Page 45 - You're Hired! Interview Answers
P. 45
You’Re hiRed! inteRview anSweRS “OK, well a recent example is my coordination of the Birmingham exhibition:
when I’m planning I like to get the team together early, so we had a number
of meetings where we agreed who was doing what. Everyone enjoys this
process; it gets the creative juices flowing and it gives everyone a chance to
contribute early on; I also made sure that I got the right people on the team
with representatives from design, sales and from the venue. That way everyone
knew what everyone else was doing.”
On the face of it, this is not a particularly poor answer, but it does not fit the
model that the interviewer has in his/her head; this makes it more difficult for
them to quickly identify you as someone who knows how to go about detailed
planning. Your answer tells them that you give emphasis to collaborative, team-
based work, that you are interested in whether people are enjoying their work
and that you see the importance of communication; but that is not what they
were exploring in their ‘task’ question. At the very least this means that they will
have to refocus you and ask follow-up questions – if they are good at their job.
If they are not, you will simply have missed the chance to tick this particular
box.
Researching the interview situation
Nervousness is an inevitable part of interviews for most of us, and anything we
can do to minimise it is likely to be helpful. Once again, the more you can find
out in advance about the actual interview situation, the better. If you can, you
should at least find out the following:
n The timing of the interview: how long will it last? This will give you a sense
of how expansive you can afford to be with your answers.
n The interview format: will it be a structured, competency-based interview?
What, if any, other components will there be to the interview, for example, a
biographical interview or an element based on your CV and work history?
n Who will be interviewing you: will it be one person or a panel of two or
more?
n Details of venue: the last thing you need is to be in a panic about finding
the right location!
A lot of this information should be contained in your invitation to the interview,
but don’t hesitate to contact the organisation to clarify any of the above points
about which you are not clear.
34
