Interview Skills  

that Win the Job  

Interview Skills  

that Win the Job  

Simple techniques for answering  

all the tough questions  

MICHAEL SPIROPOULOS  

First published in 2005  

Copyright © Michael Spiropoulos 2005  

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or  

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Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.  

Allen & Unwin  

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Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:  

Spiropoulos, Michael, 1959- .  

Interview skills that win the job: simple techniques for  

answering all the tough questions.  

ISBN 1 74114 188 5.  

1. Employment interviewing. I. Title.  

658.31124  

Set in 9.5/13 pt Stone Serif by Bookhouse, Sydney  

Printed in Australia by McPherson's Printing Group  

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1  

This book is dedicated to  

Suzanne Smith  

for her love and support  

Contents  

Contents  

Introduction: The path to interview success ix  

1 Interview myths 1  

2 Convincing them you're right for the job 11  

3 Can you do the job? 22  

4 Same skills, different job 42  

5 Your potential to tackle new tasks 49  

6 'Are you the sort of person we can work with?' 56  

7 Employers love motivated employees 67  

8 The 'big five' questions 73  

9 Building rapport and trust 89  

10 Effective answers to common questions 129  

Introduction: The path to  

interview success  

Introduction: The path to interview success  

Interview Skills that Win the Job offers an innovative and exciting  

approach to developing interview skills. As well as letting you know  

what's needed to succeed at interviews, it goes one important step  

further and demonstrates how you can prepare your own answers  

including exercises designed to improve your skills. People who  

consistently succeed at interviews are those who take the time to  

prepare their own answers rather than simply using answers they  

have read or heard elsewhere.  

Whether you're a recent school leaver or a seasoned professional,  

this book will show you how to prepare highly effective answers  

and how to deliver them in a confident manner whilst establishing  

that all-important rapport with interviewers.  

The book recognises that one of the major obstacles to successful  

interviewing is organising a vast amount of detail about what you've  

done in previous jobs (or at school or university) and expressing  

this information in a clear and convincing way at the interview.  

The book has been designed specifically to prevent you from:  

• giving those long-winded answers that drive interviewers to  

distraction;  

• failing to mention important key achievements and kicking  

yourself afterwards;  

• being stumped by certain questions and not providing an intelligent  

response;  

• failing to build rapport and trust.  

In addition to teaching you how to respond to popular interview  

questions and distinguishing a good answer from a bad one, Interview  

Skills that Win the Job will go through the specific steps you need  

to establish rapport and trust during the course of the interview.  

The reason for this is simple: if you fail to establish rapport and  

trust, it is highly unlikely that you will get the job-no matter how  

technically brilliant your answers are.  

The skills and techniques you will develop from reading  

this book will remain with you for the rest of your working life.  

They will immeasurably improve your chances of winning those  

hard-to-get jobs and contribute to a rewarding career.  

x interview skills that win the job  

Interview Skills  

that Win the Job  

1 Interview  

myths  

Interview myths  

One important reason people fail at interviews is because of several  

misconceptions, or myths, about what really happens during the  

course of an interview. All of us know that the purpose of interviews  

is for an interviewer to hire someone who will perform well in a  

particular job, but beyond that few people fully grasp how interviews  

really work and what makes one candidate stand out more than  

another. This lack of understanding represents a major obstacle to  

maximising performance when sitting before an interviewer and  

trying to give your best answers. Interviews are no different to other  

endeavors in life: the better you understand how they work (or don't  

work), the higher the probability of tackling them successfully. An  

understanding of the underlying dynamics inherent in most  

interviews is an important start to improving your interview  

performance.  

Myth no. 1: The best person for the job gets it  

Sometimes this is true-especially in a situation where everyone  

knows everyone else, such as when a company is recruiting internally.  

However, this is often not the case. In order for the best person for  

the job to win it, a number of very important things need to be in  

place (and even then, there's no guarantee). These include:  

• The interviewer knows what questions to ask and how to search  

for the truthfulness in answers. These two things may sound  

simple enough, but I can assure you that a large proportion of  

people conducting interviews have received no training, lack  

interview experience and often do not even go to the trouble of  

preparing for the interview.  

• The interviewer is not taken in by the charm, good looks, great  

humour or any other aspect of the interviewee. This can be a  

difficult obstacle, even for experienced interviewers.  

• The interviewee has learned how to clearly articulate their skills,  

key achievements and how they can add value to the organisation.  

• There is no personality clash between interviewer and interviewee.  

• Neither party is having a bad day.  

Some employers-usually the ones who have been badly burnt  

by hiring the wrong people in the past-go to great lengths to set  

up professional hiring procedures designed to minimise hiring  

mistakes. Whilst some of these procedures are effective in improving  

candidate selection, they do not guarantee that the best person for  

the job will actually win it. In the final analysis, choosing someone  

for a job involves at least one human being making a decision about  

another, and no matter what we do to eliminate subjectivity, as  

human beings it is impossible to put aside our predispositions,  

predilections and personal preferences-no matter how much we  

may try to.  

In an ideal world, the best person for the job would always win it;  

however, the reality is that it is often the person who performs best  

at the interview who wins the prize. The important lessons here are:  

• Don't automatically pull out of applying for a job if you know  

someone better suited for the job is also applying for it. If you  

go to the trouble of preparing properly for the interview, there's  

a good chance that you may be seen as the preferred candidate-  

especially if the other person takes the interview for granted and  

fails to prepare.  

• If you happen to know that you're the best person for the job,  

avoid taking the interview for granted. Behave as though you're  

2 interview skills that win the job  

competing against formidable rivals. Take the time to prepare  

properly. Just because you've got a lot of experience does not  

mean you know how to convey this message at an interview.  

Myth no. 2: Interviews are like school exams-  

the more you say, the better you'll do  

Yes, interviews are a bit like exams in so far as that you're asked a  

number of questions to which you need to respond intelligently,  

but there the similarities end. Unlike exams, where lots of accurate  

detail is important, interviews are more about interacting and rapport  

building whilst simultaneously articulating smart answers. And a  

smart answer is often not the most detailed. In fact, long and overly  

detailed answers can drive interviewers to distraction, despite their  

technical accuracy. Knowing when to stop talking is a skill all  

successful interviewees have.  

Also unlike many exams, there are often no right or wrong  

answers in interviews. We're all different and come to interviews  

from different backgrounds and business sitations. What is important  

at an interview is to justify your actions and talk about your  

achievements in a confident manner.  

Myth no. 3: Interviewers know what they're doing  

Some interviewers are very good at what they do, especially fulltime  

professionals (provided they're not suffering from interview  

fatigue). However, many managers and owners of small businesses  

often flounder because interviewing is not something they do on a  

regular basis. Some sure signs of a bad interviewer are:  

• They do most of the talking.  

• They sound as though they've made up their mind about you  

in the first five minutes.  

• They seem to pluck their questions randomly out of the ether.  

• Their phone keeps ringing and they answer it.  

interview myths 3  

• They sound like very sharp and less-than-honest salespeople  

when it comes to selling the job.  

Some sure signs of a good interviewer are:  

• They have their questions carefully prepared in advance.  

• They want to know what you've done and how you've done it,  

including specific examples.  

• They let you do most of the talking.  

• They may want to interview you more than once.  

• They will try to make you feel at ease.  

• They are genuinely interested in your accomplishments, skills  

and the type of person you are.  

Inexperienced interviewers generally don't ask the right questions  

and can easily be swayed by factors that have little to do with your  

ability to perform in the job. So if you are being interviewed by an  

inexperienced interviewer, don't wait to be asked a good question-  

one that will allow you to talk about all your wonderful skills and  

qualities. Rather, take the initiative in as unobtrusive a way as possible  

and talk about the things you feel the interviewer might really want  

to know. Unfortunately, this may not always be possible-especially  

if you're being interviewed by a forceful personality who loves the  

sound of their own voice. If ever you find yourself in such a situation,  

don't panic. Remind yourself that interviews are just as much about  

rapport-building as they are about answering questions. So nod your  

head, smile and make all the right noises-talkative interviewers  

love people who agree with them.  

Myth no. 4: Never say 'I don't know'  

Interviews are about making a positive impression by answering  

questions intelligently and building rapport with the interviewer.  

To this end, many interviewees feel that they have to provide the  

perfect answer to every question put to them, irrespective of whether  

or not they actually know the answer. Clearly, a great interview is  

one in which you can answer all the questions (and you should be  

4 interview skills that win the job  

able to do so if you take the time to prepare correctly); however, if  

you don't know the answer to something, it is better to admit to it  

rather than pretend to know and start waffling. Most interviewers  

can pick waffling a mile away and they don't like it for a couple of  

very important reasons: first, it is likely to make you sound dishonest;  

and second, it will make you sound considerably less than intelligent.  

You may as well not attend the interview if you give the impression  

that you're neither honest nor bright.  

Trying to answer a question that you have little idea about could  

undermine an otherwise great interview. This does not mean that you  

cannot attempt answers that you are unsure of. There's nothing wrong  

with having a go, as long as you make your uncertainty clear to the  

interviewer at the outset. Here's what an answer may sound like:  

I have to be honest and say that this is not an area I'm familiar  

with, though I am very interested in it. If you like, I'm happy  

to have a go at trying to address the issue, as long as you're  

not expecting the perfect answer.  

Or:  

I'd love to answer that question, but I need to be honest  

upfront and say that this is not an area that I'm overly familiar  

with, though I'm very interested in increasing my knowledge  

about it.  

Myth no. 5: Good-looking people get the job  

I suppose if the job was for a drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale type  

in a movie, then good looks would certainly help, but for most other  

jobs the way you look is not as big a deal as many people make out.  

As we've already discussed, there will always be an inexperienced  

employer who will hire on the basis of superficial factors, but most  

employers are smarter than that. The claim that good-looking people  

get the job over plain-looking people makes one seriously flawed  

assumption-that employers make a habit of putting someone's  

good looks before the interests of their livelihood. All my experience  

interview myths 5  

has taught me the contrary. Most businesses find themselves in  

highly competitive environments and employers are only too keenly  

aware that a poor hiring decision can prove very costly.  

This is not to say that appearance and a bright personality are  

not important factors at an interview. It is very important that you  

dress appropriately and try your best to demonstrate all your friendly  

qualities. Good looks are certainly overrated in interviews, but an  

appropriate appearance and a friendly personality are not.  

Myth no. 6: If you answer the questions better than  

the others, you'll get the job  

Being able to articulate good answers in an interview is very important,  

and failure to do so will almost certainly mean you don't get the  

job. However, interviews-as we've already seen-are much more  

than just giving good answers. They're also about convincing the  

interviewer that you will be a nice person to work with. To put it  

another way, it doesn't matter how good your answers are technically,  

if the interviewer doesn't like you there's not much chance you'll  

get the job (unless your talents are unique, extremely difficult to  

find or the interviewer is desperate).  

So avoid thinking about interviews just in terms of answering  

questions correctly. Interviews are also about establishing rapport  

and trust, and whilst there is no fail-safe method in doing this, there  

are things you can do (and things you should not do) that will go  

a long way towards improving your skills in this all-important area  

of interviewing.  

Myth no. 7: You should try to give the perfect answer  

I've heard too many people stumble over their words, repeat  

themselves and talk in circles because they're trying to articulate  

the perfect answer-or what they think constitutes the perfect answer.  

Some people are so obsessed with delivering the perfect answer that  

6 interview skills that win the job  

they don't stop until they produce what in their opinion is a wordperfect  

response.  

Because we can never be entirely sure of what the interviewer  

wants to hear, some of us will keep on talking in the hope that we'll  

cover all bases. The problem with this approach is that we end up  

talking too much, leading to the interviewer losing concentration-  

which, of course, is the last thing you need at an interview. The  

reality is that in most cases there is no such thing as the perfect  

answer. The lesson here is: it makes a lot of sense to settle for a good  

answer that gets to the point rather than meander all over the place  

searching for the elusive perfect answer.  

Myth no. 8: You must ask questions to demonstrate  

your interest and intelligence  

Many interviewees are under the mistaken belief that they must ask  

questions at the end of the interview. There seems to be a common  

belief amongst many interviewees that this makes them sound more  

intelligent as well as more interested in the job. This is not true.  

Asking questions simply for the sake of doing so won't improve  

your chances of getting a job. It could even make you sound a little  

dull-especially if you ask questions about matters that were already  

covered during the course of the interview.  

Only ask a question if you have a genuine query. Acceptable  

questions include those relating directly to the job you're applying  

for, as well as working conditions and company policies on such  

things as on pay, leave, and so on. Interviewers never mind answering  

questions about such matters, but they do mind answering questions  

they perceive to be irrelevant. If you have no questions to ask, simply  

say something like: 'Thankyou, but I have no questions. You've been  

very thorough during the course of the interview and have covered  

all the important matters regarding the job.' There's nothing wrong  

with including a compliment to the interviewer about their  

thoroughness and professionalism-provided it doesn't go over the  

top or sound like grovelling.  

interview myths 7  

Two further points need to be made about asking questions. First,  

avoid asking too many questions. On the whole, interviewers do  

not enjoy role reversals. Second, never ask potentially embarrassing  

questions. These can include:  

• a question relating to a negative incident;  

• something that's not supposed to be in the public domain;  

• a difficult question that may stump the interviewer.  

The rule of thumb is: if you think a question may cause  

embarrassment, err on the side of caution and avoid it.  

Myth no. 9: Relax and just be yourself  

Whilst it is important to be relaxed and show your better side, it is  

also very important to understand that interviews are not social  

engagements. Most interviews are highly formalised events in which  

otherwise innocuous behaviours are deemed unacceptable. In short,  

being your usual self could spell disaster (as contradictory as that  

may sound). For example, if being yourself means leaning back on  

your chair, dressing somewhat shabbily and making jokes, you might  

find yourself attending an inordinate number of interviews. Whilst  

interviewers like people to be relaxed, they also have definite  

expectations about what behaviours are appropriate for an interview-  

and you violate these expectations at your peril!  

Myth no. 10: Interviewers are looking for flaws  

The danger with this myth is that it can easily lead to interviewees  

adopting a defensive, perhaps even distrustful, attitude during the  

interview. If you believe that the interviewer is assiduously searching  

for your flaws, it will more than likely undermine your attempts to  

establish that all-important rapport and trust. It may also prevent you  

from opening up and giving really good answers. Rest assured that  

most interviewers do not prepare their interview questions with a view  

to uncovering your flaws. Questions are mostly prepared with a view  

8 interview skills that win the job  

to giving the interviewer an overall or holistic insight into what you  

have to offer the company. A good interviewer will indeed uncover  

areas in which you are not strong, but that is a far cry from thinking  

that the interviewer is hell bent on uncovering only your flaws.  

It is very important to treat every question as an opportunity to  

excel rather than being unnecessarily guarded. It is only by answering  

the questions that you can demonstrate how good you are. To treat  

questions as objects of suspicion makes no sense at all.  

Understanding the myths surrounding interviews gives you a great  

start for success. Remember, interviews are no different to other  

endeavors in life: the better you understand their underlying nature  

the higher the probability you'll tackle them successfully. An insight  

into common interview myths will arm you with the information  

you need to prevent you from falling into those disheartening traps.  

Just as importantly, a clearer picture of the true nature of interviews  

better informs the rest of your preparation and will contribute to  

your confidence and performance.  

Summary of key points  

• The best person for the job does not necessarily win it-often it's  

the person who gives the best interview.  

• Interviews are more than just giving technically correct answers.  

They're also very much about building rapport.  

• Not all interviewers know what they're doing; your job is to know  

how to handle the good and bad interviewer.  

• It's better to be honest and admit ignorance than try to pretend you  

know an answer and come across as disingenuous and less than bright.  

• Good looking people win jobs-maybe in Hollywood movies, but  

on the whole, employers are keen to hire talent over superficial factors.  

• Striving to give the perfect answer can get you into trouble. It's better  

interview myths 9  

to give a good answer that's to the point rather than searching for  

perfection; besides, often there's no such thing as the perfect answer.  

• Do not ask questions for the sake of it. Only ask a question if you  

have a genuine query that has not been covered.  

• Interviews are formal occasions requiring relatively formal behaviours.  

Interviewers will expect this and may react negatively if they don't  

see it.  

• Interviewers do not spend all their time looking for your flaws. They're  

more interested in getting an overall picture of who you are. Avoid  

answering questions defensively. It's much better to see every question  

as an opportunity to highlight your best points.  

10 interview skills that win the job  

2 Convincing them  

you're right for the job  

Convincing them you're right for the job  

Doing well at interviews is not nearly as difficult as many people  

think. With correct preparation and a little practice, most people  

who dread interviews can learn to excel. The important thing to  

note is that performing well at interviews is a learned process. Highly  

effective interviewees are not born with interview skills; rather, they  

teach themselves what to say, how to say it and how to behave  

during an interview.  

Common interview mistakes  

All of us have made mistakes during interviews, and most of us have  

walked out of interviews thinking of all the great things we forgot  

to mention and all the things we shouldn't have said. But the most  

important thing about mistakes is learning from them-and not  

repeating them. Here are some common interview mistakes:  

• Failing to express oneself clearly. Often, because of anxiety and  

wanting to say things perfectly, we try too hard and turn what  

should be simple sentences into convoluted nonsense. Simple  

language is always the most effective. Avoid trying to sound  

knowledgeable by using jargon or complex sentences.  

• Not being aware of one's body language. Many interviewees succeed  

in alienating the interviewer because they pay little or no  

attention to their body language. Body language is an extremely  

powerful communicator, and failing to use it effectively will  

almost certainly put you at a significant disadvantage. Eye contact,  

sitting position and facial expressions are all very important  

aspects of interviewing, and need to be thought through before  

the interview.  

• Failing to control those nerves. Sometimes people allow their nerves  

to get so out of control that they fail to establish rapport and  

even forget their answers. Feeling anxious before and during an  

interview is common. In fact, a touch of nerves can be a good  

thing. But there is no need to be the victim of debilitating nerves.  

As you read through this book, you'll gradually learn how to  

lessen your anxiety.  

• Failing to give appropriate examples. Failing to give examples, or  

giving inappropriate examples, will spell disaster. Before the  

interview, it is important to think of relevant examples of what  

you've achieved and how you went about realising those  

achievements. Saying that you achieved something without  

being able to back it up with specific examples will only get you  

a rejection letter. Your examples need to be easy to understand,  

follow a logical sequence and be relevant to the needs of the  

employer. None of this happens without preparation.  

• Trying too hard to please the interviewer. Whilst building rapport  

and trust during the interview is critical, few interviewers appreciate  

interviewees going overboard with their behaviour.  

Obsequious behaviours are generally seen as a form of deceit and  

carry little weight-in fact, they can undermine your efforts to  

create trust.  

There's nothing wrong with you  

You've probably committed at least some of the mistakes listed  

above. It's very important to realise that making such mistakes is  

common. In other words, there's nothing wrong with you. In the vast  

majority of cases, performing poorly at an interview happens because  

12 interview skills that win the job  

of the very nature of interviews-it's the interview process that is  

the culprit.  

So an awareness of the basic nature of interviews is the first step  

in a step-by-step process by which you can significantly improve  

your performance. A great place to start is to ask: 'What does it take  

to convince the interviewer that you're the best person for the job?'  

The answer to this question can best be summarised in four parts:  

• correct preparation;  

• knowing the things that are important to interviewers;  

• practising your answers;  

• perseverance.  

Correct preparation  

How well you perform at an interview will largely depend on how  

well you have prepared for it. Failure to correctly prepare almost  

certainly means you will not perform at your best. In some cases,  

it will mean performing quite badly, which may contribute to the  

erosion of your confidence.  

Even if you're lucky enough to be the favoured candidate, and  

are almost certain to win the position by just turning up, you should  

still take the time to prepare because the better you perform, the  

greater the likelihood that you will negotiate a better salary-and  

often the difference in money can be substantial.  

