Interview Questions UK

Have you recently been contacted for a job interview?  If so, you may be pretty excited.  When it comes to getting a new job or starting a new career, an interview is the first step towards success.  The only problem is that many interviewees end up making costly mistakes during their interviews.  One of those mistakes is by not asking any questions.  You are advised against doing this.  Not asking any questions during a job interview gives the impression that you are not a leader, just a follower.  That is not the type of impression that you want to make.

When it comes to asking questions during a job interview, you may be wondering what type of questions you should ask.  Before examining the type of questions that you should ask, it may be best to focus on the type of questions that you shouldn’t ask.  For one, you are advised against asking about the pay or raises, like when they kick in. Salary is something that should be brought up by the interviewer.  If and when salary is discussed, you may want to ask about raises, but it is advised that you refrain from doing so, at least right away.

In keeping with questions that you should not ask, many employers give their job applicants information about their company, like a company brochure or a link to their online website.  You are advised to thoroughly examine all of the information given to you, whether that information be online or in print. This will prevent you from asking questions that you should already know the answers to.  Asking a question about the history of the company, when you were already given detailed history information, gives the impression that you did not read through the materials given to you.  This is not the type of first impression that you want to make.

Now that you know some of the questions that you do not want to ask during a job interview, you may want to focus on some of the questions that you can ask, or at least ones that are considered “safe,” to ask.  One of those questions is about the average workday or workweek.  For instance, ask if you were hired for the job, what would your workdays or workweeks be like? What type of tasks would you be required to complete?

Another question that you may want to ask during a job interview is about the company’s future?  Are there any plans for expansion?  How does the company rate against the competition?  These are interesting questions that show that you want to work for a successful company, one that will be around for a long period of time.  Asking about the stability of a company gives a good impression of yourself, as it often means that you are also looking for stability.

You may also want to ask the interviewer some personal questions, but do not go too personal.  Trying asking them about how they like working for their company.  Ask about when they started working for the company and what level did they start at.  If they advanced, ask if it was relatively easy to do?  Does the company in question tend to promote from the inside up or do they hire new employees?  This may get you on a personal level with the interviewer, which tends to make your interview more memorable.

The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you may want to ask an interviewer during a job interview.  In all honesty, you are advised to use your best judgment when asking questions, but it is important that you do ask at least some.

Are you in the process of trying to get a new job?  If you have already applied for a few jobs, there is a good chance that you may end up having an interview scheduled soon, if you don’t already have one arranged. As you likely already know, a job interview is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired. That is why it is important that your interviews go off without a hitch.  To ensure that they do, you may want to familiarize yourself with the most common job interview dos and don’ts, some of which are outlined below.

One thing that you will want to do is prepare for your interview. There are too many individuals who mistakenly believe that all interviews are the same. This is actually something that you do not want to do.  Yes, many interviews are similar in nature, but they are not all the same.  In all honesty, it depends on the job that you are being interviewed for and the employer in question.  Instead of assuming that your job interview will be just like the last one, you are advised to expect something different, to help keep you on your toes.

Another thing that you will want to do is practice for your interview.  As it was previously mentioned, many job interviews are similar in nature, despite being a little bit different.  They are often similar based on some of the basic questions that are asked. For instance, some of those questions may be centered on your professional goals, your need to succeed, and so on.  No matter how prepared you are for these questions, they can be difficult to answer in the moment. That is why you do want to prepare for your interview by doing a few practice runs, preferably with a friend or a relative.

As stated above, during the interview process, you will be asked a number of questions. These questions are what enables an employer to gain insight into you, your life, and your work habits.  When responding to questions that you are asked or even when just making conversation, it is advised that you keep everything professional in nature. What you do not want to do is divulge too much information about your personal life.  For instance, employers do not need to know how old you are or if you have any children.  Also, do not badmouth any of your previous employers or bosses, as this will tend to make you look bad yourself.

When going for a job interview, it is important that you are properly dressed. What you do not want to do is wear jeans, sweatpants, or clothing that is too revealing.  To increase your chances of getting a job, you want to look professional for your job interview.  This not only includes your clothing, but your appearance as well. If you need to put on makeup or get a hair cut, go ahead and do so.  When looking to hire a new employee, many employers want someone who can represent the company in a positive matter.  That is why it is important that you do place at least a little bit of focus on your appearance.

Since the interview process is what is often the deciding factor in whether or not you are hired, you will want to make sure that your interview is one that is memorable, and in a good way.  To do that, you will want to keep the above mentioned job interview do’s and don’ts in mind.

No one expects you to turn up at an interview wearing a bowler hat and pin stripe suit (which is just as well, if you are a woman) but there are certain standards of dress that are appropriate at interviews and some definite ‘No Nos’.

First of all if you are a woman, then avoid turning up in a very low cut top with a skirt that is microscopic. Women interviewers may not be too impressed! A hint of cleavage is acceptable (you are not expected to turn up in sackcloth) but too much cleavage can simply make you look cheap.

You should also steer away from very dramatic outfits (whether you are male or female) and find a middle ground, whereby you look smart, but not over the top in terms of being a fashion victim.

If you are applying for a job in a factory or one where you are expected to dress casually, it is still appropriate to dress smart casual for the interview, so you may not need to wear a suit, but something that still shows you have made a bit of an effort.

Sometimes it is hard to know the dress code, but if you are with a recruitment agency, ask them what kind of dress code they think will be appropriate. If you aren’t with a recruitment agency, then research the company and see what their corporate style is and dress appropriately from there: ie if on their website everyone is very smartly dressed, then a suit might be in order, but if not, then just go for smart casual.

Whatever you wear for the interview, make sure that it is clean and that it is ironed or pressed. If you turn up wearing a creased shirt and a tie with egg stains on it, an employer will not take you seriously.  Clothes may only be window dressing for you, but you should use clothes to help show you off at your best!

It is easy to think that a telephone interview is going to be a really soft option. After all, you haven’t got to walk into a room with an interviewing panel and then try to convince them that you are the right person for the job. Instead, you just have a chat with someone on the phone and if they are pleased with you then you will get the job. Far easier, right?

Well the reality are that telephone interviews are actually much harder. When you are having a face to face interview, then the interviewing panel will be able to pick up on your body language, they will know if you establish good eye contact, how you seem. Even subconsciously they will be making judgements as to whether or not you are trustworthy or are reliable.

Yet you can’t give many signals out when conducting a telephone interview. So to make sure that you give a good interview, prepare for it in the same way as you would an ordinary interview. Make sure that when you speak to the interviewer, that you have a copy of the job description in front of you. If you have had a few hours or days notice about the interview, then make sure that you have prepared some answers to possible questions. Jot down key headers in big letters to act as prompts for you when you answer their questions.

But at the very start of the interview, when you are exchanging greetings, smile as you say hello. People in the media say that you can ‘hear’ a smile, because it changes the tone of your voice. So smile and this will send a signal that you are trustworthy and that you have good interpersonal skills.

The rest of the interview will be like a standard interview, but in order to make a good impression, you need to smile, have the job description and some notes in front of you: breathe deeply, relax and go with the flow. This should help you to give a really good impression of yourself and make that job yours!