickly or not loud enough, then
work on these traits beforehand. Think of actors getting into
a role for a new movie.
• Posture
A firm brief handshake shows confidence and that you are
relaxed.
• Sit up straight, don’t slouch, drop your shoulders slightly and
lean slightly forward from the waist.
Opening dialogue:
• Int: Welcome
• Inte: Thank you for inviting me.
• Int: Did you have far to come? How did you get here?
• Inte: ….
 
These opening gambits are simply icebreakers to help both
people to relax and prepare for the interview.
Remember sociocultural differences:

• Asians are family and team orientated. Europeans and

North Americans are individualistic.

• Think about what makes you different form the other

applicants.
•
• The extra things matter: working part-time on the Getex
stand, being a coach, a class representative, a member of
the student council. A volunteer in the community.
• 
Your CV is YOU on paper.

Tell your story and uncover your strengths, abilities and

talents: for e.g., Good communication skills, good with
people, leadership skills in a club, in high school,
languages, digital media.
Choose a job objective:

Example:
Seeking a position at a …. in the retail environment.
What industry are you looking to go into? Be clear about
what it is. Adapt your CV to suits the different requirements
set by different job descriptions.

Gather some job adverts and study what the requirements

are. List your related skills and abilities to match them.
Write one line examples to support your claims, for
example,
Responsible and Reliable: had a 100% attendance at
school.
Attitude is everything!

Be happy, enthusiastic (but not too confident/ cocky) and

maintain good eye contact.
 
Speak clearly and slowly.
 
Smile
Preparation is key

• Remember you are marketing yourself and matching what

you have written in your CV to how you present yourself
face-to-face.

• Reflect beforehand on what kind of fit you are for the

company. How can you match what they require?

• Be informed about the company – research it! Not all

businesses have a typical business environment.
Is this the type of environment that would appeal you
you?

• What type of person do you need to be to work here?

Remember
Don’t:
• be dishonest about your achievements or qualifications
• vague
• ramble on
Voice
• What is the quality of your voice? Does it project
confidence? Is the tone warm or does your voice etch
glass?
• Check your pace, it may be too quick because of nerves.
If you lower your tone it adds more meaning to your voice,
and what you are talking about sounds more important.
• Hold your eye contact and don’t break it mid sentence.
Look briefly away at the end of what you say if you feel
the need to.
Tell me about Yourself
This question relates to you professionally and not
personally.
Don’t say things like “ I live with my family and little brother who I
detest.” But rather ‘I am motivated by being the best I can be; that is
why I run marathons every year.”

• “ I chose to study at Amity University because it is ranked 4th among

the top universities in … and it is noted for its internship programmes.
I am really happy I did so because during my Business Management
studies I had the opportunity to study and discuss case studies that
focused on ….., do team projects, which helped me to develop
research skills, ….. “
• Enrich your speech with the appropriate vocabulary.
Other Popular Questions
How did you come about choosing a career in
Marketing?
Explain where your interest in the subject originated and
how did you develop, program that interest. Remember
your experiences and examples are unique so give
examples, examples, examples.
“ Well my interest in Business Management probably dates back to 10th
grade when I found myself interested in …/ or my Maths teacher set us
a project on …. This lead me to thinking about a career in Business
and I soon found myself surfing the internet reading and listening to
Business things rather than the usual run of the mill stuff young people
of that age read and watch.
Finally, remember:
• What you say should be 100% related to the job
requirement.

• Never slag off past employers or teachers. Be positive

and prepare 3 questions you would like to ask the
interviewer.

• Sound natural. Avoid the buzz words like I empower, I

integrate, I facilitate, I strategize.
Describe a situation where you have had to NEGOTIATE a
solution to a challenging situation

CONTEXT
• On arrival in Spain I was confronted with a completely different organisational
structure within the university. I was the first man to go to Valencia from my
university and my role there was to test this new exchange programme and to
negotiate the terms for future exchanges. I found that the structure of the
courses were to the disadvantage of the Kent students and would affect the
overall result of the degree. As the spokesperson for the UKC students I had to
influence both sides on reaching a new agreement.
ACTION
• I explained the situation to the academic staff at UKC and negotiated new
terms for the exchange programme.
RESULT
• Being the spokesperson of my university, I successfully persuaded the
administration in Seville to accept these conditions during this period. I learned
that it takes sometimes a lot of time, effort and patience to achieve common
agreements, especially when two different cultural backgrounds are involved.
How have you used your communication skills to PERSUADE others to follow your lead?

CONTEXT
• As a camp counsellor I was responsible for a hut housing a group of ten
children, helping the children settle in to the camp and encouraging them to join
in activities. The hardest part was getting the children to keep the hut tidy and
join in the daily 'household chores' session - a problem which I found was
shared by other counsellors.
ACTION
• We decided to motivate the children by turning this session into an inter-hut
competition with a progress chart and prizes and arranged for the camp director
to carry out daily inspections. I produced a wall chart to show the points
awarded to each hut and explained to the children how the points would be won
and lost.
RESULT
• The competitive spirit transformed the children's attitude to tidying up as each
hut worked as a team to keep their surroundings clean and tidy. There were no
more problems with children 'disappearing' at clear-up time & parents were
amazed to hear how involved their children had become in this activity.
Good luck!