We've all heard people boast that they've never prepared for an  

interview in their lives and have done all right. Whilst this boast  

may not be an idle one, closer inspection will usually reveal that  

these people were:  

• lucky-that is, in the right place at the right time;  

• well connected;  

• working in a favourable labour market where there was a huge  

demand for employees coupled with low supply;  

• applying for jobs well within their comfort zone-that is, not  

stretching themselves to improve their position; or  

convincing them you're right for the job 13  

• applying for jobs internally and competing mainly against  

external candidates.  

The case for preparation  

The argument for interview preparation becomes compelling when  

you give some thought to the basic nature of interviews. Not only  

are you expected to sell yourself in a competitive environment, but  

you're also expected to compress large and often complex pieces of  

information into neat and highly articulate answers that avoid any  

negative connotations and contain the information the interviewer  

wants to hear. It's no wonder people's stress levels increase. But it  

doesn't end there. There are three additional reasons that make the  

case for interview preparation even more compelling:  

• Interviews are rare events, thus making them unfamiliar and  

awkward.  

• Many people find it very difficult to sell themselves at interviews  

because they've been conditioned by family and society not to  

blow their own trumpet. Making simple statements such as 'I am  

very good at selling xyz' can be quite an obstacle to overcome.  

• In most interviews, coming second isn't good enough. It's not  

just a matter of performing well; it's also a matter of beating  

everyone else.  

It is unimaginable that you would fail to prepare for an event that  

is infrequent, competitive and requires behaviours not normally  

used. Yet that is exactly what people do when they walk into an  

interview without preparation.  

What is incorrect preparation?  

Incorrect preparation is any preparation that will not optimise your  

performance at an interview. Rote-learning generic answers that  

someone else has prepared has limited value. At best, they can give  

you an insight into what may constitute a good answer; at worst,  

they simply lead you astray. It is important to understand that, in  

14 interview skills that win the job  

the vast majority of cases, there's no such thing as a single answer  

to a question. What may constitute a great answer for one employer  

may be viewed as quite ordinary by another. One of the worst things  

you can do is learn other people's responses off by heart and repeat  

them at an interview. Repeating other people's so-called great answers  

can make you sound disingenuous and make you look a bit ridiculous  

when asked a probing follow up question. It makes a lot more sense  

to prepare your own answers.  

Advantages of preparation  

Taking the time to correctly prepare for an interview will:  

• improve your confidence levels;  

• assist you in answering questions succinctly, as opposed to taking  

forever to make a simple point;  

• help you know what to say and how to say it;  

• assist you in handling difficult questions;  

• help you avoid saying things that will make a negative impression;  

• improve your rapport-building skills.  

Knowing the things that are important to interviewers  

One of the keys to knowing what to prepare lies in understanding  

the needs of the interviewer. Once you know the things that are  

important to interviewers, interview preparation suddenly becomes  

a lot clearer and a lot more manageable.  

The vast majority of interviewers-whether or not they realise  

it-want to hear three things from you. In fact, nearly all good  

interview questions boil down to these three key generic questions:  

• Can you do the job? In other words, do you have the skills,  

knowledge, experience or potential to perform well in the job?  

Most interviewers will spend the majority of the interview probing  

you on this question. They'll want to know what you've done,  

how you did it and what the outcomes were. In the event you  

convincing them you're right for the job 15  

have not performed a particular duty, they will try to ascertain  

your potential to do the job.  

• Are you the sort of person they can work with? Another way of stating  

this question is: Will you fit into the existing culture of the  

organisation? Or, in the case of small organisations: Will you get  

on with the boss? Whilst interviewers generally spend a lot less  

time on this question, it is nevertheless a vitally important one-  

that's because no one wants to work with someone they don't  

like, even if they can do the job.  

• How motivated are you? In other words, what energy levels and  

drive do you bring to the position? You may not even be asked  

a question about your motivation levels, but you fail to address  

it at your peril. As we all know, highly motivated employees are  

keenly sought after by employers-with good reason.  

There are two significant benefits in knowing that interviewers are  

keenly interested in these three generic questions, and that the vast  

majority of questions they can ask fall under one or more of these  

categories. First, it guides you in the preparation of your answers (a  

large part of this book is based on answering these three key  

questions). Rather than spending lots of time wading through  

randomly selected questions in the hope that you will have prepared  

the right answers, an understanding of the significance of the three  

key generic questions provides a direction and platform for your  

preparation. In short, you are able to plan your preparation around  

the following issues:  

• your skills, knowledge and experience-can you do the job? (see  

Chapters 3, 4 and 5);  

• your personal attributes-are you the sort of person they can work  

with? (see Chapter 6);  

• your motivation levels (see Chapter 7).  

Second, it provides a useful way to deal with questions at the actual  

interview. By sorting interview questions into one or more of the  

three generic question categories, your answers will gain added  

structure and a clearer direction simply because you know what the  

16 interview skills that win the job  

underlying purpose of the questions is. By learning how to recognise  

the real intent of a question, you minimise your chances of giving  

the wrong answer and/or waffling.  

Practice  

The third aspect of convincing an interviewer that you're the best  

person for the job is practice. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts  

to developing great interview skills. Once you've prepared your  

answers, you need to sit down and practise them as much as you  

can. The more you practise, the better you'll be. As the old saying  

goes, 'success is one part talent and nine parts perseverance'. How  

you practise is up to you. Do it in front of the mirror, sitting on  

your couch, pacing your room or while driving your car-but avoid  

practising in front of your boss!  

Practising your answers aloud  

It is important to practise your answers aloud, rather than just  

mentally rehearsing them. That's because the human brain  

distinguishes between talking and thinking and you need to stimulate  

the talking part of your brain. Thinking your answers at an interview  

will get you nowhere, unless the interviewer is a mind reader.  

Get some feedback  

Ideally, you should do your practising at real interviews. The more  

interviews you attend, the better-even if you have to attend interviews  

for jobs that you're not really interested in. After the  

interview-assuming you're not the winning candidate-ring back  

the interviewer and ask for feedback on your performance. Some  

interviewers are happy to provide this feedback; however, many  

prefer not to because they find it threatening and a waste of their  

time. These people will either avoid you altogether or provide you  

with such watered-down feedback that it will be virtually useless.  

convincing them you're right for the job 17  

In some instances you may not be able to resolve this problem;  

however, you can increase your chances of getting honest feedback  

by making interviewers feel as comfortable as possible. You can do  

this by a) assuring them that you only want five minutes of their  

time; and b) telling them that the only reason you're seeking feedback  

is to improve future interview performance.  

Mock interviews  

If you cannot get yourself to as many interviews as you would like,  

it's a good idea to set up mock interviews with someone you can  

work with. The more closely you can simulate a real-life situation,  

more benefit you will derive. An effective way to conduct mock  

interviews is to get into role and stay in it for the entire interview.  

No distractions, no small talk and especially no starting again. If  

possible, avoid providing the questions to your helpers-let them  

come up with their own. If your helpers are not in a position to do  

this, give them lots of questions and ask them to choose the ones  

they want. The important thing for you is to get yourself used to  

answering unexpected questions. Furthermore, if you feel your helper  

can provide you with honest feedback on your performance, do not  

shy away from asking. You never know what you may learn. Often  

it's the small things that make a big difference. But be on your guard  

for overly positive feedback. Chances are that your helper will be a  

friend, and friends are well known for avoiding negatives.  

Perseverance  

The worst thing you can do when setting out to improve your  

interview performance is give up because it all seems too hard.  

Quitters invariably get nowhere. They certainly don't land great jobs  

and build great careers. On the other hand, people who persevere  

very often gain valuable insights simply because they have the  

stamina to stick it out.  

18 interview skills that win the job  

The people we admire most are often those who face seemingly  

insurmountable obstacles yet instead of quitting, quietly resolve to  

overcome them. On the other side of the coin, the people we generally  

least respect are those who are forever starting things without  

finishing them. They tend to be the same people who make grandiose  

claims but end up delivering little or nothing. One common  

characteristic that chronic quitters tend to have is low self-esteem-  

they don't really believe in themselves. And if you don't believe in  

yourself, others usually don't believe in you either-not a great place  

to be when you're trying to convince interviewers to believe in your  

abilities. These are the people who are often heard saying things  

such as: 'That's too hard', 'I can't learn that', 'What will others  

think', etc. They also tend to be the people who are always  

complaining about things but never seem to take any action to  

correct them because there's always an excuse.  

You don't have to be a chronic quitter or burdened with low  

self-esteem to give up on working on your interview skills-there  

could be any number of other reasons. However, if you're reading  

this book there's a good chance that improving your interview skills  

is an important priority in your life, and therefore should not be  

let go easily. If you feel you might be one of those people who is  

standing on the precipice of quitting, here is a little exercise that  

can assist you to take a step or two back from the edge.  

Suggested activity: Neurolinguistic programming  

Based on neurolinguistic programming (NLP), this exercise is designed  

to influence how you feel. People often quit because they associate  

negative feelings with what they're doing. People who persevere  

have the power to feel good about their actions no matter how  

tedious or unconstructive these actions may seem to others. If you  

can make yourself feel good about the process of improving your  

interview skills, then there's a good chance that quitting will be the  

last thing on your mind. Next time you feel like quitting, you might  

like to find a quiet spot and take the following steps:  

convincing them you're right for the job 19  

• Close your eyes and imagine yourself performing extremely well  

in an interview. Take your time to view this picture in as much  

detail as you can. Picture the faces of the enthusiastic interviewers,  

noticing how attentive they are and how impressed they are  

with your responses. Immerse yourself in the experience. Pay  

attention to the details, including sounds, smells, colours,  

temperature, and so on. Above all, capture the feeling of being  

successful. Do not hold yourself back. The better you make  

yourself feel, the more powerful the exercise will be.  

• Keep on repeating this exercise until you capture that feeling of  

excitement. You may be able to generate greater excitement by  

picturing yourself in your new job. Imagine how good it is going  

to feel winning a great job. Imagine getting that all important  

phone call informing you of your success. Picture yourself in the  

position doing all those things you've dreamt of doing. The key to  

this exercise is to generate the great feeling that goes with succeeding  

at an interview. Your only limitation is your imagination.  

• Once you've captured that feeling, the next step is to recreate it  

when you need it-in other words, when you feel like quitting.  

An effective way of recreating the feeling of excitement is by  

installing what NLP refers to as an anchor. An anchor is a stimulus  

that triggers the desired feelings when you want them. An anchor  

can be something you do, say or imagine. Action anchors usually  

work best. For example, you might cross your fingers or jump  

up in the air or pull your ears. It doesn't matter what it is, as  

long as you can do it easily when you want to and trigger the  

desired feelings. Every time you're afflicted with the scourge of  

quitting, use your anchor and let your ability to influence your  

feelings do the rest.  

Summary of key points  

• Because of their nature, interviews are inherently challenging. Making  

mistakes at an interview is something that everyone does. The good  

20 interview skills that win the job  

news is that we can overcome our errors by correct preparation,  

practice and perseverance.  

• Beware of faulty preparation. Avoid rote learning of other people's  

answers. Always prepare your own.  

• Knowing what employers want to hear at an interview constitutes a  

great start for preparing your own answers and simplifies interview  

preparation. What most employers want to hear can be represented  

by three key questions:  

- Can you do the job?  

- Are you the sort of person they can work with?  

- How motivated are you?  

• Get in as much practice as you can and always ask for honest feedback.  

• Perseverance is everything.  

• Banish all thoughts of quitting by teaching yourself to associate  

strong feelings of excitement with improving your interview skills.  

convincing them you're right for the job 21  

3 Can you do  

the job?  

Can you do the job?  

Before an employer decides to give someone a job, they need to be  

convinced that the person can either do the job properly or learn  

it quickly. It comes as no surprise to learn therefore that 'Can you  

do the job?' questions are the most common. They're also the ones  

people spend most time preparing for.  

'Can you do the job?' questions are those that directly or indirectly  

seek to ascertain your ability to perform the duties inherent in a  

job. They include questions that seek to clarify your:  

• skills;  

• knowledge;  

• experience;  

• key achievements;  

• potential performance.  

Examples of 'Can you do the job?' questions include:  

• Can you give us an example of a time you had to communicate  

something that was complex and controversial? How did you  

go about it?  

• Tell us about one of your key achievements?  

• An irate client rings and gives you a blast over the phone. How  

do you handle it?  

• What do you think you can bring to this position?  

• Can you give us an example of a project that you had to plan  

and organise? What steps did you take?  

• How would you describe yourself? (At first glance this may not  

strike you as a 'Can you do the job?' question, but effective interviewees  

always look for ways to highlight their skills.)  

• What would you say makes an effective manager of people?  

• Why should we employ you?  

• What do you regard as your greatest strength?  

• The most important duty in your job will be to look after the x,  

y and z. Tell us how you intend going about it.  

Three types of 'Can you do the job?' questions  

Unless you're being interviewed for a job that's almost identical to  

one you've already had, it is likely that you will be asked three types  

of 'Can you do the job?' questions. These are:  

• questions about duties that you have performed before (see  

Chapter 3);  

• questions about duties that you have not performed but whose  

skills you have mastered (see Chapter 4);  

• questions about duties that are entirely new to you (see  

Chapter 5).  

Finding out as much about the job as possible  

The first thing you need to do is take a very close look at the duties  

and requirements of the job you're applying for. It is these duties and  

requirements that will form the basis of your answers. There are  

several ways of collecting this sort of information:  

• scrutinising the job advertisement;  

• accessing a duty statement-if there is one;  

• contacting the employer or recruitment agent to clarify the main  

responsibilities of the job.  

can you do the job? 23  

In an ideal world, you would have access to a detailed job  

advertisement, an up-to-date duty statement and an employer happy  

to discuss the main responsibilities of the job. Unfortunately, all too  

often the reality is that job ads are thinly worded, duty statements  

are non-existent and employers do not have time to return your  

calls. However, it is critical that you find out as much about the job  

as possible before sitting down and thinking about your answers.  

The best source of information is either the employer or the  

recruitment agent. Job ads and duty statements are useful (sometimes  

they're all that you will have); however, duty statements can often  

be out of date and job ads can lack sufficient information.  

Talking to the right people can provide you with insights that  

often cannot be picked up from the written word. You might find  

out, for example, that the position you're applying for was made  

vacant because the previous incumbent had poor interpersonal  

communication skills and became aggressive when anyone expressed  

a differing opinion. In such a case, it is likely that the employer will  

be looking for a replacement with excellent interpersonal  

communication and team player skills. You'd have a far better chance  

of winning the job if you had accessed this information before the  

interview and taken the time to prepare your answers.  

Talking to an employer to find out more  

If you're able to talk to the employer, be sure you've got your questions  

prepared. The last thing you want to do is waste their time by  

stumbling through poorly thought-out questions. If the employer  

does not return your call, do not throw in the towel. Often the  

person who answers the phone can be an invaluable source of  

information-especially in small to medium sized enterprises. There's  

a good chance that they know a great deal about the position, or  

they might know someone else who does and is willing to talk to  

you. Here are some useful rules when talking to an employer before  

the interview:  

24 interview skills that win the job  

• Avoid small talk and get straight to the point. Small talk will be  

seen as sucking up-which, of course, it is!  

• Avoid asking too many questions-just ask the important ones,  

unless the employer has made it obvious that they've got lots  

of time on their hands and is willing to talk to you.  

• Never ask frivolous questions-those that can be answered from  

the advertisement or that a good applicant would be expected  

to know the answers to.  

• Where necessary, provide a succinct reason why you're asking  

the question-the employer may not understand the significance  

of the question and could draw the wrong conclusions.  

• Thank them for their time and tell them you're looking forward  

to the interview.  

A quick word about duty statements  

Duty statements are simply a summary of the main duties of a job.  

Whilst they're a great source of information, they can be out of  

date. So, if you've been sent one, make the effort to find out whether  

the information on it is still valid. Checking on a duty statement  

can represent a great opportunity to contact the employer and ask  

a few questions. Unfortunately, duty statements are usually the  

preserve of large organisations. Smaller companies generally lack  

the resources to write them.  

Gleaning information from a job advertisement  

When you scrutinise the job advertisement, make a list of all the  

duties/requirements associated with the position. The idea is to try  

to read between the lines as much as possible. The more duties and  

requirements you come up with, the more thorough your preparation  

will be, which will lessen the chances of being caught unprepared  

at the interview.  

can you do the job? 25  

The four steps to interview success  

The four steps to interview success are designed to capture all the  

relevant information you need to construct interview answers within  

a simple-to-manage framework. This method features four columns,  

with the headings shown below in Table 3.1.  

Table 3.1 The four steps to interview success  

By filling out each of the columns in the table, you are effectively  

collecting all the information you'll need to answer a broad range  

of questions. Most importantly, it's your relevant information, not  

information gathered from other people's answers you've read  

elsewhere. Once you've captured the required information, your  

next step is to put it together in response to a range of likely interview  

questions and then practise your answers.  

Behavioural questions  

One of the key advantages of the four steps method is that it lends  

itself to addressing a popular questioning technique commonly referred  

to as behavioural questioning. You can recognise one of these questions  

every time an interviewer asks you for specific examples to back up  

a claim you have made, including the steps you took and the obstacles  

you encountered. Behavioural questions are designed to uncover the  

actions (behaviours) behind an outcome or a duty, and cannot be  

successfully answered without preparing the third column.  

If you're a graduate or a new entrant to the workforce, there's  

still a good chance that you will be asked behavioural questions;  

however, they will be limited in scope. Instead of asking for  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/requirements  

of the position I'm  

applying for  

What I've already  

done that relates  

directly to the duties  

listed in step 1,  

including overcoming  

obstacles  

Current or past  

context  

Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

26 interview skills that win the job  

employment-related experience, interviewers will ask for study- or  

life-related incidences. For example, the interviewer may want to  

know how well you function in a team, so may ask you about the  

last time you had to complete an assignment with a group of students.  

The same principle applies to communication skills, planning and  

organising, conflict resolution, your ability to cope with change,  

and so on.  

Using the four steps  

Once you've come up with as much information as you can about  

the job, you need to start thinking about preparing your answers  

regarding duties you've performed before. All you need to do is recount  

your past actions and achievements and link them to the new job.  

But be careful not to take these interviews for granted. It is all  

too easy to fall into the trap of not preparing because you think  

that the questions will be easy. However, just because you've performed  

the same duties does not mean you will be able to articulate the  

details of what you did and how you did it. There's a big difference  

between doing something and actually having to talk about it in a  

succinct and coherent fashion.  

Your first step is to select all the duties/requirements of the new  

job that you have performed before and recount your past actions  

and achievements in a way that will make the creation of effective  

answers easy. Use Table 3.1 to capture all the information you will  

need, including what you did, how you did it, the context in which  

you did it and the outcomes. A more detailed explanation of each  

of the steps, including what to include and not include in each  

column, follows.  

Step1: Duties or requirements  

List the duties and requirements of the job you're applying for in  

the first column.  

can you do the job? 27  

Step 2: What you did and how you did it  

The second column (step 2) contains the core of your answers,  

including the obstacles you overcame to satisfy the duties or  

requirements listed in step 1. When filling out this column, avoid  

writing broad-ranging or general answers, though this may not  

always be possible. The idea is to break up the duty or requirement  

listed in step 1 into its primary tasks or components. It helps if you  

ask yourself the following question: In order to complete the duty  

or requirement in step 1, what individual actions did I take, including  

any actions I took to overcome obstacles? Then list these in a logical  

sequence.  

Avoid rushing through this step, especially if it has been a while  

since you've performed a particular duty. A good idea is to write all  

the things you can think of and then reduce the list down to the  

key points. Include specific examples.  

Be careful not to over-elaborate when filling out the second  

column. Doing so can inadvertently lead to answers containing far  

too much detail. Given that many interviewees feel they have to  

show off their hard-earned knowledge, it is easy to go overboard in  

step 2. But, in the vast majority of cases, you are not required to  

cover every contingency when answering a question. Try to avoid  

talking for longer than you should, thus boring the interviewer. Most  

interviewers are able to draw sensible inferences from the main points  

in your answer. If they want more information, they'll ask for it.  

