• Preparing the selling message that you want the interview panel to hear
• What to take into the  job interview
• What sort of questions to expect
• How to write the notes that will be a guide to your reply to a question
• How to add further important information about your skills
• How to frame your questions so they promote your skills to the selection panel
• How to close the interview with a forceful selling statement.

Preparing for an Interview: a sample from Chapter 11

To have been given an interview you must have convinced the panel that you have the skills listed in the selection criteria. They only interview people they are sure have the required skills and experience. Just to make it to the interview is an achievement. Only five or six out of dozens of applicants have won the right to attend an interview and present their case.

Now the selection process moves on. Now the focus is on you showing you can use these skills to carry out the duties of the position. Everything you say to the interviewer, every answer you give to a question, must contain an assurance that you can manage one or more duties of the position. It is different from writing a response to the criteria; it is a very different task with a different purpose.

You are often told to “sell yourself” at an interview, but that advice rarely includes how to do that. Selling anything requires a “sales pitch” and in this chapter you will learn how to prepare your own sales pitch and sell the panel on the idea that you are the person they need.

This chapter will not be concerned with the things you normally hear about preparing for an interview – the things your mum, the internet, and every magazine, will tell you to do – do your hair, shine your shoes, be on time, be polite, remove facial decorations, keep eye contact, and do, (or don’t,) wear red. It’s probably good advice, but this chapter focuses on convincing the employer/panel that they need you.

It will tell you how to prepare all the material you will need to answer the questions, to present yourself positively, and give you confidence. It explains how to convince the panel that you can do what they want, and how to handle different types of questions.

The 7-Step Template for your Notes for each of your prepared examples

1. Name your story. E.g. “Managing a website”

“…………………………………………………….”

This name also goes in your matrix.

2. Introduce your example with a “selling message”.   E.g. “I have an example that demonstrates my ability to upgrade our firm’s website. ”

……………………………………………………………………………

3. Situation/task (Where were you? What role were you playing? What was the task?)

……………………………………………………………………………

4. The action you took: Step by step in order using only key words.

1.
2.
3.
4.

5. The result of that action. For senior positions it should be the impact it had on the agency of service

……………………………………………………………………………

6. Repeat the “selling message”, that is, give them your message that you can use this skill in the new job.  E.g.  “This shows that I will be able to manage your website.”

……………………………………………………………………………

7. Finally – The feedback question: e.g., “Does that answer your question?”

……………………………………………………………………………

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