Careers and Jobs

Lack of interview preparation and interview nerves are a thing of the past due to the launch of new Interview Coaching website www.interviewsolutions.ie. The new site was established by Paul Mullan founder of Measurability. Measurability is a Career, Outplacement and HR consultancy so the new site is an extension of the existing business.

Interview Solutions will tailor interview preparation programmes to suit individual requirements. It will help jobseekers with “what to say” and “how to say it” at interviews.

Paul and his team have vast experience in HR, Recruitment & Selection and Interviewing. Measurability is established as one of the leading Career & Outplacement consultancies in Ireland working with a wide range of private and corporate clients delivering exceptional results.

To find out more information visit Interview Coaching.

Interviewsolutions will also be developed to offer free advice for jobseekers who want to prepare on a budget. There are many interview preparation tips, interview questions and interview answers. This information will help your interview skills and interview techniques.

“Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail”. This statement is so true for interviews. There are five key points that must be part of any interview preparation.

Does the job meet your requirements?
Attending interviews can take much time, effort and cost so ensure that the job and the company meet your requirements. I guess you should have established this before you even sent your CV BUT unfortunately much job hunting is the scattergun approach.

Information is power
Leading on from point one. If there is key information that you need to help make your decision to attend the interview then – ask ask ask!! More importantly you must try to find out about what is involved in the interview and selection process. What type of interview? How many interviewers? What type of psychometric tests are involved? The more information you get the more focused your interview preparation can be.

Know the employer and what they want
This is the critical part of any interview preparation. You can clarify key points if you get the opportunity to speak with the employer. If this is not possible then job specifications, websites, recruitment agents, company employees and friends can prove valuable resources.

How do you meet the job requirements?
This is about matching your skills and experience to the requirements of the employer. It is important to list achievements and successes that will add meat to your statements. This can make you stand out at interview.

Know your CV
I am amazed how many interviewees trip up when asked basic interview questions like “why are you leaving your current role?” You need to know dates of employment and explanations to why you joined and departed previous employment. You must also be able to provide details on your duties and responsibilities focusing your message to the needs of the employer.

Career experts can help your interview preparation.

Once upon a time job hunting was a pleasant experience. You saw a job, posted your CV, got invited to the company for a friendly chat and then you started work shortly after.

Traditional interview were nothing more than an unstructured chat on any subject from your interests, to your hobbies, to your last job or what you did the previous weekend. Unfortunately this is changing and employers are becoming more scientific. Traditional interviews are rare and online assessments, competency interviews, assessment centers and psychometric testing are all tools and techniques that companies are turning to in a bid the hire the right candidate.

Rather than tell you about these terms I have 2 points to make. If you are looking for a new job you MUST prepare for interviews. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. As importantly you must ask the client what is involved in the interview process. Many jobseekers ignore this point. When this information is highlighted and you know what to expect you can focus your preparation much better.

While on my work placement at college I participated in the job interviews to replace me when I returned to college. This was my first experience of being on the other side of the table. Interviews are a stressful time for the jobseeker but they can equally be a stressful time for the interviewers – as I found out.

We had seven interviews scheduled for one particular day so we decided to add a bit of fun to the day. First question we asked each candidate was to tell a joke. We did this to lighten the atmosphere, put the interviewees at ease but also to make it more fun for us. I will point out that this was not a critical hire for the organisation!!

I met with an interview coaching client the other day who had recently been asked to tell a joke at interview which brought up the whole subject again. He asked my advice on this. 99% of you will never be asked this question at interview BUT if you are I would fall on the side of decency and caution. If I was the interviewer I would be hard to offend me BUT you won’t always get me. If you are asked this question then the likelihood is that the interviewer has a sense of humor but this is not set in stone. So when you are preparing for your next interview make sure you practice a few jokes. Here is a safe one: Why are they putting the accountants at the bottom of the ocean?
They found out that deep down they’re really not so bad.