If you do have lots of great information that you absolutely feel  

cannot be left out, then go ahead and list them in the second column,  

but be selective about what you use at the interview. Only choose  

the most relevant points. You can leave your other points for other  

questions or, if there are no follow-up questions, pat yourself on  

the back for being thorough in your preparation.  

Not providing exhaustive answers at an interview makes a lot  

of sense when you factor in the importance of rapport-building  

during the course of an interview. Remember: building rapport with  

the interviewer is the most important thing you can do at an interview  

and talking too much works against that all-important goal.  

28 interview skills that win the job  

How long should my answers be?  

Some answers can be as short as one word; others may run into  

many sentences. It all depends on the question and the circumstances.  

Here are some helpful guidelines on keeping your answers within  

acceptable parameters.  

Let's make some reasonable assumptions. Say your interview will  

run for 40 minutes. Take away five minutes for settling and the  

exchange of pleasantries. That leaves you about 35 minutes. (It never  

hurts to ask how long the interview will run, but ask before the  

interview, not at the actual interview, lest you give the impression  

that you're in a hurry to be somewhere else.) Now, let's say the job  

contains ten main duties and requirements and that the interviewer  

has prepared two questions per primary duty/requirement. That  

means you have to answer, at a minimum, twenty questions within  

35 minutes, which means you'll have a little under two minutes per  

question. This does not mean that you set your timer at one minute  

and fifty seconds for every question-it simply means that it is  

reasonable to assume the interviewers have left a little less than two  

minutes to get through their primary questions.  

However, it is also reasonable to assume that the interviewer  

may want to spend more time on particular questions. If you've  

done your homework, there's a good chance that you'll know  

beforehand which questions the interviewers will wish to spend a  

little extra time on. If not, it's up to you to be as alert as possible  

during the interview. Look out for any clues (such as body language  

and tone of voice) that may indicate the interviewer is placing extra  

importance on particular questions. The point is that it's OK to  

spend a little extra time on these sorts of questions.  

Avoid subjective or liberal interpretations of questions. Listen  

very carefully to the question, and answer it. This sounds obvious,  

but people do have a bad habit of assuming that the interviewer is  

wanting to hear a whole lot of other things. Just stick to the question.  

If interviewers have other questions, there's a good chance they'll  

ask them.  

can you do the job? 29  

Step 3: Context  

Once you've listed what you did and how you did it under step 2,  

it is important to give some thought to the context or situation in  

which you did it. Without context, your answers will sound empty  

or only half-completed. In fact, as we shall see a little later, it is  

often a good idea to begin your answers by giving the interviewer an  

insight into the context in which you performed the duties. For  

example, it's better to start an answer by saying, 'I planned and  

organised my work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment  

where clients wanted everything in a big hurry', rather than saying,  

'I planned and organised my work by ensuring that my work schedule  

took upcoming events into account'. Whilst there's nothing wrong  

with the latter, the former is a better beginning because it sets the  

scene and gives the interviewer a better insight into the environment  

in which you worked.  

By talking about context, you're giving the interviewer a better  

appreciation of the work you did, as well as its relevance to the job  

you're applying for. Without a clearly articulated context, your  

answers will consist of little more than a bunch of tasks you  

completed. And there's a good chance interviewers will adopt one  

of those indifferent expressions indicating that, no matter what you  

say thereafter, they have decided you're not getting the job.  

Please note that you only need to establish context once for each  

job you did. Repeating context for the same job is nonsensical and  

is likely to make the interviewer think that you bumped your head  

against something hard on your way to the interview!  

Step 4: Outcomes  

This step involves writing down the key outcomes or results of your  

actions. One of the things I've noticed over the years is that many  

people find it difficult to articulate the good things that have resulted  

from their work. When I ask them why, I soon discover it's because  

many of them don't think in terms of outcomes. Unfortunately,  

their thinking is primarily confined to what they did, and sometimes  

30 interview skills that win the job  

how they did it. However, outcomes or achievements are arguably  

the most important aspect of your work. There's little point in doing  

all the right things if you don't achieve any positive outcomes. From  

an interviewer's point of view, outcomes are critical.  

When thinking about outcomes, it is useful to separate them  

into organisation and personal categories.  

Organisational outcomes  

Organisational outcomes include any improvements accrued by the  

organisation as a result of your work. Sometimes these are easy to  

quantify, especially if you've been involved in making, selling,  

installing or changing something. When thinking about organisational  

outcomes, many people confine themselves to the evident outcomes-  

or the things they actually did. Examples of evident outcomes include  

such things as implementing a new filing system, changing report  

templates or building a new database for keeping track of customer  

contacts. Needless to say, it is important to mention these outcomes  

at an interview. However, the shortfall with evident outcomes is  

that they fail to articulate their primary benefits to the organisation.  

Saying you implemented a new filing system is great, but your answer  

would be much better if you also articulated the benefit of this new  

filing system to the employer. For example:  

• Productivity rose by 5 per cent.  

• Quality of service, as measured by customer feedback, improved  

significantly.  

• Customer service levels improved by 12 per cent.  

• Staff satisfaction and moral improved by over 8 per cent.  

• Turn-around times nearly halved.  

'Best guess' estimates are fine in this situation.  

You will have noticed that most of the above outcomes are  

quantified. In general, quantified outcomes sound a lot more credible  

than just saying something 'improved'. However, if you do not have  

specific numbers to talk about, approximations will do-providing  

you can back them up. Unfortunately, many interviewees feel they  

cannot talk about the specific improvements their efforts led to  

can you do the job? 31  

because they worked for an organisation that did not measure  

outcomes. If you find yourself in this situation, you should not allow  

your employer's failure to measure to deter you from articulating  

'best guess' improvements. You are entitled to say to the interviewer  

that, even though the benefits to the organisation were not measured,  

you estimate that improvements were in the range of x per cent. But  

be warned-do not go making over-inflated claims, otherwise you'll  

lose credibility. And be sure you can justify your 'best guess' claims.  

Here are some phrases that may assist you in articulating outcomes  

that were not measured:  

• Anecdotal evidence strongly indicated . . .  

• All the feedback we received showed that . . .  

• The stakeholders were unanimous in their praise.  

• Senior management felt that the goals were more than met.  

• Judging by the time saved, we estimated that productivity  

improved by . . .  

Here's an example of an answer that includes employer benefit  

outcomes that were not measured:  

As result of the new filing system, time spent by staff locating  

certain documents decreased significantly, which gave them  

more time to concentrate on other work. Even though we  

did not measure precisely how much time was saved, the  

feedback I received from the users strongly indicated that  

productivity improved by at least 5 per cent.  

Personal outcomes  

In their rush to talk about organisational outcomes, interviewees often  

neglect to talk about their personal outcomes. Articulating personal  

outcomes can be a very effective interview technique, particularly  

when those outcomes are directly relevant to the job you're applying  

for. It's also an effective way to highlight an important skill or  

insight to an interviewer who seems to be incapable of asking  

appropriate questions.  

32 interview skills that win the job  

Personal outcomes include any benefits you have accrued as a  

result of your work. These can include:  

• learning new skills;  

• improving existing skills;  

• gaining new insights;  

• various forms of recognition, including promotion or monetary  

gain.  

For example, stating that, at the end of a big project, you felt a  

wonderful sense of accomplishment (a very natural thing to feel)  

signals to the interviewer that you're the sort of person who is motivated  

by working on and successfully completing a large project. Here are  

some examples of simple but effective personal outcome endings:  

As a result of working on the project, my planning and  

organisational skills improved dramatically. (skills-based)  

By the end of my stay with company x, my insight into the  

legal aspects of occupational health and safety requirements  

had improved significantly. (knowledge-based)  

One of the pleasing things about working with the project team  

was discovering how much I enjoyed working in a team environment.  

I always thought that I functioned better working  

solo, but I discovered that I was highly effective working as  

part of a team. (skills-based and motivation relating to teamwork)  

Suggested activity: Personal outcomes  

Before you go on, see whether you can come up with three personal  

outcome endings of your own.  

Putting it all altogether  

Having created your answers, you need to bring together the  

information you've captured in the four steps in order to construct  

can you do the job? 33  

answers that can be used to tackle a broad range of relevant questions.  

One of the main advantages of using the four steps is that you can  

easily construct answers that address a range of questions relating  

to the duties and requirements in step 1. Here are some important  

tips to help you construct an answer.  

Posing questions to yourself  

The first thing to do is pose a question relating to the duty or  

requirement listed under step 1. Start off with a question that you  

feel comfortable with, then answer it using the information in the  

other three columns. At the start, it is a good idea to write your  

answers down. This will give you some all-important structure and  

direction. However, committing answers to paper does not imply  

that you have to memorise them word for word. In fact, doing so  

can be counter-productive-for two reasons. First, precise word-forword  

answers are suited to highly specific questions, and there is no  

guarantee that you will be asked the specific question you've prepared  

for. Second, memorising answers to such a degree can rob you of  

two of the most important skills used in interviews: flexibility and  

an ability to think on your feet. The important thing is to memorise  

the main points of your answers. You are not required to regurgitate  

them in exactly the same order using exactly the same sentences.  

Once you've written your answer down and practised it to the  

point where you've achieved a satisfactory level of fluency (without  

referring to your notes), you can ask and answer other questions  

relating to the same duty or requirement. Two to three questions  

for each of the duties/requirements under step 1 should suffice. You  

can do more if you choose; however, you'll probably find that, with  

more questions, you'll be repeating your answers.  

How to pose your own questions  

Generating your own questions is a simple process if you tackle it  

from the perspective of the interviewer. Put yourself in the shoes of  

the interviewer and ask yourself what questions you would need to  

34 interview skills that win the job  

ask to ascertain whether the interviewee could perform the relevant  

duty or job requirement. You will need to take into account  

behavioural questioning techniques, which are designed to uncover  

the specific actions behind stated claims. An example of a behaviouralbased  

question relating to working in an entrepreneurial environment  

is: 'Tell us about the way you dealt with working in a fast-paced  

entrepreneurial environment. What steps or techniques worked for  

you?' Notice the key phrases: 'the way you dealt with' and 'What  

steps or techniques worked for you?' This question is trying to uncover  

the key behaviours underpinning successful work in an  

entrepreneurial environment.  

By asking yourself such questions, there is a good chance that you  

will come close to anticipating the interview questions-or at least  

be more precise about the intent of the interview questions. The actual  

question at the interview probably will sound different to the question  

you posed yourself, but its intent or purpose will be similar. In other  

words, even though questions may be worded differently, the content  

of your answers should be relevant to the interview.  

Where possible begin your answer with the context (see step 3).  

Think of context as the foundation upon which you build some of  

your answers. The clearer the context, the more sense the rest of  

your answer will make to the interviewer. The interviewer will know  

what sort of environment you were working in and how important  

your duties were to the success of the job, not to mention your own  

employment.  

Once you've established context in one question you do not  

have to keep on mentioning the same context for every question  

relating to the same workplace. Only mention context again if a  

new one is being discussed.  

What you did and how you did it  

Once you've established context, you're free to launch into the heart  

of your answer: the specifics of what you did and how you did it  

(see step 2).  

can you do the job? 35  

Finishing your answer with an outcome or outcomes  

As much as possible, try to conclude with a positive outcome.  

Summarising the above points, here's what a question and a full  

answer might sound like:  

Question: Tell us about the way you dealt with working in a fastpaced  

entrepreneurial environment.  

Whilst working for this company, an important client needed  

changes made to one of the orders she had placed and she  

needed these changes completed within a very short space  

of time. Given that a number of our clients worked in unpredictable  

environments, these requests were not uncommon.  

Our job was to ensure that we could meet them, otherwise  

we'd effectively be out of a job.  

This establishes the context-step 3. Amongst other things, this  

opening tells the interviewer about the significance of your work.  

The way I dealt with working in such a demanding environment  

was to ensure that my planning took into account the  

fact that matters could change at any minute. For example,  

I made it very clear to my clients and colleagues that, due to  

the nature of my work, I might be changing appointments  

or sending someone else instead of myself. I also avoided  

making long-term commitments. Coping in such a hectic  

environment also meant that I had to make some fundamental  

changes in the way I thought about work. I had to quickly  

jettison the idea of working predictable hours and performing  

foreseeable tasks. I also had to come to terms with the idea  

that work can often be unpredictable requiring a great deal  

of flexibility. Now I could never see myself going back to a  

settled working environment.  

I also had to be prepared to learn new things quickly as  

the need arose. For this job, I had to learn the basics of  

PowerPoint and Access in a few days and apply them on the  

job. Retraining becomes a way of life, as does learning to  

work well with others.  

36 interview skills that win the job  

This reflects step 2: what you did and how you did it. The answer  

clearly and succinctly states what actions were taken (planning),  

and gives specific examples of how they were taken (e.g changing  

appointments).  

The outcomes of my work were very motivating for me. Not  

only did we consistently meet the client's requests, but we  

had an excellent record in terms of our customer service levels  

as measured by our twice yearly customer service survey.  

This is an illustration of step 4: outcomes. In this case, two  

organisational outcomes have been stated: 'consistently met client's  

requests' and 'excellent customer service'. And there is one personal  

outcome-'high levels of motivation'.  

This answer is a thorough one, and you would probably not use  

all of it in response to a single question. However, thorough preparation  

is a wise precaution. You may choose to use only a part of this answer  

in response to a team player question and keep the rest in reserve  

for another team player question or a question requiring similar  

skills. Feel free to 'cut and paste' your answers as the need arises.  

The elements of a good interview response contained in this  

answer include the following:  

• It provided specific examples.  

• It mentioned learning the basics of PowerPoint and Access.  

• It stated what you did and how you did it-for example, changing  

appointments; avoiding making long-term commitments;  

learning new things quickly as the need arose; retraining; and  

letting go of the idea that work is predictable and inflexible.  

• It stated outcomes and mentioned being motivated by outcomes,  

including consistently meeting clients' requests and an excellent  

record in terms of customer service levels.  

• It avoided meandering all over the place.  

One of the strengths of the four steps is that we can answer a  

range of questions relating to the duty or requirement under step 1.  

Below are responses to some other questions relating to working in  

an entrepreneurial environment.  

can you do the job? 37  

Question: Which part of working in an entrepreneurial environment  

did you find most challenging?  

Given the short time frames and levels of work required, the  

most challenging aspect for me-at least in the beginning-  

was meeting the client's tight deadlines. (step 3).  

I met this challenge by improving the way I planned for  

contingencies, by training myself in several software packages  

including PowerPoint and Access, and by putting into place  

measures that improved the communication amongst key  

stakeholders. (step 2).  

The outcomes were very positive. Not only did I begin to  

meet the client's deadlines, but I also put into place  

communication procedures that improved organisational  

efficiency. (step 4).  

Question: What did you enjoy most about working in an  

entrepreneurial environment?  

The part I enjoyed most was meeting the tight deadlines set  

by the clients. I always felt a deep sense of satisfaction every  

time we successfully overcame a difficult challenge (step 4).  

A lot of planning and well-organised work needed to be  

completed before the deadlines were successfully met. (steps  

2 and 3). For example, we needed to ensure that all members  

of the team were continually communicating with one another  

and that everyone had the required training. I enjoyed working  

in a fast-paced and challenging environment which stretched  

me on a daily basis.  

Question: How do you manage the pressures of working in a fastpaced  

entrepreneurial environment?  

I manage it quite well. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I  

enjoy working in such an environment. The strategies that  

work for me consist of ensuring that I've got all the right  

skills to do the job, including good communications skills  

and the ability to work well with others. Just as important  

as skills, however, is the right state of mind. I enjoy working  

38 interview skills that win the job  

at a fast pace and in a challenging environment where change  

is the only constant. I could not imagine myself working in  

a slow-paced and predictable environment.  

Remember, the four steps simply provide a means by which you  

can capture lots of relevant data in a simple way. There's no reason  

why you cannot alter some aspects of the model to suit your own  

needs. It is designed to be flexible. Here are two important examples  

of how the four steps can be used differently.  

First, you do not have to fill each column. For example, if you  

have no personal outcomes worth mentioning, don't invent them  

for the sake of filling out that section. The same goes for the obstacles  

under step 2. In some cases, people encounter very minor obstacles  

when performing certain duties-so minor, in fact, that they're really  

not worth mentioning. Always leave out trivia. The idea is to fill  

each of the columns only with information that was important to  

the job and that you think will be relevant to the interviewer.  

Second, you can alter the headings under the four steps to suit  

the question you're addressing. For example, for questions that relate  

to qualities or issues that are not skills related and/or do not readily  

lend themselves to step-by-step procedures, the heading of the second  

column can be adjusted to simply read 'Examples'. Such qualities  

would include loyalty, honesty, integrity, work-related values or  

beliefs, and hobbies. Because values-related characteristics such as  

the above are qualities which do not require skills or technical  

knowledge, and which do not lend themselves to a sequence of  

actions, this column would simply list examples of when you behaved  

loyally or honestly (rather than how you did something). Here are  

some examples of questions where step 2 may be adjusted:  

• Tell us about some of your interests outside of work.  

• We're loyal to our employees and would like to think they are  

loyal to us. Can you give us an example of you behaving in a  

loyal manner?  

• Do you prefer a quiet workplace or one in which there is some  

noise?  

can you do the job? 39  

• Do you enjoy following rules?  

• Do you prefer following established step-by-step procedures or  

making it up as you go?  

Suggested activity: Using the four steps  

• Select a duty or a job requirement that you're familiar with and,  

using the four steps to interview success, capture all the relevant  

information you can think of (see Table 3.1).  

• When you've entered all your information, pose yourself two  

questions using the behavioural questioning technique referred  

to in this chapter.  

• Practise your answers aloud until you've reached a satisfactory  

level of fluency.  

Summary of key points  

• 'Can you do the job?' questions are generally the most common  

questions asked at interviews. They are concerned with ascertaining  

your skills, knowledge and experience.  

• 'Can you do the job?' questions can be split into three categories:  

- questions about duties that you have performed before;  

- questions about duties that you have not performed but whose  

skills you have mastered;  

- questions about duties that are entirely new to you.  

• Your first important step to preparing your interview answers is to  

find out as much about the job as possible.  

• The four steps to interview success provide a simple-to-use framework  

with which you can capture all the relevant information you need to  

construct interview answers. As well as capturing what you did and  

how you did it, it also compels you to think about context and  

outcomes. It is ideally suited for answering behavioural questions  

and can be used in a flexible way.  

40 interview skills that win the job  

• Beware of long-winded answers.  

• The most effective way of putting together the information you capture  

using the four steps is to pose to yourself hypothetical interview  

questions and then answer them out loud until you become fluent.  

• A good interview answer will generally contain the following points:  

- a context;  

- specific examples;  

- what you did and how you did it;  

- outcomes;  

- it will get directly to the point.  

can you do the job? 41  

4 Same skills,  

different job  

Same skills, different job  

Too often, people fail to make the link between their existing skills  

and the skills required for the job they want. As a result, they either  

do not bother applying, or they apply with the view that they'll  

probably not get the position.  

By the end of this chapter, as well as showing you how to prepare  

for this type of question, I hope to persuade the skeptic in you that  

skills are often a lot more transferable than you may realise. Once  

you've assimilated this idea and learnt how to prepare answers for  

duties that you have not performed before but whose skills you have  

mastered, a whole new universe of jobs suddenly becomes potentially  

available. What makes learning how to prepare for this type of  

question even more important is that, unless you're interviewing  

for a job which is almost identical to those you've done in the past,  

it is likely to be the most common question asked.  

So let's pose a question: what do a furniture salesperson and an  

insurance call centre operator have in common? Using the four steps  

to interview success, we can discover which skills are both available  

and transferable. Before we start the process, however, we need to  

work out what the overlapping skills are. In other words, we need  

to link the skills and knowledge sets for what you've already done  

and the job you're now applying for.  

