Five things to know about… job interviews

01 Be well prepared
Preparation for any interview is absolutely vital — you need to know the job description and your own CV inside out. We recently carried out a survey in which 64% of professionals said their biggest fear before a job interview was not knowing the answer to questions they might be asked, even though 42% spent up to an hour researching or practicing interview techniques. Despite preparing for interviews, those surveyed still struggled with answering questions about their weaknesses. Preparation not only means paying close attention to the job description but to your personal qualities too. Personality traits are often as important as the skills and experience employees can bring to a new role.

02 Research the company
To show your commercial acumen, look at the company’s website to make yourself aware of any recent announcements, the type of projects they work on, who their clients are and the locations they work in. Use this to show how your experience would bring added value to the organisation.

03 Brush up on your competencies
Many employers now use competency-based interviewing techniques to test whether your past performance is an accurate indication that you match the job criteria. Revisit the job description and person specification before your interview and ensure that you can provide an example for each competency. Think of your examples in four stages: describe the situation; the task; the actions you took; and the results, which should show the positive impact this had on the business. For operational staff, focus on providing evidence of projects worked on and clearly state the key competencies. For commercial staff, be prepared to give specific examples with monetary figures where you have either reduced costs or brought in revenue.

04 Watch the body language
How you communicate is as important as what you say. Even if you are nervous, smile and use open body language and eye contact to show your enthusiasm for the subject matter and the role you are being interviewed for.

05 Have questions at the ready
Lastly, prepare some questions to ask at the end of the interview that demonstrate that you have done your research and are genuinely interested in the organisation and the direction they are looking to take the business.

By Lynne Crowe, director of Hays Construction. For more information and interview tips visit:
www.hays.co.uk/construction