What to expect on the da

What to expect on the day

This article will be especially useful if you’ve got an interview coming up that is likely to be a bit different from the usual, standard format.

Group interviews

In this type of interview, several candidates are present at the same time and are asked questions in turn, or take part in a group discussion about a relevant topic. You may be invited to put questions to the other candidates. You are being assessed on your contributions and how you interact with the other candidates. Here are some tips for group interviews:

• Speak up. If you don’t verbalise your thoughts you won’t be given any credit for them and the longer you go without saying anything, the harder it is to join in.
• Be aware that being the most vocal isn’t necessarily the best approach. Make sure what you are saying is relevant and that you are giving the others a chance to speak.
• If you notice somebody else is quiet, ask for their opinion in order to bring them into the discussion. This will give you credit for team working.
• If somebody is dominating the conversation, ask a question to check how much support there is for what they are saying. This gives others a chance to speak and changes the group dynamic.
• Be involved and interested in what others have to say. If members of the group are wearing name badges, try to refer to them by their name.
• Acknowledge what others are saying, but don’t just try and agree with everyone. For example you could say, ‘That’s an interesting point but I also feel that…’ Remember, it’s important to show that you have an opinion, but be prepared to back this up.
• Try to retain a sense of humour throughout the exercise. This can often help to reduce tension within the group.
• Ignore the assessors – concentrate on your group.

If you think you have a group interview coming up, why not get together with a few friends and practise? Take a topic that you think is relevant to the type of work or course. It could be a topic that has been in the news recently. Ask one of your friends to act as an observer and provide feedback.

Here are a few topics to get you started, although you are sure to think of a lot more.

• A patient needs to stay in hospital for ongoing treatment but is insisting that they discharge themselves. How would you deal with this? (health related courses)
• A normally happy child has recently become quiet and withdrawn and is no longer mixing with friends. How would you approach the child? (nursery and teaching related courses)
• A customer complains to you that one of your colleagues has been rude and unhelpful. What would you do? (customer service jobs)
• Where do you think interest rates will be one year from now? (finance jobs)

Sequential interviews/multiple mini-interviews

These comprise two or more interviews one after the other, sometimes referred to as ‘stations’, with a different interviewer each time. Usually, each interviewer asks questions to test different sets of competencies, motivations or understanding. At some stations, you may even have to complete a practical task or quiz. You may find the same subject is covered at more than one station. If this does happen, make sure you answer each question as fully as the time before; remember that the interviewer at Station B won’t know what you have said to the interviewer at Station A.

Portfolio-based interviews

If the role you are being interviewed for is in the design, media or communications sector, or you are applying for a course in this area, you may be asked to bring a portfolio of your work and have an in-depth discussion about the pieces you have chosen to include. Be prepared to introduce your portfolio and talk about the process you went through for each design. Think about the portability of your designs. You don’t want to be carrying around an A1-size folder on crowded trains and escalators.

Technical interviews

Jobs or courses that require technical knowledge mean that you may face technical questions or perhaps have a separate technical interview. Questions may focus on projects from your course or on example technical problems. Be prepared to prove your knowledge, but also to admit when you do not know enough, stressing that you are keen to learn. Don’t worry if you don’t know the exact answer - interviewers are interested in your thought process and logic.