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Selling Yourself
Once you've got your interview lined up it is important that you are prepared for it. You must think what it is that the potential employer is looking for.
You must prepare and organise yourself.
We have listed below some key areas for preparation.
Key Areas
 | Your previous work experience |
 | Accomplishments; both at work and on a personal front |
 | Education |
 | Personality |
 | Work motivation |
 | Likes/Dislikes about current role |
 | Working relationship with current and previous supervisors |
 | Your communication skills |
 | Your goals and objectives both in work and in your personal life |
Using the above it is a good idea to put together a short presentation
detailing your career history, what you have achieved, areas you are proud of,
an analysis of your strengths and what you want to achieve. When talking about
you goals and objectives it is important to talk about personal goals as well as
business ones, as this will demonstrate a balanced view on life and how you see
your career fitting in with other parts of your life.
Such a presentation will give you control of the interview situation, because
you will be able to lead and not be led. You should look to prove to the
interviewer that you possess the following.
 | Professionalism |
 | Organisation |
 | Communication Skills |
 | Analytical Skills |
 | Confidence |
 | Desire |
Interview Styles
You will also find that different companies adopt different interview styles,
with some companies adopting multi level interviews, each level designed to test
for a different set of skills. It is therefore important to find out what the
interview structure will consist of, as this will help you do the correct level
of preparation for each interview stage.
The main interview can be demanding. Take time to weigh up what approach the
person interviewing you is taking.
 | Are they intent on relaxing you? If so they probably want to find out more about
your personality and what motivates you. |
 | Are they being aggressive? It could be that they want to test your ability to
handle pressure. Examples of how you have excelled in such situations will be of
importance here. |
 | Are they intent on asking you what you would do in certain situations? Here they
are questioning your problem solving skills, your creative ability and overall
judgement. |
This is not an exhaustive list, but you do need to be aware of why the
interviewer is taking the approach you are being subject to. Understanding the
interviewer's motivation is the key to successful interviewing!
Qualities Required
There are many qualities that employers look for in successful applicants, but
here is a quick reference list of the most common :
 | Reliability - time spent in jobs, a stable home life, sickness levels reaction
under pressure |
 | Enthusiasm - body language, gestures, smiles, eye contact, voice levels |
 | Determination - past achievements, overcoming problems, reaction under pressure |
 | Ethical/professionalism - organisation, punctuality, appearance, personal
standards, integrity |
 | Communication skills - listening skills, relevance of answers, no waffling, body
language |
 | Desire/ambition - short/long goals, career planning future plans, questions
asked about position/opportunities/financial package, past achievements |
 | Flexibility - quick thinking, previous examples, coping with change, awareness
of interview tactics and subsequent reaction |
 | Personality - sense of humour, social graces, ability to make small talk, body
language |
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