Let's say, for example, you've been working in an insurance call  

centre where your only contact with customers has been over the  

telephone and you wish to apply for a job as a face-to-face salesperson  

selling furniture-two seemingly very different jobs. You will, amongst  

other things, need to demonstrate how your call centre customer  

service skills are relevant to the new job's customer service  

requirements. An effective way of doing this is to work backwards,  

by making a list of the customer service skills required by a face-toface  

furniture salesperson, then thinking of all the customer service  

skills in call centre work that are the same or similar. Table 4.1 shows  

how it can be done.  

Table 4.1 Applying skills from one job to another  

As you can see, even though insurance call centre operators and  

face-to-face furniture salespeople work in very different environments,  

there is a great deal of overlap in the skills required for both jobs. In  

the above example, the only real skills difference is the fact that call  

centre operators don't have to think about their body language. The  

big difference, of course, lies with product knowledge. So, in preparation  

for the upcoming furniture sales interview, I'd be rehearsing all the  

similarities between the two jobs and thinking of the best way to  

overcome the one obvious weakness-limited product knowledge.  

The next time you think it's pointless applying for a job because  

the duties are seemingly very different, you might want to try the  

Customer service skills for furniture  

salesperson  

Customer service skills for insurance  

call centre  

Greeting customers using appropriate  

language, including body language  

Greeting customers with correct verbal  

language including tone of voice  

Inquiring about customers' needs by posing  

open-ended questions  

Inquiring about customers' needs by asking  

questions and listening carefully  

Having a thorough knowledge of furniture  

products on offer and trying to match these to  

the customer's needs  

Having a thorough knowledge of insurance  

products on offer and trying to match these to  

the customer's needs  

Knowing how to close a sale Knowing how to close a sale  

Being courteous and polite to customers who  

decide not to buy  

Being courteous and polite to customers who  

decide not to buy  

same skills, different job 43  

linking skills and knowledge set exercise before finalizing your  

decision.  

Using the four steps  

Once you've worked out the skills common to the two jobs, you  

can include the relevant skills under step 2. All you have to do is  

transfer the information in the second column of Table 4.1 to the  

step 2 column in Table 4.2 opposite. Remember, Table 4.2 is being  

filled out by an insurance call centre operator who wants to apply  

for a sales position in a furniture store.  

Step 3: Context  

Your next step is to fill in the third, or context, column of Table 4.2  

opposite. However, talking about working in a call centre when you  

are applying for a job in a furniture store-notwithstanding the  

similar skills-is only going to highlight the differences between your  

past context and the job you're applying for. In this situation, you  

need to acknowledge your past job, but as briefly as possible. Your  

job at the interview is to focus on the similarities between the two jobs,  

not the differences. For this reason, there's hardly anything written  

in the context column.  

Step 4: Outcomes  

Unlike the context column, the outcomes column can contain a  

great deal of information. See Table 4.2 opposite for what might be  

included.  

Putting it all together  

Let's look at a sample question and answer that might occur in an  

interview for a new job with similar skills.  

44 interview skills that win the job  

Question: Look, I like how you've presented yourself, but the fact  

that you've never worked in a furniture environment worries me.  

I can see your point. I think if I were in your shoes I'd be  

thinking the same thing. In my defence, I'd like to emphasise  

that I am able to bring to this job all the skills that you  

require. That's because call centre customer service skills are  

directly relevant to your business. For example, I am very  

experienced at greeting customers using correct language and  

tone of voice; I've mastered the skill of ascertaining customers'  

same skills, different job 45  

Table 4.2 The four steps applied to a different job with similar skills  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position that  

I'm applying for  

What I've already  

done that relates  

directly to the duties  

listed under step 1,  

including overcoming  

obstacles  

Current or past  

context  

Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Selling furniture in  

a furniture store  

• Greeting customer with  

correct language,  

including correct tone of  

voice  

• Inquiring about  

customers' needs by  

asking questions and  

listening carefully.  

• Having a thorough  

knowledge of insurance  

products on offer and  

trying to match these to  

the customer's needs  

• Knowing how to close  

a sale.  

• Being courteous and  

polite to customers who  

decide not to buy  

Working in a call  

centre  

Organisational  

• Consistently achieved  

my sales targets and  

regularly exceeded them  

• Commended on levels  

of service by my  

supervisor  

• Never had a customer  

complain about me  

Personal  

• Demonstrated an  

ability to quickly learn  

about the products I was  

selling  

needs by asking the right questions; and I understand the  

importance of quickly learning the ins and outs of all the  

products I am selling and linking this knowledge to the what  

the customer wants. I've also learned how to close a sale and  

I am acutely aware of the importance of being very polite to  

customers who decide not to buy because there's always the  

chance they might come back (step 2: skills).  

My former employers consistently commended me on my  

customer service skills. I never received any negative feedback  

from customers and I always reached my targets and  

periodically exceeded them (step 4: organisational outcomes).  

Also, I've demonstrated in all my past jobs an ability to  

learn about my products very quickly, so my limited knowledge  

about furniture will not be a problem. The fact is, I know a  

lot about furniture already. Furthermore, the reason I'm  

applying for this job is because I love furniture and home  

decorating. I'd like nothing more than to be able to work in  

such an environment (step 4: personal outcomes).  

This answer has several very positive aspects:  

• The initial response was not to disagree with the interviewer's  

reservation. The interviewee acknowledged the interviewer's  

hesitation by saying, 'I can see your point . . .' Acknowledging  

first and then putting your points forward is a much more effective  

technique than just disagreeing from the outset.  

• Without delivering a long-winded dissertation on customer service  

skills, the applicant addressed the interviewer's reservations  

by succinctly linking all their existing customer service skills to  

the job.  

• The interviewee kept talk about working in an insurance call  

centre to an absolute minimum.  

• The interviewee highlighted the effectiveness of their customer  

skills by mentioning three positive outcomes.  

• And finally, but very importantly, the applicant told the interviewer  

that they loved furniture and would like nothing more  

than to work in a furniture environment. There are few things  

46 interview skills that win the job  

in life that employers like hearing more than potential employees  

saying they love the industry.  

Suggested activity: Applying for a new job requiring  

similar skills  

Write down the main skills and knowledge inherent in a job  

(preferably one you'd like to apply for) that's different to what you've  

been doing. Beside them, list all the similar skills and knowledge  

you have.  

There are a number of skills that are common to many jobs.  

Some are fairly specific (e.g. being a good listener), whilst others are  

quite broad (e.g. good manager, team player). Note that many of  

these skills also overlap-for example, an effective team player needs  

to be a clear communicator and a good listener. On the whole, it's  

best to be as specific as possible.  

Skills that are common to most jobs include:  

• being a clear communicator;  

• being a good listener;  

• being an effective team player;  

• willingness to help colleagues;  

• being an effective planner;  

• being a skilful organiser;  

• the ability to work in a pressured environment;  

• good customer service skills;  

• the ability to close a sale;  

• being good at dealing with angry customers;  

• the ability to adapt to changing circumstances;  

• being a good manager of people;  

• managing time effectively;  

• effective presentation skills;  

• good analytical skills;  

• the ability to motivate staff;  

• being able to facilitate group discussions and meetings;  

same skills, different job 47  

• being an effective negotiator;  

• being a good on-the-job coach of staff;  

• being a successful networker.  

Suggested activity: Using the four steps  

Once you've compared the two sets of skills, you may like to use  

the four steps to capture the information you need. Then ask yourself  

two or three behavioural-based questions and try answering them  

aloud until you're happy with the result.  

Summary of key points  

• Many people fail to appreciate the portability of their skills and  

knowledge. When they're looking for a new job, they only look at  

the job title or duties, not the skills underpinning those duties.  

Understanding that skills and knowledge can be portable between  

jobs can open up a whole new world of career opportunities.  

• Before you discount a job that interests you, list the major skills and  

knowledge of that job and then beside that list your existing skills  

and knowledge. If there are a lot of matches, then go for it!  

• Use the four steps to help prepare your answers.  

48 interview skills that win the job  

5 Your potential to tackle  

new tasks  

Your potential to tackle new tasks  

At times, you'll be asked questions that have nothing to do with  

your past duties and achievements. To make matters worse, the  

skills inherent in these duties will be substantially different to the skills  

you already have, thus making these the most challenging of all  

interview questions. Typically, you are asked these type of questions  

when you are starting off in your career, changing careers or going  

for a promotion that entails brand new duties such as managing a  

team of people. Clearly, when you have not performed the duties  

before, making a direct link to past duties or skills becomes  

problematic. However, there's no reason for despair. There are plenty  

of interviewees who successfully tackle these sorts of questions on  

a regular basis. As you have already learned, the key to success is  

correct preparation.  

Break down the duties  

The first step involves taking each of the new duties and breaking  

them down into the individual skills and knowledge they comprise. The  

individual pieces of information you come up with will constitute  

the core of your answers. In terms of our four steps, this information  

will go under step 2.  

Breaking down a duty that you've never performed before can  

sometimes be a tricky exercise, particularly if you've had no experience  

in doing it. But don't give up-after a couple of tries it becomes  

easy. Here are some guidelines that you should find useful.  

Begin by asking yourself the question, 'In order to perform a  

particular duty or requirement, what steps would I need to take?'  

Conduct a brainstorming session. Do not overlook any detail,  

no matter how trivial you may think it is. Write down everything  

and anything that comes into your head. You can throw out the  

unimportant stuff later.  

What may strike you as being trivial and not worth mentioning  

often turns out to be an important skill. A good example of this is  

listening skills. Most people don't even think about mentioning this  

skill, yet good listening skills are critical to effective interpersonal  

skills-including being a team player, problem-solving and conflict  

resolution. It's also a very hard skill to master, especially when you're  

hearing something that you don't agree with.  

If you're having problems coming up with ideas, don't worry.  

Contact a friend, a work colleague, a former manager or anyone you  

think may be able to shed some light on the matter. You'll soon find  

that two or three heads are better than one. Whatever you do, don't  

give up. You will do it-it's just a matter of getting the hang of it.  

If your friends can't help, don't panic. It's time to consult a book  

or an expert in the field. If, for example, you're applying for a  

manager's position and you've never managed people before, it  

makes sense to talk to someone who knows what's involved.  

As much as possible try to list the component skills in a logical,  

sequential order.  

Before you finalise your list, you must scrutinise your answers.  

Because you've never performed these duties before, it stands to  

reason that some of your answers may be somewhat naïve or just  

plain wrong. Scrutinise the quality of your answers by talking to  

someone who knows and/or by asking yourself the all-important  

question, 'Can I credibly support my answer if questioned in more  

detail by the interviewer?'  

In most circumstances, there are no absolutely right or wrong  

50 interview skills that win the job  

answers to how duties are performed. Questions requiring highly  

technical answers which need to be very specific are, of course, the  

exception. As unique individuals working in varied environments,  

we face differing challenges which affect the way we do things. So  

the way I work in an entrepreneurial environment, or plan and  

organise my work, may be different to someone else's method-but  

it is no less valid or effective. In terms of interviews, the important  

thing is to provide a succinct and logical answer that can withstand  

scrutiny if the interviewer decides to delve deeper into your answer.  

And good interviewers always dig deeper.  

You need to have faith in what you think is the right way to  

perform a duty, but be sure you have thought your answer through.  

Ask yourself, 'Why would I take a particular course of action?' By  

all means consult experts and listen carefully to what they say, but  

at the end of the day it has to be your answer.  

Let's look at a common example of a new duty: managing people  

in the workplace. Managing staff, as anyone who has been thrust  

into that position knows, requires a range of new skills-some of  

which can be quite challenging. Given the importance most  

organisations place on effective people management, how you  

respond to this type of question could easily make or break your  

interview. Here are a few examples of managing staff questions:  

• How would you go about leading a team of highly trained  

professionals?  

• As a manager of people, how would you go about motivating  

them and maximising their performance?  

• Describe your ideal manager.  

Duties inherent in managing people in the workplace might include:  

• delegating work appropriately, taking into account the abilities  

of staff and multi-skilling considerations;  

• giving timely and objective feedback;  

• consulting on matters that affect staff;  

• acknowledging and recognising their efforts;  

• treating everyone equally.  

your potential to tackle new tasks 51  

Using the four steps, you would include these duties-or others  

you might regard as important-under step 2 (see Table 5.1 opposite).  

Create a relevant context  

Given that you've never performed this duty, it stands to reason  

that you cannot provide a real-life context as you would for the  

duties you had actually performed. However, this should not prevent  

you from making up a context-one that will be the same or similar  

to the job you're applying for. Doing this compels you to go a step  

further by placing your step 2 answers in a 'real life' situation. By  

doing this, you'll be in a better position to make your answers sound  

more convincing.  

In an interview, you are likely to be asked a contextualised  

question-that is, one which asks how you would perform a duty  

within a certain situation or context. So, instead of being asked  

'How would you go about managing staff?' (no context), it is likely  

you'll have to answer a question more like 'How would you go about  

managing a team of highly motivated professionals in a fast-paced  

environment?'  

If you do happen to be asked a question without a context  

(inexperienced interviewers have been known to ask decontextualised  

questions), being able to put it into a context that is relevant to the  

job you're applying for is likely to impress the interviewer. Without  

context, your answers will sound only half-completed.  

Place your imaginary context under step 3 in the four steps to  

interview success table (see Table 5.1 opposite).  

Expected outcomes  

Given that you've never performed this duty before, it's nonsensical  

to talk about real outcomes. However, it is a good idea to think in  

terms of expected outcomes-that is, what is likely to happen if you  

manage people effectively. The advantages of thinking about expected  

52 interview skills that win the job  

outcomes are twofold. First, because outcomes are similar to goals, it  

will demonstrate to the interviewer that you're thinking in terms of  

goals or final results rather than just process. Remember, it is achieving  

goals that matters most to employers. Second, many interviewers are  

fond of asking annoying questions like, 'And what do you see the  

results of your people management approach being?' and, 'What can  

a good manager of people achieve with his/her staff?' Filling out the  

step 4 column with your expected outcomes will help you to formulate  

effective answers to such questions (see Table 5.1 below).  

Be aware that some companies prefer not to use the term  

'managing' people. Instead they favour the term 'leading' people.  

If you're preparing answers to a set of managing/leading people  

questions, make sure you acquaint yourself with the company's  

management language. Sometimes, just using the right word can  

make a big difference.  

your potential to tackle new tasks 53  

Table 5.1 Your potential to tackle new tasks  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position  

What would I do to  

ensure the duties  

listed under step 1 are  

performed properly,  

including overcoming  

obstacles  

Imaginary  

context  

Expected outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Managing people  

in the workplace  

• Delegating work  

appropriately, taking into  

account abilities of staff  

and multi-skilling  

considerations  

• Giving timely and  

objective feedback  

• Consulting on matters  

that affect staff  

• Acknowledging and  

recognising their efforts  

Managing a small  

team of highly  

motivated  

professionals in a  

fast-paced  

environment  

Organisational  

• Maintain or improve  

motivation of staff, which  

will contribute to  

improved individual and  

team performance,  

including possible  

improvement in rates of  

absenteeism and  

turnover  

Personal  

• Demonstrated an ability  

to quickly learn about the  

products I was selling  

Putting it all together  

Let's take a look at a likely question and a possible response.  

Question: How would you go about leading a team of highly  

trained professionals?  

I would certainly take into account the fact that I am dealing  

with professionals-that is, highly trained people who should  

know what they're doing (step 3). In delegating work, I would  

take into account their abilities, preferences and current  

workloads. I would make sure that work was distributed evenly,  

taking organisational needs into account (step 2).  

I'm a great believer in giving people feedback. Without  

feedback staff often are unaware of important matters relating  

to their performance. I would ensure that my feedback was  

timely and objective-that is, based on facts rather than  

conjecture (step 2).  

I also believe in consulting with staff in matters relating  

to their work. Not only do staff feel more valued when they're  

consulted, but often management can be made aware of  

important matters that they previously were not aware  

of (step 2).  

Acknowledging and recognising individual and team effort  

is, I think, also very important-especially when it comes to  

giving staff a feeling of being appreciated. I know that when  

my manager acknowledged something special that I did, I  

always felt good about it (step 2).  

I strongly believe that effective people management is  

vital to the success of any team. Good managers are able to  

motivate and bring out the best in their people. This in turn  

contributes significantly to the performance of the team. It  

would be my objective to maximise the performance of my  

team by implementing the techniques already mentioned  

(step 4).  

54 interview skills that win the job  

The strengths of the above answer are as follows:  

• acknowledging the professional context of the team to be managed;  

• articulating the points in a clear and sequential order;  

• giving reasons why certain actions would be taken;  

• finishing off with an expected outcome.  

Suggested activity: Your potential to tackle new tasks  

To help you prepare your answers to at least one duty which is  

substantially different to anything you've done before, follow the  

guidelines described above-that is:  

• Break the duty down into its individual components.  

• Use the four steps and put those individual components under  

step 2.  

• Use an imaginary context that is likely to come up in an interview.  

• Include expected outcomes.  

Summary of key points  

• Questions about duties which are substantially different to anything  

you've done before are generally the most challenging in an interview.  

• There is often no one single answer (nor one right answer) about  

how duties are performed. We all come from different work  

backgrounds and bring with us different ways of doing things.  

• The names of steps 2, 3 and 4 will change slightly, reflecting the  

different challenges posed by these sorts of questions. In particular,  

the context (imaginary context) and outcomes (expected outcomes)  

headings change to take into account the fact that you've never  

performed these duties before.  

your potential to tackle new tasks 55  

6 'Are you the sort of person  

we can work with?'  

'Are you the sort of person we can work with?'  

Deciding you are someone an employer can work with is often what  

distinguishes the winning candidate in the mind of the interviewer,  

even though the interviewer may not consciously have asked  

questions to elicit such information.  

'Are you the sort of person we can work with?' questions are  

designed to explore what you might be like to work with, including  

your attitudes about work. These could include your values, likes  

and dislikes, and general predispositions. One reason why these  

issues are important is because organisations, over a period of time,  

develop their own culture or way of interrelating and doing things.  

Some organisational cultures, for example, are predominately  

entrepreneurial-that is, dynamic, with one eye always on making  

a sale-whereas others may emphasise order, attention to detail and  

proper procedure. Cultures are largely determined by the nature of  

the business, as well as the personality and beliefs of senior  

management. Large organisations often have diverse subcultures  

coexisting (or trying to coexist).  

In many interviews, there is really very little separating the talents  

of the job candidates. When employers are faced with equally good  

skills and experience, they will look at other factors to reach a  

decision. Arguably, the most important of these other factors is the  

likeability of the candidate. In tight labour markets, employers are  

usually inundated with candidates whose skills and experience exceed  

their needs. With such an embarrassment of riches the 'Are you the  

sort of person we can work with?' question assumes even greater  

importance.  

It would be misleading to think that 'Are you the sort of person  

we can work with?' questions assume importance only when an  

interviewee has responded satisfactorily to the 'Can you do the job?'  

questions. More and more companies are realising that hiring people  

who have the technical know-how but cannot fit into the culture  

of their organisation can actually be bad for business. In the final  

analysis, a business consists of a group of people working together  

to achieve certain goals. If these people cannot get on with each  

other, or there are individuals who find it difficult to deal with the  

prevailing group dynamics, then there's a good chance the business  

will suffer in some way. In fact, some companies actually give greater  

weight to cultural fit issues than the skills and knowledge of the job  

candidates. Typically, these companies are the ones whose procedures  

and operating systems have been developed in-house and who  

therefore need to train people from the beginning to get them up  

to speed. For these sorts of companies, whether a candidate can  

actually do the job may not even be on the agenda.  

How do I recognise an 'Are you the sort of person  

we can work with?' question?  

Generally speaking, such questions are indirect in nature. Instead of  

being asked 'Are you the sort of person we can work with?' you are  

likely to be asked questions designed to understand how you work  

with other people in a variety of contexts. Here are some examples:  

• Do you prefer working in a team environment or solo? Why?  

• What makes you an effective team player?  

• Describe your favourite manager's management style.  

• Can you give us a specific example of working under pressure?  

