As a good salesperson you prepare for your sales meetings and know how to close the sale. The same principles apply to getting the job offer - preparation, practice and product knowledge.  

How can you prepare for your interview? 

1. Interview Questions: Understand What The Interviewer Wants! 

Make the interviewer feel comfortable by telling him/her something positive about yourself. Emphasise your ‘benefits and features’! Pick examples from your work experience that can be readily understood by the interviewer and show their relevance to the job on offer.  

2. Interview Questions: How To Respond? 

Regardless of the question you are asked, use the STARR technique as the framework to hang your answers. Talk about the Situation, Task, Action, Reason and Result. 

3. Interview Questions: Tell Me About Yourself? 

This is not a ‘cradle to the grave’ answer. Your interviewer is asking ‘what can you do for me’? Make sure that you present evidence of your key result areas, your skills, your achievements and the benefits your present company got from employing you.  

4. Interview Questions: Why Are You Leaving Your Present Position? 

Use your past as a mirror to your future. If you could successfully do something in the past for your current employer you can successfully do it for your new boss. Emphasise the positive contribution that you made to your present company but talk about wanting a more challenging role.  

5. Interview Questions: What Are Your Weaknesses? 

Use the positive connotation of a negative word. For example, ‘some people call me a perfectionist, but when you work in a quality conscious environment like Acme, it is important to get things right first time’.  

6. Interview Questions: What Was Your Biggest Failure at Work? 

Do not fall in to the trap of assuming that you have to have a failure at work. Employ a judicious use of words. For example, declare that ‘the biggest challenge in my job was …’.

7. Interview Questions: What Do You See Yourself Doing in Five Years Time? 

Your answer to this depends on where your future boss sees you in five years time. If you are not sure of his/her intentions, play safe and emphasise that you want to be with the company doing a good job. For example, ‘I want to be still with you, satisfying the needs of our key clients and growing the business’.  

8. Interview Questions: Have You Got Any Questions for Us? 

Ask questions to indicate that you are interested in the position. For example, ‘on a day-to-day basis how will my performance be measured?’ 

If all of your pre-prepared questions have been answered, use a closing summary to highlight how your skills match the requirements of the job. 

9. Interview Questions: What Salary Would You Expect If We Offered You the Job? 

Respond by giving a minimum and a maximum so that there is room to manoeuvre. These figures should be based on the market rate for the position and your own personal expectations.  

10. Interview Questions: Preparing for The Second Interview 

The recipe for success is to give your future boss a warm, comfortable feeling that you can do the job and that you will fit in. You will then secure the job offer by closing the sale. 

The interview is a sales process, so prepare accordingly! 

People Matters is a soft skills training, consulting and career coaching company. Sue Mulhall is the founder and Director of People Matters.  

For further information please contact: 

Sue Mulhall

People Matters

30 Delbrook Park

Dundrum

Dublin 16

T: 01 - 2961578

M: 087 - 9060717

E: admin@peoplematters.ie

W: www.peoplematters.ie

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