What was the situation and how did you handle it? If you could  

do it again, how would you do it differently?  

'are you the sort of person we can work with?' 57  

• What do you do when you're not getting on with someone in  

your workplace?  

• What do you do when you cannot get a word in at your  

meetings?  

• How do you handle someone who is demonstrating aggressive  

behaviour and intimidating others at a meeting?  

• Describe the last time you had a falling out with someone at  

work. What did you do?  

• What would you do if someone in your team was not pulling  

their weight?  

• Imagine you are a team leader. One of your staff has just made  

a significant error. What do you say to this person?  

• Why do you want to work for us?  

• An irate customer rings you and has a go at you for something  

you're not responsible for. How do you handle it?  

• Describe yourself. What interests do you have?  

What if the question isn't asked?  

Sometimes employers fail to ask 'Are you the sort of person we can  

work with?' questions. Usually it's not because they don't want to  

know; it's simply that they lack experience in interviewing. This is  

particularly the case with small to medium enterprises which lack  

in-house recruitment experience.  

But even if you're not asked these sorts of questions, this remains  

an important issue for the interviewer. You need to address these  

issues by looking for opportunities during the interview to refer to  

your suitability. If you find an opening, use it to your advantage.  

Let's look at an example of how we could do this.  

The example in the list above which relates to dealing with an  

irate customer may seem to be a customer service question. However,  

it can also be seen as an 'Are you the sort of person we can work  

with?' question! The most effective way to answer this question if  

you feel the interviewer is not delving deeply enough is to tackle it  

as both a 'Can you do the job?' and an 'Are you the sort of person  

58 interview skills that win the job  

we can work with?' question. Don't wait to be asked specific 'Are  

you the sort of person we can work with?' questions. View almost  

every question as an opportunity to plant seeds in the mind of the  

interviewer.  

Below you'll find two brief answers to the question about the  

irate customer referred to on page 58. The first one treats the question  

as purely a 'Can you do the job?' one, whereas the second also  

incorporates an 'Are you the sort of person we can work with?'  

answer (the difference is in the first paragraph of the second answer).  

Question: An irate customer rings you and has a go at you for  

something you're not responsible for. How do you handle it?  

Answer 1: addressing the question as purely a 'Can you do  

the job?' question.  

First, I wouldn't take the aggression from the customer as a  

personal attack on me, otherwise I might want to argue back-  

which would be a mistake. I would listen carefully, without  

interrupting, to find out the cause of the customer's anger.  

I might ask a few questions to clarify matters if I was still a  

bit unclear at the end. Once I knew exactly what the causes  

of the customer's anger were, I'd look into coming up with  

a realistic solution. I would then explain to the customer  

what the solution would be, apologise for inconveniencing  

them and ask them if I could help them with something else.  

Answer 2: Addressing the question as both a 'Can you do the  

job?' question and an 'Are you the sort of person we can  

worth?' question.  

Experience has taught me that when customers are angry,  

there's usually a good reason for it. In fact, every time I'm  

dealing with a frustrated customer I see it as an opportunity  

to improve our operations. I ask myself what I can do so this  

doesn't happen again. I'm highly motivated by turning around  

unhappy customers.  

So first, I wouldn't take the aggression from the customer  

as a personal attack on me, otherwise I might want to argue  

back-which would be a mistake. I would listen carefully,  

'are you the sort of person we can work with?' 59  

without interrupting, to find out the cause of the customer's  

anger. I might ask a few questions to clarify matters if I was  

still a bit unclear at the end. Once I knew exactly what the  

causes were, I'd look into coming up with a realistic solution.  

I would then explain to the customer what the solution would  

be, apologise for inconveniencing them and ask them if I  

could help them with something else.  

Whilst both answers address the question effectively, the second  

answer contains an added dimension insofar as it provides a brief  

but effective insight into the values/beliefs of the interviewee. By  

doing this, it indirectly addresses the 'Are you the sort of person we  

can work with?' question. Any employer would be keen to work  

with someone who is highly motivated by turning around unhappy  

customers.  

There is no excuse not to address the 'Are you the sort of person  

we can work with?' question if you follow the above example. The  

reality is that most questions can be used as a vehicle to address  

this fundamental question. It's about being a pro-active interviewee  

as opposed to a passive one. Look for opportunities to put yourself  

in the best possible light rather than simply waiting for good  

questions.  

If you are asked  

So far we've looked at how to address the 'Are you the sort of person  

we can work with?' question when you're not directly asked. However,  

there will be plenty of times when you will have to address the  

question directly-particularly if you're sitting before an experienced  

interviewer. The key to giving a good answer lies, as always, with  

correct preparation. Here's what to do.  

Work out what the employer is looking for  

There are at least eight qualities that all employers desire in their  

employees. These are:  

60 interview skills that win the job  

• loyalty;  

• a good work ethic;  

• flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances;  

• honesty;  

• willingness to learn new things;  

• cooperative behaviour (being a team player);  

• ability to cope with pressure;  

• initiative.  

Whilst the above list is not exhaustive, there is a good chance that  

one or more of these eight universal qualities (named because of  

their widespread popularity amongst employers) will be the focus  

of at least one interview question.  

As well as preparing answers dealing with the eight universal  

qualities, it is also a good idea to try to ascertain the dominant  

culture or business values of your prospective workplace. Some  

workplaces, for example, purposefully encourage a culture of 'we're  

one big happy family', whereas others might promote the values of  

discipline and a strict adherence to rules. Your job is to try to correctly  

ascertain what the dominant culture and values are, and prepare  

accordingly. The safest way of doing this is by talking to the person  

who is going to interview you. Here are some examples of approaches  

you can make:  

• I've heard on the grapevine that your company is keen on  

promoting a culture of outstanding customer service.  

• My research indicates that quality control is your number one  

priority.  

• I understand that your company highly values a team approach  

to getting the job done.  

Be careful here, however. Ascertaining organisational culture/values  

can be difficult and dangerous. Suffice to say that organisations, in  

particular the larger ones, have multiple subcultures coexisting and  

competing against each other, and these subcultures are generally  

in a state of flux. If the dominant culture/values are not glaringly  

obvious, it is better to avoid speculating and perhaps getting it  

'are you the sort of person we can work with?' 61  

wrong. The last thing you want to do is prepare the wrong answers.  

If in doubt, stick to the eight universal qualities.  

Putting an answer together  

Once you've decided what the employer is looking for, your next  

step is to put together a convincing answer. The good news is that  

a number of the eight universal qualities will overlap with your 'Can  

you do the job?' questions-for example, flexibility, cooperative  

behaviour, coping with pressure and a good work ethic.  

Once you've prepared your answers to the 'Can you do the job?'  

questions, look at the eight universal qualities and see which ones  

you haven't covered. The four steps to interview success are helpful  

here. Let's use them to address the work ethic question.  

Here's a standard work ethic question and a possible answer.  

Question: In this company we do not stand for people who are  

not committed to their work. We'd like to think that all of us give  

our best. Can you give us an example of a time you had to go the  

extra mile?  

I believe that it is important for everyone in a team to try  

their best. I've always given my best and I believe the high  

quality of my work is testimony to that.  

When I worked for Hannibal Enterprises, for example,  

sales orders of elephants would not go through unless I  

transferred the correct information to our suppliers. On two  

occasions there was a mix up with the information which  

threatened the sales. To remedy the situation, I stayed back  

until midnight to ensure that the information was correct  

and the sales went through. Even though I was not responsible  

for the initial mistake and did not have to stay back, I did  

so because I felt it was the right thing to do.  

On another occasion we brought in a new software  

system-The Carthaginian-which was quite complex and  

full of set-up glitches. Because there was no time to learn all  

of it on the job, I stayed back several nights after work, on  

62 interview skills that win the job  

my own initiative, to ensure that I got on top of it-which  

I did. As a result of my efforts, I was able to train other people  

in its use, which saved us considerable time and money.  

Remember that characteristics such as loyalty and honesty are  

not skills based, and do not readily lend themselves to step-by-step  

procedures. In these instances, all you need do is think of specific  

'are you the sort of person we can work with?' 63  

Table 6.1 Addressing the issue of a good work ethic using the four steps  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position  

What I did to ensure  

the duties listed under  

step 1 were performed  

properly, including  

overcoming obstacles  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

A good work ethic • When required, I always  

stayed back to complete  

the relevant tasks  

• On occasions, I stayed  

back for several hours;  

otherwise the sales might  

have fallen through  

• The introduction of  

new software required a  

great deal of new  

learning; because there  

was no time to learn all  

of it on the job, I stayed  

back on several evenings  

to ensure that I quickly  

got on top of it  

• I ensured that minor  

problems were addressed  

quickly because  

un-attended minor  

problems often become  

major headaches  

Working for  

Hannibal  

Enterprises, I had  

to meet important  

deadlines  

regarding  

information  

relating to sales  

orders. Failure to  

meet those  

deadlines meant  

the loss of sales.  

Organisational  

• There were no sales  

losses or dissatisfied  

customers whilst I was at  

the helm  

• I trained others in the  

use of the new software  

system  

examples where you demonstrated loyalty and/or honesty. Try to  

think of examples relating to work; however, if you are not able to  

do this, non-work examples will suffice. Here are two such questions  

and possible answers.  

Loyalty question: We value employee loyalty highly. Do you  

regard yourself as a loyal person?  

I value loyalty a great deal. I'd like to think that I am a loyal  

friend and employee, and that those who are close to me are  

the same.  

I've demonstrated loyalty on numerous occasions. In my  

previous job, for example, I was approached many times by  

employment consultants to see whether I was interested in  

working for other companies. Furthermore, many of these  

offers came with the promise of higher pay. On every occasion  

I declined these approaches because I felt a strong sense of  

loyalty to my employer, who had gone to considerable lengths  

and expense to train me as well as make me feel a valued  

member of the team. He placed a great deal of trust in me  

and in turn I felt I could trust him completely. My values are  

such that I would much prefer working in an environment  

where loyalty is a given and is extended by both parties.  

Honesty question: The work we do requires a great deal of  

honesty and trust. We trust our people to do the right thing without  

continually looking over their shoulders. Can you tell us about a  

time you demonstrated honesty?  

In all my jobs I've had to demonstrate honesty and I've never  

given an employer the slightest reason to doubt my integrity.  

In fact, I've always been trusted with handling large sums of  

money and highly sensitive information. For example, when  

I was working for the Wellington Project I was in charge of  

storing and transferring highly sensitive data. In fact, I was  

only one of three people who had access to the information  

which was critical to the survival of the company. Had this  

information been leaked there was a very real possibility that  

64 interview skills that win the job  

our competitors, especially the French, would have captured  

the segment of the market that we relied upon most heavily.  

Both the above answers address the issues of loyalty and honesty  

in a positive and persuasive manner. They do this by:  

• starting off with a confident affirmation;  

• going directly to the heart of the matter; then  

• providing specific examples.  

Suggested activity: The eight universal qualities  

Try preparing your answers to each of the eight universal qualities  

using the four steps.  

If you're about to attend an interview and you're certain of the  

culture of the workplace, you could prepare an answer addressing  

the requirements of that culture.  

Summary of key points  

• 'Are you the sort of person we can work with?' questions, although  

generally not as frequent as the 'Can you do the job?' questions, are  

just as important and in some cases even more so.  

• Even if you're not asked 'Are you the sort of person we can work  

with?' questions, you should attempt to address the issue by looking  

for opportunities to talk about your relevant attributes.  

• All employers are keen on hiring people who possess the following  

eight universal qualities (so preparing responses to these qualities  

makes a lot of sense):  

- loyalty;  

- a good work ethic;  

- flexibility and an ability to adapt to changing circumstances;  

- honesty;  

- willingness to learn new things;  

'are you the sort of person we can work with?' 65  

- cooperative behaviour (being a team player);  

- coping with pressure;  

- initiative.  

• Where possible, try to ascertain the dominant culture or work values  

of the place you're applying to work in and prepare your answers  

accordingly. But make absolutely sure that a definite culture exists  

and your information is correct. Otherwise, just stick to eight universal  

qualities.  

66 interview skills that win the job  

7 Employers love  

motivated employees  

Employers love motivated employees  

Experienced employers know that highly motivated employees are  

invaluable. Motivated employees tend to learn things quickly,  

complete their duties enthusiastically, care about the business and  

often go beyond the call of duty. Contrast this with an unmotivated  

employee. Even highly talented people who lack motivation can  

border on the ineffectual. As one successful employer said to me:  

Give me motivation over talent any day. Motivated people  

develop talent by their drive and enthusiasm. They ask  

questions, volunteer for jobs and overcome any shortcoming  

they may have. They're worth twice as much as talented  

people who lack motivation. An unmotivated talented person  

is an oxymoron.  

Communicating your motivation levels  

At interviews, the motivation levels of the candidate tend to be  

inferred by the interviewers. In other words, the interviewer picks  

up on signals given by the interviewee. These signals can be broken  

down into three groups:  

• what is said;  

• how it is said;  

• body language.  

This chapter will focus on the first two groups-what is said and  

how it is said. Chapter 9 will discuss body language. Suffice to say  

that convincing employers you're highly motivated rests on more  

than just the words that come out of your mouth. Your body language  

and the way you say things are both critical.  

Despite the critical importance of motivation in the workplace,  

motivation questions are not as common as they should be. One  

reason for this is that there are many inexperienced interviewers  

out there who are not sure how to construct a motivation question.  

Questions such as, 'How motivated are you?' sound embarrassingly  

amateurish and tend to attract answers such as, 'I am very motivated.  

If you give me this job I'll work very hard.'  

When direct motivation questions are asked, they usually begin  

with the words 'why' and 'what'. Here are some classic examples:  

• Why do you want to work here?  

• Why do you want to do this job?  

• What interests you about this job?  

• What are the things you like about working in this sort of environment?  

• What do you love about this work?  

• What are the sorts of things you enjoy doing at work?  

A useful way to prepare for all of the above questions is to ask  

yourself 'What are the things that I like about this job?' Or, to put  

it another way, 'Why do I like this sort of work?'  

When thinking about what you like about a particular job, you  

need to look at the duties of the job very carefully (see the section  

on job advertisements in Chapter 3). Your next step is to make a list  

of all the things that attract you to the job, being as specific as  

possible. You need to be specific, otherwise your answers may sound  

hollow. A broad-ranging statement such as 'I love retail', for example,  

is not nearly as convincing as 'I love interacting with people on a  

daily basis' or 'I love the thrill of making a sale and watching a happy  

customer leave the store'. That's because the last two statements not  

only tell the interviewer that you love retail, but also explain why.  

Here are some examples of motivation statements that excite  

68 interview skills that win the job  

employers (but make sure you've got the specific examples to back  

up your statement):  

• I love working with people.  

• I very much enjoy challenges of the sort you mention.  

• I really like working with numbers.  

• Interacting with people is what gets me out of bed in the  

mornings.  

• I really enjoy working on my own.  

• I love learning new things.  

• I love selling.  

• Solving complex problems is what I love doing most.  

• I get a deep sense of satisfaction when I make a customer happy.  

• I'm very keen on solving technical issues.  

• I love working on computers.  

• I really go for working in this sort of environment.  

• I can't get enough of this kind of work.  

Don't hide your enthusiasm  

You will have noticed that all of the above statements have one  

very important quality in common: they're all enthusiastically  

expressed. Avoid timid or uncertain language because you will sound  

unconvincing. Put yourself in the shoes of an employer and compare  

the following two answers about customer service. Which of the  

two would you rather hear at an interview?  

Answer 1: On the whole I like dealing with customers even  

though they can be really irritating and do ask stupid questions.  

But I do realise that without customers I'd be out of a job so  

I make a big effort to satisfy them.  

Answer 2: I love dealing with customers. I really enjoy the  

interaction with people, including answering all their  

questions-no matter how trivial they may seem. I get a deep  

sense of satisfaction when I can solve problems for customers  

or help them out in some way.  

employers love motivated employees 69  

Clearly, the second answer is the better one. It starts off with a  

very enthusiastic statement and reinforces this with several more  

affirmations. It is full of positive energy and gives the clear impression  

that the person is highly motivated in terms of providing high  

standards of customer service. Notice also that this answer makes a  

value statement-that is, 'I get a deep sense of satisfaction'. By doing  

so, it gives us an insight into the beliefs or values of the speaker  

and hence partly addresses the 'Are you the sort of person we can  

work with? question.  

On the other hand, the first answer sounds as though the person  

provides good customer service because they're forced to. We all  

know that customers sometimes ask stupid questions, but interviews  

aren't the place to articulate such views.  

The information you've gathered using the four steps can also  

be used to address motivation questions. The information under  

step 2 can be a rich source of specific information when addressing  

the motivation question. Let's say, for example, that you're applying  

for a job in which you have to lead a team of people and you're  

asked one of the classic motivation questions. Here's what the  

exchange might sound like:  

Question: What interests you about this job?  

There are many things that really interest me about this job.  

One of them is the opportunity to lead a team of hard-working  

people. I love bringing out the best in people and watching  

them get the most out of their work. I am able to do this by  

applying sound principles of team leadership. For example,  

when delegating work, I take into account people's abilities  

as well as workload. I give timely and consistent feedback  

designed to improve people's performance. I consult with  

people, acknowledge good work and treat everyone equally.  

Getting respect from your team is a highly motivating  

experience.  

The bold section of the above answer is taken directly from the  

second column of Table 5.1. By stating specifically what you do to  

70 interview skills that win the job  

successfully lead a team of people, you're giving credibility to your  

claim about enjoying 'bringing out the best in people'.  

The exciting thing about this answer is that it works on several  

levels:  

• It answers the question directly.  

• It tells the interviewer that you're probably a great team leader.  

• It tells the interviewer that bringing out the best in people is  

something that motivates you a great deal.  

• It does all of the above without waffling.  

A word of warning about motivators  

When compiling your answers about the things that you like about  

the job, there are some things that you need to be careful with.  

These include:  

• money;  

• proximity to where you live;  

• convenient hours;  

• friends working there.  

All of these can be important motivators for many people-and can,  

of course, be mentioned during the course of the interview. However,  

they should not be mentioned as primary motivators because none  

of them has anything to do with you performing well in the job. Primary  

motivators should be linked to the nature of the work itself, and  

should demonstrate an ability to perform well in key areas of the  

job. It is much more effective to say that you love working with  

people rather than that you love the money or your travelling time  

will be halved!  

Suggested activity: Motivation  

Make a list of all the things that attract you to your chosen job. If  

you're having problems coming up with answers, take a close look  

employers love motivated employees 71  

at the main duties and ask yourself, 'What is it about these duties  

that I like?' Remember to avoid broad statements. Be as specific as  

you can. Once you've compiled your list, answer the following  

questions. Keep on practising your answers until you're happy with  

your fluency.  

Question 1: Why have you applied for this job?  

Question 2: What are the sorts of things that motivate you?  

Summary of key points  

• Convincing interviewers that you're highly motivated requires more  

than saying the right things. Body language and how you say things  

are just as important.  

• When preparing your answers to motivation questions, one of the  

helpful questions you can ask yourself is 'Why do I like this kind of  

work?' Your specific responses to this question will constitute the  

core of your motivation answers.  

• Express yourself with enthusiasm. Interviewers expect to see keenness  

in motivated candidates.  

• Step 2 of the four steps is often a good source of information for  

motivation questions.  

• Avoid mentioning motivators such as money and travel time-they  

do not contribute to your ability to perform well in the job.  

72 interview skills that win the job  

8 The 'big five'  

questions  

The 'big five' questions  

There are five very common generic questions which crop up in  

virtually every interview. They relate to:  

• being a good team player;  

• planning and organising your work effectively;  

• good interpersonal communication;  

• coping with change in the workplace;  

• providing effective customer service (including internal customers).  

Using the four steps, this chapter poses the questions about these  

issues and suggests possible responses.  

The importance of the 'big five' questions  

The skills listed above are vital to most jobs. It is hard to think of  

a job in which all five do not come into play at one stage or another,  

and impossible to think of a job in which at least one of them is  

not relevant. For this reason, the 'big five' actually constitute hundreds  

of interview questions.  

Once you've learned how to answer the 'big five' questions, you  

will be able to respond to many other questions because there is a  

great deal of overlap amongst them. For example, if you can answer  

the basic question, 'What makes you a good team player?' you should  

also be able to respond to a range of similar team player questions,  

including:  

• How do you like working in a team?  

• Do you consider yourself a good team player?  

• Describe your ideal team.  

• What does it take to be an effective team player?  

However, be aware that, while learning how to respond to one  

generic question allows you to answer many similar questions, this  

does not mean you will be able to answer every conceivable question  

asked. It's up to you to be diligent and look for questions within  

the genre that may be slightly different or unexpected.  

Given the common nature of the above skills, they will be treated  

as if they have been performed before.  

Answering a 'team player' question  

Most people work in teams. Even people who appear to work on  

their own often have to interact with others in the organisation,  

thus creating one or more loosely formed teams. Some teams need  

to work closely together, others less so; some teams work together  

all the time, whereas others meet only periodically. The important  

point is that employers rely heavily on the smooth functioning of  

their teams and are keen to hire effective team players. Here are  

some examples of team player questions:  

• What makes you a good team player?  

• How do you find working in a team?  

• Do you prefer working alone or in a team? Why?  

• What do you dislike about working in a team?  

• What would you do if one of your colleagues was not pulling  

their weight?  

• Describe your ideal team.  

• Can you give us examples of what you've done to ensure that  

your role in a team was a positive one?  

74 interview skills that win the job  

• How would you handle a team member who was loud and  

aggressive at team meetings and dominated proceedings by  

intimidating others?  

Now let's use the four steps to prepare the information needed  

to respond to 'team player' questions:  

the 'big five' questions 75  

Table 8.1 Being an effective team player  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements of  

position  

What I've done to  

ensure the duties  

listed under step 1  

were performed  

properly, including  

overcoming obstacles  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Effective team  

player  

• Acknowledging others'  

opinions and  

contributions  

• Helping colleagues  

when they've run into  

obstacles  

• Sharing important  

information and knowhow  

• Avoiding anti-social  

behaviours such as  

dominating team  

discussion or shouting  

colleagues down  

• Joining a team in which  

there were  

communication  

problems, I suggested a  

different meeting format  

which improved  

communications  

Working in the  

payroll team, we  

were responsible  

for paying  

approximately  

2000 employees  

Organisational  

• Halved pay errors  

within two months of  

operations  

• Contributed to  

improved communication  

amongst team members  

Personal  

• Learned a great deal  

about working in payroll,  

including how to operate  

payroll software  

Here's a sample interview question and a possible response.  

Question: Are you a good team player? Can you give us examples  

of you demonstrating team player capabilities?  

Yes, I consider myself to be an effective team player. In my  

previous job I was part of a team of four people who were  

responsible for paying the salaries, including overtime and  

bonuses, of approximately 2000 employees (step 3: context).  

When I first started work in the team, there were communication  

problems between several team members. As well as  

affecting our performance, these problems were straining  

relations between certain members of the team. After several  

weeks, I thought that if we introduced more regular meetings  

and a rotating chair, communications might improve. When  

I made this suggestion, the team members agreed to it and,  

to make a long story short, the new meeting format turned  

out to be a success. Both communications and performance  

improved (step 2: overcoming an obstacle).  

I also demonstrated my team player capabilities by making  

a point of acknowledging my colleagues' opinions and  

contributions, as well as helping team members when they  

were having problems. I think when you're willing to help  

others, they'll help you when you need it in return-and that  

can only be good for the team. I also made a point of sharing  

all information I thought my colleagues needed to know. I  

would mention even seemingly unimportant information  

such as individuals griping about their pay and minor mishaps  

with the software because often it can be the little things that  

cause big problems down the line (step 2: the what and how).  

According to my colleagues, my presence in the team led  

to improved communications amongst team members, as  

well as with our clients, which contributed significantly to  

our overall performance. In particular, our error rate was  

halved within two months (step 4: outcomes).  

Remember that, unless the interviewer has specifically told you  

that the company is placing a great deal of emphasis on hiring  

76 interview skills that win the job  

someone with effective team player skills, chances are that you  

would not use every aspect of the above answer in response to a  

single question. You may decide to use parts of it and keep the rest  

in reserve for a follow-up question or a question seeking information  

about similar skills. It is wise to over-prepare and even wiser to know  

when to stop. The same principle applies to the rest of the 'big five'  

questions.  

Answering a planning and organising question  

It is difficult to think of a job in which is no planning and organising  

are involved. If we accept that technology has largely taken over  

many of the repetitive tasks performed by people in the past, most  

jobs these days involve some sort of planning and organising.  

Planning and organising questions are therefore likely to be high  

on the agenda of many interviewers. Here are some typical planning  

and organising questions.  

• Tell us how you go about planning and organising your work  

schedule.  

• Can you give us an example of when you had to plan and organise  

an important event or work-related activity? What steps did  

you take?  

• Do you consider yourself a good planner and organiser? Why?  

• What do you do when your manager asks you to complete a  

task but you've already got a very full agenda?  

• How do you prioritise your work?  

• Describe your approach to planning and organising your work.  

Table 8.2 shows how the four steps can help you prepare for this  

type of question.  

Now let's look at a sample interview question and response.  

Question: Can you give us an example of when you had to plan  

and organise an important event or work related activity? What  

steps did you take?  

the 'big five' questions 77  

When I was working in the administration support unit for  

Michael Angelo Enterprises, I was responsible for planning a  

broad range of activities ranging from the timely ordering of  

paint supplies to security, building maintenance and assisting  

departments and managers with basic infrastructure needs  

(step 3: context).  

Juggling all these activities simultaneously meant I had  

to plan my work in great detail as well as be very well organised.  

78 interview skills that win the job  

Table 8.2 Planning and organising  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements of  

position  

What I did to ensure  

the duties listed  

under step 1 were  

performed properly,  

including overcoming  

obstacles  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Planning and  

organising work  

• Diarising work on a  

daily, weekly and/or  

monthly basis  

• Planning for  

contingencies  

• Keeping abreast of  

upcoming events and  

working out how they  

may affect my work  

• Prioritising my work  

according to the needs  

of the organisation  

• Never taking on  

more work than I can  

handle  

• Keeping communication  

channels with  

all stakeholders  

continually open  

Working in the  

administration support  

unit for Michael  

Angelo Enterprises,  

which employed over  

1000 people, I was  

working in a small  

team which was  

responsible for a broad  

range of duties ranging  

from ordering all  

painting supplies to  

security, building  

maintenance and  

assisting departments  

and managers with  

basic infrastructure  

needs.  

Organisational  

• Our clients rated our  

service 'very high' for  

three years in a row  

Personal  

• I learned a great deal  

about what it takes to  

maintain an  

organisation in terms  

of infrastructure  

support  

There was one time when we had to install new security  

systems and new computer graphics software, as well as  

answering the multiple requests made by our clients. In order  

to deal with all of this, I needed to diarise my work on a  

daily, weekly and monthly basis and ensure that I continually  

kept up to date with what everyone else was doing. I made  

sure I attended as many meetings as I could and kept my ear  

to the ground. Given the multiple tasks I had to complete, I  

found it important to prioritise my work according to the  

needs of the organisation, as opposed to the needs of a few  

individuals. Getting the new security systems in place had  

to come before some of the requests made by managers. And,  

finally, it was important to learn how to say 'no' to some  

requests. In my view, a good planner knows how much is  

enough. Taking on more work than one can handle only  

leads to poor-quality service or even failure to do the work  

(step 2: the what and how).  

As well as learning a great deal about what it takes to  

maintain an organisation in terms of infrastructure support,  

one of the great outcomes of my actions was that my clients  

rated my service as 'very high' for three years running, which  

gave me a great deal of satisfaction (step 4: outcomes).  

Answering an interpersonal communication question  

Interpersonal communication skills are not just about clear communications.  

They are also about the way we interact with others. People  

with effective interpersonal communication skills are much more  

likely to get on with others in the workplace (and thus get ahead)  

because they demonstrate a range of behaviours that bring out the  

best in the people they interact with. They are good listeners, avoid  

inflammatory language (including body language), acknowledge  

others' contributions, consult before making decisions, and so on.  

People with effective interpersonal communication skills are  

highly prized by employers because they bring harmony to the  

the 'big five' questions 79  

workplace. They usually make people feel better about themselves  

and their contributions-which, of course, is important to employers  

in terms of maintaining a happy and productive workforce.  

Here are some typical interpersonal communication skills  

questions:  

• Do you enjoy working with people?  

• How would you describe your relations with others in the workplace?  

• Describe yourself. (Whilst this question does not confine itself  

to interpersonal communication skills, it does provide an excellent  

opportunity for you to briefly mention them.)  

• Tell us about a time when you had a disagreement with someone  

at work. What were the circumstances and how did you  

deal with it?  

• Can you give us an example of when you had to communicate  

a complex and sensitive issue? How did you go about it?  

• Describe the colleague with whom you enjoyed working most.  

• How do you deal with an angry person at work?  

• Would you prefer to be seen as a well-liked person or an effective  

person?  

A clear overlap exists between interpersonal communication skills  

and team player skills. Many of the points can therefore be used  

interchangeably.  

Table 8.3 shows how the four steps can be used to prepare an  

answer to this type of question.  

Here's an example of a possible interview question and response.  

Question: Can you give us an example of when you had to  

communicate a complex and sensitive issue? How did you go  

about it?  

When I was working for Magellan, I was on the team that  

was responsible for introducing a new performance appraisal  

system for all of the crew on our ship. Working on this project,  

I was often required to communicate complex and sensitive  

information to individuals and groups. I'd like to emphasise  

80 interview skills that win the job  

that performance appraisals were an extremely sensitive issue  

because people's pay was being attached to the results (step 3:  

context).  

I was successful in communicating the relevant information  

because I adhered to a number of sound interpersonal  

communication principles-principles that I have successfully  

implemented in the past. For example, I made a point of  

taking people's sensitivities into account and addressing them  

early on in our conversations. I avoided any form of jargon,  

and often assumed that my audience had very little prior  

the 'big five' questions 81  

Table 8.3 Interpersonal communication  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position  

What I did to ensure  

the duties listed  

under step 1 were  

performed properly,  

including overcoming  

obstacles  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Effective  

interpersonal  

communication  

skills  

• Taking the time to  

listen to what others had  

to say, even if I didn't  

like what I was hearing  

• Communicating  

clearly, taking into  

account my audience  

and avoiding jargon  

• Using positive, nonthreatening  

body  

language at all times  

• Acknowledging  

others' opinions and  

contributions  

• Consulting before  

making decisions  

When I was working  

for Magellan, I was  

on the team that put  

together a  

performance  

appraisal system  

Organisational  

• Contributed to the  

successful  

implementation of a  

performance appraisal  

system, with minimal  

resistance  

Personal  

• Gained much  

satisfaction from  

creating good working  

relationships with  

colleagues  

knowledge about the issues at hand. I used positive, nonthreatening  

body language-especially when I was confronted  

by the sceptics who belittled the program despite their lack  

of knowledge about it. I also acknowledged other people's  

opinions and never made disparaging comments about  

suggestions, no matter how outlandish they were (step 2: the  

what and how).  

Furthermore, I always made the effort to consult with key  

stakeholders before finalising decisions. The very fact that  

you make the effort to consult and explain the parameters  

within which you have to work often minimises levels of  

dissatisfaction, even though people may not entirely agree  

with you.  

As a result of my efforts, opposition to the program was  

virtually non-existent. The crew demonstrated a constructive  

attitude and gave it their best. As a result, we were able to  

successfully implement the program within our timeframe  

and budget.  

Coping with change in the workplace  

Unlike the workplace of yesteryear, when people could be performing  

the same set of duties for many years, today's work environment is  

characterised by constant change. In fact, it can be argued that the  

only constant is change. All this, of course, means a flexible employee  

is a highly valued one. Change can take the form of any number  

of things, including:  

• new machinery;  

• new procedures or guidelines;  

• new legislation;  

• new management structures;  

• company takeovers;  

• downsizing;  

• new software;  

• the effects of new competition.  

82 interview skills that win the job  

Organisations that are unable to adapt quickly to changing  

circumstances often lose market share and can easily go out of  

business. Therefore, how you respond to 'coping with change'  

questions is very important. Here are a few examples of the form  

they may take:  

• Tell us about a time you had to learn new things about your job.  

How did you cope?  

• Do you enjoy changing duties?  

• How do you cope with constant change in the workplace?  

• Do you regard yourself as a flexible sort of person?  

the 'big five' questions 83  

Table 8.4 Coping with change in the workplace  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position  

What I did to ensure  

the duties listed under  

step 1 were performed  

properly, including  

overcoming obstacles  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Coping with  

change in the  

workplace  

• Understanding that  

change is the only  

constant in the modern  

workplace. Avoiding  

change often means  

falling behind.  

• I embraced retraining  

and new ways of doing  

things such as new  

software packages, new  

accounting methods, new  

legislation re safety  

procedures, etc  

• I think of change as the  

only way to keep my skills  

up to date, thus maintaining  

my employability  

Whilst I was  

working for the  

Northern Legions,  

new technology  

was introduced,  

including  

machinery,  

software and  

procedures  

Organisational  

• The new technology  

was successfully  

implemented within  

time and budget  

Personal  

• I learned a new and  

more efficient way of  

doing things  

• How do you think you would react if you suddenly had to abandon  

a project you were working on and start a new one?  

• What are your views on learning in the workplace?  

Table 8.4 shows how the four steps can be used to prepare answers  

for questions such as these.  

Now let's look at a sample question and a possible response.  

Question: Tell us about a time you had to learn new things about  

your job. How did you cope?  

When I working for Northern Legions building Hadrian's  

Wall, senior management decided to invest heavily in new  

technology which was designed to improve quality and save  

us a great deal of time. This new technology involved an  

array of new equipment, software and work procedures, and  

represented a sea change in how I performed my duties (step  

3: context).  

Initially, all of us were slightly daunted at the grand scale  

of the changes; however, I soon realised that the changes  

were inevitable if our company was to remain competitive.  

I also quickly came to the realisation that, if I was to remain  

a valued member of the company, I would need to quickly  

learn how to work under the new regime. This realisation  

ensured that I embraced the changes enthusiastically. Whereas  

some of my colleagues saw it as a burden, I saw it as the way  

of the future-which is how I've come to view change  

generally. As well as attending all the required training sessions,  

I attended extra ones as well. I studied hard, asked questions  

and gained as much experience as I could. I soon became the  

acknowledged expert in certain areas, and people started  

coming to me for advice (step 2: the what and how).  

As a result of our efforts, the new technology was  

successfully implemented. My team was working with the  

new technology within the timelines and budget allocated  

to us. And I learned a whole new way of doing things (step  

4: outcomes).  

84 interview skills that win the job  

Providing effective customer service (including  

internal customers)  

One of the enduring myths in the workplace is the notion that  

customer service principles only apply to employees who deal directly  

with paying customers. Anybody else doesn't really count as a  

customer, and therefore doesn't have to be treated with the same  

care and sensitivity. This is a dangerous notion-one which frequently  

contributes to entrenched poor customer service (employees dealing  

directly with paying customers are often only as good as the support  

and service they receive from their colleagues in the back office).  

In the final analysis, every job provides a form of customer service.  

It doesn't matter whether you're making the tea or negotiating a  

multi-million dollar deal. Highly effective companies practise high  

levels of customer service throughout the entire company. This is  

what some customer service questions may sound like:  

• Tell us about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer.  

How did you deal with the situation and what was the outcome?  

• Can you describe a time when you gave excellent levels of customer  

service? What did you do to make it so good?  

• What does good customer service mean to you?  

• What are the fundamentals of providing high levels of customer  

service?  

• Do you think of yourself as a service-orientated person? Why?  

• What importance do you attach to service? Why?  

Table 8.5 shows how the four steps can be used to prepare  

responses to customer service questions.  

Here's a sample question and possible response dealing with  

customer service.  

Question: Can you give us a recent example of when you had to  

provide good customer service? How did you go about it?  

A recent example of being required to give consistently high  

levels of customer service was when I was working in the  

accounts section of Guillotin. My duties involved dealing  

the 'big five' questions 85  

with both internal customers-that is, the various departmental  

managers-as well as external customers, including people  

who owed us money and accounts that we needed to pay  

(step 2: context).  

The steps I took to ensure that I was providing consistently  

good customer service were often the same for both the  

internal and external customers. Experience has taught me  

that customer service principles are universal. A good example  

of this was when I was dealing with our departmental  

managers. I never made the mistake of assuming I knew what  

86 interview skills that win the job  

Table 8.5 Providing effective customer service  

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4  

Duties/  

requirements  

of position  

What I did to ensure  

the duties listed under  

step 1 were performed  

properly, including  

internal customers  

Context Outcomes-  

organisational and  

personal  

Coping with  

change in the  

workplace  

• I always listened to what  

the customer had to say  

and never made  

assumptions about the  

customer's needs  

• I gained an in-depth  

understanding of the  

products and services  

• By listening carefully  

and asking the right  

questions, I was able to  

match our product or  

service to the customer  

• I never over-promised  

• I understood that,  

without customers, I  

would have no job  

Working in an  

accounts  

receivable/payable  

environment for  

Guillotin, in which  

monthly and  

annual reports had  

to be submitted.  

These duties  

required dealing  

with both internal  

and external  

clients.  

Organisational  

• All customers  

received consistently  

good levels of  

customer service,  

including the  

implementation of  

service-level  

agreements  

Personal  

• Satisfaction of a job  

well done and  

receiving great  

feedback  

they needed from me, even though we had worked together  

for several years. Things change and one has to keep up with  

those changes in order to provide good levels of service. At  

our meetings, I always made the point of finding out what  

all our managers were doing and what their upcoming projects  

were. If I knew something was coming up, I could plan for  

it and thus ensure good service. I also made sure that I had  

a detailed understanding of all our new services and products,  

and how these could benefit all our customers. For example,  

the acquisition of a new database allowed me to provide  

managers with much more up-to-date detail about our  

customers (step 3: the what and how).  

As a result of this process, we were able to draw up a set  

of service delivery agreements with the various managers  

which gave us relevant guidelines and customer service targets.  

These service delivery targets played an important role in terms  

of our section receiving consistently positive feedback from  

our managers and avoiding redundancy (step 4: outcomes).  

Suggested activity: The 'big five' questions  

Try using the four steps to address the 'big five' questions using your  

own material. Once you've filled in the four columns, answer several  

questions based on each of the 'big five'.  

Summary of key points  

• The importance of the big five questions is that they are based on  

skills required for most, if not all, jobs. This makes it highly likely  

that you will be required to answer a number of questions relating  

to these. As well as the universality of these skills, they are also  

critically important to most employers (good interpersonal  

communication skills, for example, are seen as central to establishing  

harmonious work relationships and effective performance).  

the 'big five' questions 87  

• How you answer a question relating to any one of the big five could  

make or break your interview.  

• By using the recommended four steps you will be able to easily  

create your own answers to a wide range of questions relating to the  

following five skills: being a good team player; planning and organising  

your work effectively; having good interpersonal communication;  

coping with change in the workplace; and providing effective customer  

service (including internal customers).  

88 interview skills that win the job  

9 Building rapport and trust  

Building rapport and trust  

There are several things you can do to improve rapport-building  

and the development of trust during the course of the interview. As  

already mentioned, successful interviewees do more than just answer  

questions correctly. They also convince interviewers that they are  

the sort of people the interviewer can work with. Of course, answering  

questions in a convincing manner goes a long way towards  

establishing rapport and trust; however, there's a lot more to it than  

simply articulating a series of technically correct responses.  

Stated in its simplest terms, building rapport and trust (R&T)  

during an interview requires that you show the interviewer that you're  

a good person to work with by demonstrating the appropriate behaviours  

during the interview. For example, it is self-defeating to tell the  

interviewer that you're a great team player but sit throughout the  

interview looking as though you could frighten paint off the wall.  

In short, you need to back up your words with your actions.  

Managing perceptions and preconceived views  

Interviews are largely about managing the perceptions of the  

interviewer. Studies show that people look for things that they believe  

(perceive) will be there, and conversely ignore-or pay less attention  

to-those things that don't fit into their preconceived views. If  

interviewers think that you are an outstanding prospect, there's a  

good chance that they'll be looking for, and registering, all the things  

that will support their preconceived notion. In other words, if two  

interviewees perform roughly the same at an interview, the interviewee  

with the better reputation prior to the interview will most likely be  

rated higher.  

So, as much as possible, make the best impression you can before  

or at the very start of the interview. You can do this by:  

• ensuring that your resume is the best that it can be;  

• sending a positive and very brief pre-interview letter thanking  

the interviewer for the opportunity to be interviewed and stating  

how much you're looking forward to meeting them;  

• contacting the company to make sensible pre-interview inquiries  

(see Chapter 3). Contacting the company before the interview  

demonstrates appropriate interest and a professional level of  

preparation.  

First impressions  

In addition, it is important to note that the first few minutes (some  

say seconds) of an interview are also very important in swaying the  

interviewer's mind. As the old adage goes, first impressions tend to  

be lasting impressions. Briefly (we'll cover these in more detail later  

on), the things to look for include:  

• dress;  

• handshake;  

• eye contact;  

• facial expressions;  

• tone of voice.  

Last impressions  

People tend to recall more of what happens at the beginning and  

the end of an event than they do of what occurs in the middle. This  

does not mean you concentrate on the beginning and end of your  

interview and neglect the middle, however. It is a reminder to be  

90 interview skills that win the job  

careful about what you do and say towards the end. Some interviewees  

fall into the trap of over-relaxing (usually as a result of overcompensating  

for their initial tension) and straying into inappropriate  

behaviours such as becoming overly familiar and adopting an 'I'm  

at a barbecue' style of body language. So make sure you maintain  

appropriate interview behaviours right to the very end.  

Communication is more than just words  

One of the most important lessons you can learn about improving  

your rapport and trust ability is that there's much more to  

communication than the words that come out of your mouth.  

Communications experts constantly remind us that about 10 per  

cent of communication is represented by what we say, 30 per cent  

by how we say things and 60 per cent by our body language! So if,  

in your preparation for an interview you've been spending all your  

time concentrating on the content of your answers, you have  

effectively been spending 100 per cent of your efforts on 10 per cent  

of overall communication. This may go a long way towards explaining  

why so many people who give technically brilliant answers don't  

get the job.  

Admittedly many interviewees understand intuitively that  

successful interpersonal communication (face-to-face communication)  

relies on much more than just the words used. However, for reasons  

too varied and complex to discuss here, there are many people whose  

interpersonal communication skills are not as well honed and/or  

who are unable to demonstrate their otherwise effective  

communication skills during an interview-probably because of  

heightened anxiety.  

Once you understand that successful communication relies on  

a whole range of factors other than words, an entirely new world  

of communication begins to emerge. The focus of your interview  

preparations should shift from strict word preparation to include a  

whole range of non-verbals including such things as appearance,  

the way you sit and even when you nod your head. Sometimes a  

building rapport and trust 91  

friendly smile and an acknowledging nod can be worth a lot more  

than the best verbal answers.  

Modelling  

An effective way of improving your interpersonal communication  

skills is by reading what the experts say and modelling those who  

you know are good at it. People you know who are genuinely popular  

usually possess highly developed interpersonal communication skills,  

even though they may not be aware of it. Next time you're with  

them, take a few minutes to observe all those little things they do  

and see what you can learn.  

Modelling should be used as a guide only, however. Avoid overmimicking  

or cloning someone else's behaviours. It is worth  

remembering that we are all different and what may work well for  

one person may not work for another. Learn to be selective and  

adopt only those things that you feel confident about.  

Acknowledging the power source  

In most interviews, there is an important yet unspoken dynamic  

lurking just beneath the surface. This dynamic is as old as the first  

time humans eyeballed each other and opened their mouths to  

grunt. Naturally, I'm talking about power. More specifically, I'm  

talking about acknowledging the fact that, in the vast majority of  

cases, the interviewer has the real power. (The exception to this is  

when you are lucky enough to possess a unique set of skills and/or  

knowledge that the employer is desperate to have.) If you are serious  

about maximising your rapport, it's important to demonstrate to  

the interviewer that you understand they have all the power when  

it comes to giving you the job.  

As an interviewee, you too have power-primarily through the  

fact that you control what the interviewer will hear. However, this  

does not eliminate the reality that the power to hire (or not) lies  

exclusively with the interviewer. Interviewees who acknowledge the  

92 interview skills that win the job  

interviewer's power stand a better chance of being liked (and therefore  

winning the job) because, to put it bluntly, most human beings  

have a weakness for feeling important and having their egos stroked.  

Intuitively, many of us understand this dynamic but not everyone  

proactively demonstrates it during the interview. An interviewer  

may not even be aware of this dynamic (you can usually pick the  

ones who enjoy their power), but this doesn't mean it's not there.  

Avoid grovelling  

Acknowledging the power dynamics inherent in most interviews  

does not mean grovelling. As already mentioned, throwing yourself  

at the feet of the interviewer or laughing yourself hoarse at a lame  

joke will more than likely be seen as a form of deceit. The lesson  

here is a simple one: be aware of the underlying power dynamics  

present at most interviews and avoid behaviours (such as arguing a  

point or openly disagreeing with the interviewer) that will more  

than likely put the interviewer off.  

Body language issues  

Sitting  

The way you sit communicates a great deal about a whole range of  

issues, including how important you think the interview is, how  

nervous (or confident) you are, and your understanding of the  

underlying power relations. Some people's sitting position exudes  

over-familiarity and even arrogance, whereas others communicate  

a serious lack of self-belief.  

The golden rules in sitting are: avoid anything that will distract  

the interviewer from concentrating upon the content of your answers;  

and avoid making the interviewer feel uncomfortable. Interviewers  

generally do not feel comfortable if you sit in an aggressive way  

(leaning forward too much) or in an overly passive way (leaning  

back and crossing your legs at the thighs). In short, good sitting  

building rapport and trust 93  

goes unnoticed by the interviewer. Here are some tips on what you  

should avoid:  

• Leaning back. Gives the impression that you're not taking the  

interview seriously.  

• Crossing your legs at the thighs. Too familiar, especially at the  

beginning of an interview.  

• Sitting with your legs wide apart. Far too familiar for an interview  

situation, and can be both distracting and uncomfortable for the  

interviewer.  

• Leaning forward too much. May make some interviewers feel  

uncomfortable, especially if you're physically big and talk loudly.  

• Slouching. Gives the impression that you're not taking the interview  

seriously and will likely slouch in your duties.  

Tips on good sitting practice include:  

• Straight and upright body. This is a neutral sitting position that  

interviewers expect to see.  

• Male legs. Males can keep their upper legs facing straight forward  

and adopt what is commonly referred to as the starters position- 

that is, the dominant foot flat on the ground with the  

other foot having only the front part touching the ground.  

• Female legs. Females can cross their legs at the ankles and position  

the legs slightly to one side.  

Facial expressions and eye contact  

Facial expressions are extremely powerful communicators. If you're  

sitting correctly, the interviewer should spend most of the interview  

looking at your face and eyes. The two golden rules of sitting also  

apply here: do not do anything that will distract interviewers or  

make them feel uncomfortable. Anything that is overdone will almost  

certainly give the interviewer pause for concern, whether it be too  

much smiling, nodding or eye contact.  

During the course of an interview, it is very important to control  

your facial expressions, especially if you feel the interview is not  

94 interview skills that win the job  

progressing to your satisfaction or you're hearing something you  

don't like-otherwise you may be communicating unwanted  

information to the interviewer.  

Failure to control your facial expressions will undermine your  

credibility by sending conflicting signals to the interviewer. For  

example, say the interviewer suddenly tells you that the job will  

include a new and important duty that was not mentioned in the  

job ad and your immediate gut feeling reaction is, 'Oh no I didn't  

prepare for this new duty, and what the hell are they doing changing  

the job at this late stage and I know nothing about this new bloody  

duty!' But you say (or try to say), 'New duty, that's fine. I'm used  

to taking on new duties. I'm a fast learner and enjoy the challenge.'  

In this situation there's a good chance that the terror registered on  

your face will undermine your words and leave the interviewer  

unconvinced despite a reasonable answer.  

Controlling one's expressions is harder to do than many people  

realise. Often our faces work independently of our wishes. And  

usually they communicate our deepest (darkest) feelings, which it  

may not be in our best interests to reveal. But with a bit of knowledge  

and practice we can go a long way towards controlling what our  

faces say.  

Becoming aware of the communicative power of facial expressions  

represents a good start to controlling unwanted communication.  

Next time you feel that your face may be communicating something  

that you don't want it to, stop and force yourself to change it. You'll  

probably find it a little awkward at first, but with a bit of perseverance  

you should be able to control it at will. With enough practice, it  

will become second nature.  

Smiling  

If you were standing outside a room seconds away from being invited  

in for an interview and I happened to be passing by and you grabbed  

me with a desperate look in your eye asking me for one piece of  

advice, I would say, 'Don't forget to smile'.  

Smiling is a highly effective communicator and sends all the  

right signals to the interviewer, especially for building rapport.  

building rapport and trust 95  

A smile can often achieve what the best of answers cannot-softening  

the interviewer. Very importantly, when you smile at people it usually  

makes them feel better, which tends to draw out their better nature-  

exactly what you want to be doing at an interview. It also signals  

to the interviewer that you have well-developed social skills, are a  

nice person and do not suffer from anti-social tendencies. Here are  

some tips about smiling:  

• Be genuine. Avoid grinning or putting on a forced smile. There's  

nothing worse than someone trying to smile but only succeeding  

in demonstrating the art of teeth clenching.  

• Don't overdo it. Overdoing it may run you the risk of appearing  

disingenuous.  

Avoid mimicking the grim-faced interviewer  

It is not uncommon to mimic others' facial expressions (and body  

language), even though we often don't realise we're doing it. If you  

encounter the grim-faced interviewer, try not to fall into the trap  

of being grim-faced yourself. This is not as easy as it may sound  

because human beings, being what we are, usually require positive  

feedback in order to continue behaving in certain ways. In other  

words, if you smile and the other person refuses to smile back, there's  

a good chance you will stop smiling. So: do not allow a dour  

interviewer to put you off. Stick to your guns and produce your  

warmest smiles, no matter what!  

Nodding your head  

Nodding of the head represents another extremely powerful  

communicator. When you nod your head at something, people say  

you are telling them that you agree with them, and you do so  

without interrupting, which is an ideal rapport-building technique  

when the interviewer decides to expound on a topic. But be careful:  

as in smiling, the danger with nodding your head is overdoing it.  

96 interview skills that win the job  

Eye contact  

The key to successful eye contact is avoiding extremes. Overdoing  

it can put people off, as can making hardly any eye contact at all.  

Staring will almost certainly raise a big question mark about your  

social skills. Even worse, it may frighten the interviewer. Not making  

enough eye contact will more than likely signal that you lack  

confidence and perhaps suffer from low self-esteem issues. Bear in  

mind that interviews are largely about imparting impressions. You  

may in reality be a confident and outgoing person who enjoys a  

great social life, but if you fail to make enough eye contact with the  

interviewer, you will probably fail to communicate that reality.  

Like so many of the non-verbal communicators, appropriate  

levels of eye contact during an interview differ between cultures. It  

is important that you ascertain the cultural norm before walking  

into an interview.  

Hands and arms  

The big mistake with arms is to fold them across your chest. Doing  

so is tantamount to placing a barrier between you and the interviewer.  

Other transgressions include sitting on your hands or pretending  

you don't have any. There's nothing wrong with using your hands  

to emphasise a point-it shows you're human. However, avoid  

overdoing it.  

Handshake  

A good handshake is a firm one. If you are a young male, avoid the  

primal urge to crush the hand bones of the interviewer. Remind  

yourself that the purpose of handshaking is to establish rapport,  

not to demonstrate how strong you are. Avoid also the limp  

handshake, the long handshake (remember to let go) and the three  

finger handshake.  

building rapport and trust 97  

If you suffer badly from sweaty palms, bring a handkerchief, but  

if your sweat glands are running riot it would be a good idea to  

warn the interviewer first before drenching their palm.  

Dress and appearance  

Some people persist in thinking that their appearance has very little  

to do with their ability to perform in a job, and so give little  

consideration to how they dress for an interview. Whilst the logic  

in this thinking may be unassailable, it is a dangerous thing to do  

because it fails to take into account that interviews are largely about  

managing perceptions. Interviewers have certain expectations about  

dress codes. Failing to meet those expectations is dangerous.  

The rule of the thumb for dress and appearance is to err on the  

side of caution. On the whole, interviewers tend to be cautious and  

conservative when hiring someone. The last thing an employer  

wants to do is to hire the wrong person. Reliability, loyalty,  

consistency, trustworthiness and dependability are qualities that all  

employers seek in employees, no matter what type of job it is. Your  

task at the interview is to signal to the interviewer that you have  

all those qualities, and dressing appropriately represents a good start.  

Here are some tips:  

• Always make a point of wearing clean clothes and shoes.  

• Jeans (or anything else) with holes in them may make a positive  

impression on the dance floor, but are unlikely to inspire  

an interviewer.  

• Avoid excessive jewellery and makeup.  

• A designer stubble may make you look manly and represent the  

latest word from the fashion gurus; however, it's likely to make  

the interviewer think that you didn't think the job was important  

enough for you to bother shaving.  

• Avoid extreme hairstyles.  

• Avoid displaying too much skin.  

98 interview skills that win the job  

There is a sensible school of thought that advocates dressing  

according to the nature of the job you're applying for. So, if you're  

applying for an accountant's position, you wear a business suit,  

whereas if you're applying for a labourer's position on a building  

site, a business suit is inappropriate. All this is true; however, the  

above tips on dress and appearance remain important.  

Interview behaviours  

Body language and personal appearance represent one side of the  

equation to building rapport and trust during an interview. The  

other, equally important side, is how you behave and express yourself  

during an interview.  

Never argue  

One of the worst things you can do at an interview is argue with  

the interviewer. Even a very polite argument should never be  

considered. Arguing will more than likely convince the interviewer  

that you are argumentative by nature, which is not a trait that excites  

employers. This is a point some interviewees forget-especially when  

they're convinced they're in the right or the interviewer says  

something that is evidently wrong. Also, some interviewers (usually  

inexperienced ones) tend to downplay some of the things interviewees  

say and add their own information or even make corrections (or  

what they believe to be corrections). Encountering this type of  

interviewer can be a very frustrating experience. It is at times such  

as these that your smile can turn into a grimace and the rest of your  

body can look like it is ready to launch into battle. However, the  

effective interviewee will maintain discipline and continue to smile,  

nod happily and utter little gems like, 'Yes, that's right,' and 'I  

couldn't agree more'.  

You may be thinking, 'I would never want to work for an interviewer  

who is so disagreeable, so why should I be so agreeable?'  

building rapport and trust 99  

Whilst this is not an unreasonable thought, there are good reasons  

to ignore it:  

• The interviewer may not be the employer or your direct supervisor.  

• Bad interviewers do not necessarily make bad employers.  

• The interviewer may be inexperienced, nervous or having a  

bad day.  

Always do your very best at an interview, no matter how  

objectionable you may find the interviewer. The whole idea of  

attending an interview is to be offered a job. It's up to you on  

whether you accept the offer or not later on.  

Avoid embellishments  

It is tempting to exaggerate past achievements-after all, interviews  

are all about making a good impression. The problem with inflating  

past achievements is that you can easily lose your all-important  

credibility, or be caught out later because you've said something  

different. Embellishments can easily be seen through by experienced  

interviewers, who will probably not tell you that they think you're  

gilding the lily, but instead will discount you for the job. This can  

be a disaster if the interviewer is working for an important  

employment recruitment firm which handles a large percentage of  

the jobs you're applying for. It can also be a disaster if you've  

succeeded in winning the job and fail to live up to the hype you  

were responsible for starting. It is best to stick to reality.  

Avoid negatives  

There is no point in attending an interview if you're going to sit there  

and highlight many of your flaws and defects. Here are some examples  

of negative statements that send interviewers ducking for cover:  

• 'I would have been able to finish the project had I not been  

clashing with my teammates.' (You may have been working with  

the teammates from hell, but the interviewer is likely to question  

your team player abilities.)  

100 interview skills that win the job  

• 'I love working in call centres, but sometimes customer inquiries  

drive me batty.' (A good call centre operator can deal with all  

types of customer inquiries, including the stupid ones.)  

• 'I generally enjoy managing people except when they start complaining  

about their work. I don't like whingers.' (Most people  

complain about work from time to time-the job of a good  

manager is to listen and help, not think of staff as whingers.)  

• 'I don't like things changing all the time. Just when you learn  

one thing you need to unlearn it and learn something different.  

There's too much instability in some workplaces.' (Unless you're  

applying for a rare job where things always remain the same,  

this answer-given today's rapid rate of change-could easily  

enter the hall of fame for bad answers.)  

• 'I don't like pressure.' (Avoid this one unless you're applying for  

a fantasy job you've created in your head.)  

• 'I don't like being told what to do.' (You should be giving  

serious consideration to starting your own business.)  

• 'I suffer from high levels of stress, so I need a stress-free job.'  

(Another fantasy job.)  

• 'I don't like working overtime.' (A lot of people don't like working  

overtime but it's not the sort of thing to say at an interview.  

Unless pressing commitments don't allow you to, most jobs  

require people to stay back sometimes.)  

• 'I get annoyed when people don't understand what I'm talking  

about.' (Perhaps you've got a communication problem.)  

• 'I don't know why, but people seem to be frightened of me.'  

(Perhaps you've got a problem relating to people.)  

• 'I'm a slow learner.' (Ouch!)  

Negative statements frighten interviewers a great deal-remember,  

they're a conservative bunch. Being critical about your past  

performances is tantamount to giving interviewers a reason for not  

hiring you. Also, negative statements-because they scare  

interviewers-tend to invite follow-up questions, which is the very  

last thing you want happening at an interview. The whole idea is  

to say things that will invite positive questions-that is, questions  

building rapport and trust 101  

that allow you to talk about all your strengths and wonderful  

achievements.  

Some people think that pointing out negatives is a way of  

demonstrating their honesty to the interviewer. Unfortunately for  

them, the interviewer will only be thinking of ways of terminating  

the interview. Other than things that will have a direct bearing upon  

the job (such as a problem back in a job which requires heavy lifting),  

it is no one's business what your foibles may be. What you may  

perceive as a weakness about yourself may not be regarded as one  

by others. At the end of the day, interviews are about making the  

best impression possible.  

Overcoming shortcomings  

Not talking about negatives is different to talking about overcoming  

shortcomings. For many high achievers, work is largely about  

overcoming shortcomings in their skills and knowledge in order to  

achieve their aims. Rather than being frightened by new things,  

they embrace them as learning challenges and look forward to  

overcoming them. Often the difference between a highly effective  

employee and one who is struggling has little to do with talent and  

much to do with this attitude towards learning.  

Employers like nothing more than hearing about how you  

overcame a skills or knowledge deficit in order to complete a project.  

Overcoming deficiencies demonstrates to the interviewer that you  

are the sort of person who is able to learn on the job and, as a result,  

get the job completed. Here's what an 'overcoming a skills/knowledge  

deficit' answer may sound like:  

After receiving the assignment, we soon realised that some  

of us on the team did not have the required knowledge to  

maximise our contribution. My deficit was in understanding  

how to use several complicated software applications that  

were crucial to the quality control side of the assignment.  

My challenge was to learn how to use these applications  

within a very short space of time and reliably apply this  

102 interview skills that win the job  

knowledge. Because we were working under a very tight  

timeline and the rest of the team were relying on me, there  

was very little margin for error. Fortunately, I was able to  

apply my newfound knowledge, as did the other members  

of the team, and we successfully completed the assignment.  

This answer not only tells the employer that you can learn complicated  

information whilst working on an assignment, but that you can  

also do it under pressure and deliver the required results.  

Dealing with the weakness question: What not to do  

The 'What are your weaknesses?' question is not an ideal one for  

interviewers to be asking. Some of the problems inherent in this  

question include:  

• Many interviewees do not recognise they have a weakness in the  

first place.  

• Others perceive they have a weakness but in fact do not have  

one at all.  

• Some interviewees mistakenly see this question as an opportunity  

to demonstrate how honest they are and say much more  

than they should.  

• Many interviewees are extremely reluctant to be forthcoming  

about their weaknesses in an interview.  

Despite these problems, many interviewers persist in asking about  

your weaknesses. Your job is to learn the best way to handle such  

questions. At the very least, you should be minimising the potential  

damage and at best you should be turning the question around and  

demonstrating to the interviewer that you're the sort of person who  

can not only overcome weaknesses, but by doing so achieve your goals.  

One of the worst things you can do in response to answering  

this question is to say you don't have any weaknesses. This would  

signal to the interviewer that you had lost some of your grip on  

reality and/or that you had a monstrous ego, neither of which would  

do you any favours. Here are some other things to avoid:  

building rapport and trust 103  

• Do not offer more than one weakness and do not set off on a  

monumental discourse about your failings and their possible  

origins. Stick to one weakness unless pressed for a second.  

• Avoid talking about personality/character type weaknesses such  

as impatience, quickness to anger or intolerance of mistakes.  

Generally speaking, these types of weakness frighten employers  

more than skills deficiencies. Where the latter can normally be  

rectified with a bit of training, personality/character type weaknesses  

may be less easy to remedy and more difficult to deal with.  

• Avoid clichés such as: 'I work too hard. I don't know when to stop.  

I don't know how to say no to work requests.' The problem with  

these answers is twofold: first, a lot of other people use them, which  

means you're failing to stand out from the pack; and second, all  

of the above answers may signal to the astute interviewer that you  

have a serious problem with managing your workload.  

• Do not mention things that are really going to hurt you. Mistakes  

you have made in the dim past should remain in the past.  

Don't go digging them up-especially if you've learnt the error  

of your ways and have moved on.  

Hopefully, you will not be applying for jobs for which you are  

unsuited in the first place. If, for example, you have a great fear of  

heights and part of the job involves working in high locations, then  

you shouldn't be wasting anybody's time by applying. However, if  

the same job also requires skills that you have in abundance, feel  

free to ring first and tell them about your situation. The employer  

may value those other skills and be willing to at least talk to you.  

Warning: If you have committed a legal offence that may be  

relevant to the job you're applying for, you should investigate what  

your legal obligations are in terms of disclosure before attending the  

interview. Avoid going on hearsay. Disclosure laws are sometimes  

changed and may differ from state to state.  

104 interview skills that win the job  

Dealing with the weakness question: What to say  

An effective way of dealing with the weakness question is to locate  

the weakness (preferably a skills deficiency) at some time in the past  

and then describe the steps you took to overcome it (similar to  

overcoming shortcomings, see above). The idea is that you show  

the interviewer that you are able to overcome your weaknesses. It's  

also good to try to finish your answer on a positive note. Here's  

what an exchange may sound like.  

Question: Tell us about your weaknesses.  

When I was working for Chaos several years ago, one of my  

weaknesses was in the area of making presentations to clients  

and internal staff. Not that my presentations were disasters-  

far from it-but they lacked the polish of other more  

experienced presenters. So I approached a presenter whose  

style I admired and asked her if she could give me some tips  

on how I could improve my skills. Fortunately, she was very  

happy to help me, including sitting in one of my presentations  

and giving me feedback about my weaknesses. I took her  

feedback on board and made several changes, which led to  

my presentations improving significantly.  

If the interviewer is not happy with this type of answer because it  

fails to talk about a current weakness, simply provide a skills-based  

weakness that is not going to undermine your chances of winning the  

job-in other words, a weakness that is not very relevant to the job.  

Handling objections  

Employer objections usually take the form of 'I like you but . . .'  

statements. For example, 'I like you, but my main concern is that  

most of your experience lies in retail which is not relevant to our  

needs.' You will encounter objections most often when going for  

promotions or jobs in different vocations or industries. Whilst there  

building rapport and trust 105  

is no one correct way to deal with objections (they all need to be  

dealt with confidently and convincingly), there is a three-step method  

that you may find useful:  

1. Agree with the objection: 'Yes that's correct. Most of my  

experience does lie in retail.' Agreeing tends to soften the interviewer.  

Disagreeing will probably make you sound unreasonable,  

if not desperate.  

2. State why you think the objection does not represent a problem:  

'I'd like to point out that in retail most of the work I've  

been doing is directly relevant to this job. Even though the  

industry is not the same the skills are. For example, the skills  

required in delivering high levels of customer service and  

resolving customer complaints are the same as those you require.'  

3. Affirm that the difference is not a problem and finish on a positive  

note: 'In fact I see bringing in a fresh perspective to your  

business as an advantage. I believe I can introduce new ideas  

that will drive your business forward.'  

Avoid uncertainty  

One of the golden rules in interviews is to avoid doubt or hesitancy  

as much as possible. Saying you can accomplish something with  

hesitancy in your voice or using tentative language is almost the  

same as saying that you cannot really do it. Steer away from  

expressions such as:  

• I think I could . . .  

• I'm not sure about that but perhaps . . .  

• Perhaps I would . . .  

• Maybe I could . . .  

• I feel that I would be able to . . .  

Confidence is one of the keys to establishing rapport in an  

interview. Interviewers love hearing confident answers because it  

helps them to overcome their doubt about the interviewee's abilities.  

Even if you're asked a question about a duty you've never performed  

106 interview skills that win the job  

before, it is better to say you've never performed it but feel confident  

about accomplishing it because of all the skills and knowledge you  

bring to the job, rather than admitting to never having performed  

the duty and expressing a string of uncertainties. Remember, how  

you say things is more important than what you say.  

Compare the following answers from two candidates, both of  

whom are responding to the question 'How do you think you would  

cope with managing a team of professionals?'  

Candidate one: I'm not entirely sure whether I could manage  

a team of professionals. I've never done it before so it would  

be a whole new experience for me, but I think with a bit of  

application I could manage it. Certainly I'd like to have a go.  

It's an area that I'm very interested in.  

Candidate two: I'm confident that I could do a good job.  

I'm comfortable with working with high achievers, I have  

good interpersonal communication skills and managing people  

is an area I have a lot of interest in. Even though I've never  

managed a team before, I feel ready to meet this new challenge  

in my career.  

Essentially, both of the above candidates are saying the same  

thing. Both are admitting to having no experience in managing a  

team of professionals, yet both are interested in taking on this new  

responsibility. The beginning of the first candidate's answer would  

probably cost them the job, however. I doubt many interviewers  

would be seriously listening to anything after that first fatal sentence.  

There is an attempt to recover in the last two sentences but it's too  

late by then. On the other hand, the second candidate inspires  

confidence right from the start. There is a complete absence of  

uncertainty in this answer, even though the candidate admits to  

having no experience in managing professionals.  

Many interviewees struggle with using highly positive language  

when talking about duties they've never performed before. This is not  

unusual, given that in non-interview contexts most people use tentative  

language when talking about things they've never tried before. Your  

aim should be to leave all tentativeness outside the interview door. If  

building rapport and trust 107  

you're not going to be confident about doing a good job, how do you  

expect the interviewer to be confident about you?  

Positive statements  

An effective way of getting yourself accustomed to using positive  

language is to practise using positive statements before the interview.  

Make a list of positive statements relevant to your situation and  

start saying them aloud. You may feel a little awkward in the  

beginning, but repetition will soon take care of that. Keep on  

practising until you feel very comfortable. Here are some beginnings  

to help you get started:  

• I can definitely do/finish/write/analyse . . .  

• I am confident about . . .  

• I feel very comfortable at the prospect of . . .  

• I am very secure in the knowledge that . . .  

• I feel at ease about doing all those things you mentioned . . .  

• I am positive about taking on . . .  

Start humble and finish humble  

The very best interviewees are able to reconcile two seemingly  

irreconcilable behaviours. They are able to sell themselves at an  

interview-that is, wax lyrical about all their fine achievements-  

yet at the same time avoid sounding over-confident or arrogant.  

The art of remaining humble whilst selling yourself is essential if  

you are to succeed in interviews because no one likes to work with  

a person with a bad attitude. Here are some tips on what you can  

do to get it right.  

• Avoid criticising others. Even if you had the misfortune of working  

with the world's most incompetent team it simply does not go  

down well to be harsh on them in an interview. If you do there's  

a good chance that the interviewer may think you're trying to  

big note yourself at the expense of your colleagues. Even if the  

108 interview skills that win the job  

interviewer is fully aware of how incompetent your colleagues  

were it still does not pay to be critical. In fact, the opposite is  

true. The more you avoid criticizing them the more humility  

will the interviewer see.  

• Third-person statements. Instead of using first-person statements  

('I' statements) all the time, such as 'I did so and so . . .' and 'I am  

a very good at . . .', it is often better to use third-person statements.  

The advantage of these types of statements is that they  

allow you to quote what others have said about your achievements,  

rather than what you think. Here are some examples:  

My boss frequently commented on how quickly I was able  

to get through my work. (as opposed to 'I was often able to  

complete my work very quickly')  

My colleagues, very generously, voted me the most valuable  

team player.  

Clients often gave me positive feedback about my customer  

service skills.  

The team I worked in consistently gave me top marks for my  

personal communication skills and willingness to help others.  

• Credit others. Despite what some people may think, in the vast  

majority of cases getting something done within the workplace  

requires the assistance and cooperation of others. Acknowledging  

the valuable input of others when it comes to your accomplishments  

is a great way of achieving interview humility. Here's what  

an answer might sound like:  

Successfully completing the project on time and within budget  

meant a great deal to my employer. Had I not delivered the  

goods, there was the possibility of people being made redundant.  

However, I would like to stress that the only reason I was  

successful was because of the valuable help I received from my  

colleagues.Without their unstinting support I would have failed.  

Without acknowledging the input of colleagues, this answer  

runs the risk of sounding somewhat arrogant, but the crediting  

building rapport and trust 109  

of others ensures that the speaker comes across as humble without  

reducing the magnitude of the accomplishment.  

• Avoid repeating your key achievements. In a normal social context,  

we don't like people going on about their achievements ad  

nauseum-one mention is generally enough. The same applies  

in interviews. Whilst it is essential that you learn how to talk up  

your key achievements, you should only state achievements once.  

If you repeat them, you risk giving the impression that you either  

don't have many to talk about or that you're showing off.  

• Avoid 'big noting' yourself. This may sound a little strange coming  

from an interview skills book, but it is crucial if you are to avoid  

portraying yourself as too big for your boots. 'Big noting' yourself  

means actually saying that you are good or great, or any  

other descriptor you care to choose-for example, 'I am a fantastic  

communicator'. It should be left up to the interviewer to  

infer this by listening to you talk about the sorts of things you've  

done in this area. In other words, instead of describing yourself,  

say what you did and how you did it and let those actions speak  

for themselves. Here are some examples:  

Avoid: I was a great manager of people.  

Do say: By applying sound principles of people management,  

I was able to lead my team effectively.  

Avoid: I've got great customer service skills.  

Do say: My manager often commended me on my customer  

service skills, in particular my understanding of our products  

and my ability to link this knowledge to the needs of our  

customers.  

Avoid: I am hard-working.  

Do say: In my previous job I always made sure the work  

was done properly before I went home. If that meant staying  

back, then that's what I did.  

• Avoid criticising the boss. We all know that there are mediocre to  

poor managers out there, and undoubtedly many interviewers  

have had the misfortune to work for them. Despite this, another  

110 interview skills that win the job  

of the golden rules is: never criticise your bosses. The reason for  

this is simple: the interviewer does not have the benefit of  

listening to both sides of the story and therefore is not in a  

position to know who was really at fault. In other words, when  

you criticise your boss, you are effectively creating doubts about  

yourself in the mind of the interviewer. To criticise more than  

one boss is virtual interview suicide.  

If you're in a situation where the poor performance of your  

boss prevented you from accomplishing key achievements and  

you're faced with a persistent interviewer who insists on getting  

to know the ins and outs of what happened, instead of blurting  

out something critical about your boss, like 'We didn't achieve  

our targets because our team leader couldn't tie his shoe laces',  

you could try something like this:  

Unfortunately we came up short of reaching our targets. One  

of the reasons for this was because certain members of our  

team lacked the necessary experience to overcome some of  

the obstacles we encountered. Had we had the right experience,  

I'm sure we would have succeeded.  

Avoid saying anything that may remotely sound like the  

following:  

I had an awful boss.  

My boss was a real Nazi.  

I couldn't stand my boss and he couldn't stand me.  

I wouldn't feed my ex-boss.  

My boss suffered from an extremely low IQ.  

Nobody liked my boss because he looked like a monkey.  

Recruit your voice  

Interviewees who know how to use their voices properly enjoy an  

advantage over those who do not. Your voice is the vehicle by which  

you deliver your sentences, and you neglect it at your peril. A good  

interview voice is clear and emphasises important points without  

building rapport and trust 111  

too much of a fuss. It is confident and in control, but never  

overbearing. It rises to the occasion subtly and imperceptibly fades  

when it has to but always keeps your attention. It is pleasant to  

listen to.  

Here's what not to do:  

• Avoid a flat monotone-in fact, avoid any sort of monotone.  

• Avoid shouting or raising your voice too high-you'll more than  

likely frighten the interviewers or have them shouting back at you.  

• Avoid an overly soft or shy voice. You don't want the interviewer  

straining to hear you.  

• Avoid extreme changes such as very loud to very soft or very  

emotional to very measured.  

If you've been told, or you suspect, you have a flat or uninspiring  

voice, practising is the key to changing it. Enlist the help of a good  

friend or vocal coach.  

Building rapport with a panel of interviewers  

Everything mentioned so far about building rapport and trust through  

correct use of body language and the way you say things applies  

when you are interviewed by a panel of interviewers. Some people  

feel higher levels of intimidation when confronted by more than  

one interviewer, but there's no reason for this. The questions are  

not inherently harder and, if you've done all your preparation, there's  

a greater chance that your wonderful answers and effective interview  

techniques will be noticed. There are, however, some simple rules  

that you need to be aware of before attending a panel interview.  

1. Try to remember everyone's name and use it at least once during the  

interview. However, avoid over-use of names because it can sound  

condescending. If you're one of these people who has difficulty  

remembering names, or if the panel is a large one, it is a good  

idea to find out the names of the interviewers before the interview.  

Simply make a phone call or send an email seeking their names  

and learn them (it is a lot easier attaching a name to a face if  

112 interview skills that win the job  

you already know the name). Remembering the names of all the  

interviewers on a large panel is impressive and can make an  

excellent impression. If you happen to suffer a blank and forget  

a name, stay silent. Do not blurt out a name in the hope that it  

is the right one! Getting names wrong can spell disaster.  

2. Look at everyone equally. By looking at someone, you are acknowledging  

their importance, and by looking at everyone you are  

signalling strong social skills.  

There are two common mistakes interviewees make when  

looking at panel members. First, they tend to look only, or mostly,  

at the person who asks the question. This is a natural tendency  

but should actively be avoided because it means you are ignoring  

the others. Second, when interviewees know which member of  

the panel is highest on the organisational hierarchy, they tend  

to focus most of their attention on that person. This too can be  

seen as a natural tendency, but it can be a dangerous approach.  

Quite apart from the fact that you are effectively belittling the  

other panel members, you can never be entirely certain who  

amongst the panel has the real power in making a final decision.  

It is not uncommon for bosses to defer decisions to one of their  

staff. By focusing mostly on the boss, you may be ignoring the  

real decision-maker.  

3. Be very careful not to disregard or pay less attention to panel members  

who seem not to like you or seem to be ignoring you. It just  

might be that one of these panel members is the ultimate decision- 

maker. In everyday life it would be fairly normal to ignore  

those who ignore us or who seem not to like us. But in panel  

interviews you ignore at your peril. If you are confronted by a  

seemingly difficult panel member, you must try your very best  

to overcome your natural tendencies and give that person just  

as much attention as you do the others. To do this you need to  

be in control of all those subtle negative body language signals  

that we send out to people we don't warm to (often we do it  

unknowingly).  

One technique you can employ to help you overcome this  

problem is to imagine that the fractious panel member is purposely  

building rapport and trust 113  

being difficult (playing bad cop) in order to test your interpersonal  

skills-that is, how you deal with difficult people. If you can see  

it as a test or a game, then hopefully you can depersonalise it and  

see it as just another challenge that you have to overcome to win  

the job. And you never know, it might just be a test after all!  

Telephone interviews  

More and more companies are starting to realise that, because much  

of their work is done over the telephone, it makes sense to interview  

candidates using this medium. If you're wanting a job in sales,  

customer enquiries or any sort of call centre, it would be a good idea  

to prepare yourself for a telephone interview. Some companies are  

generous enough to inform you exactly when they will ring you, but  

many do not. The number one complaint I hear about telephone  

interviews is that the call invariably comes at a time when people  

are not ready for it. One minute they're engrossed in a personal  

conversation, the next they're talking to an interviewer who insists  

on asking them a range of ugly questions. Given that you cannot  

put your life on hold for that one telephone call, it makes a lot of  

sense to prepare a summary of your answers and leave it next to your  

telephone so that when the call does come, you'll have the main  

points of your answers right at your fingertips, and can read them  

out if you have to. This simple strategy is not meant to be a substitute  

for proper preparation, but it can help you to focus very quickly.  

It's all in what you say and how you say it  

In terms of content, the answers for a telephone interview should  

not be any different to the answers you would provide in a normal  

interview. The fact that a telephone interview does not provide you  

with the opportunities to 'distract' the interviewer with your dazzling  

smile and wonderful body language means that there is even more  

emphasis on what you say. The idea that you do not have to prepare  

114 interview skills that win the job  

as much because you will not be sitting face to face with the  

interviewer is a dangerous one.  

The big difference with telephone interviews lies in the voice.  

Whilst voice is important in all interviews, it naturally assumes far  

more importance in a telephone interview. In fact, one could say  

that voice is the body language of telephone interviews. Here are  

some more things to avoid when being interviewed over the  

telephone:  

• long pauses;  

• too many 'umms' and 'ahs';  

• coughing or sneezing directly over the mouthpiece;  

• background noises including television, music, screaming kids, etc.;  

• long sighs.  

Negotiating a salary  

Often interviews contain a discussion about salary expectations. If  

handled correctly, this can go a long way towards helping you  

maximise your earnings. Here's what to do.  

Give a good interview  

It is crucial to understand that salary negotiation starts the second  

you walk into the interview room, not when the discussion turns  

to money. In other words, one of the most important things you  

need to do to maximise what the employer is willing to pay you is  

to really stand out during the entire course of the interview. Clearly,  

employers are much more predisposed to giving away more of their  

money if they think they will be getting value.  

Do your research  

Trying to negotiate your salary without having done basic research  

is a bit like trying to hit a target blindfolded. Your research should  

focus on two areas. First, find out what the market is paying for people  

building rapport and trust 115  

such as yourself. You will need to take into account all your  

qualifications, experience and key achievements. Importantly, you  

will also need to take into account the industry you will be working  

in because some industries pay more than others for people of  

comparable experience and abilities. The same goes with location.  

Salary survey firms, good recruitment consultants and relevant  

professional organisations can usually provide you with reliable salary  

information. Be sure all your sources are credible and that you use  

more than one. Your case will quickly collapse (as might your credibility)  

if your sources are found wanting-and they will be if you're facing  

an experienced negotiator who knows the market. Never go on hearsay  

and never quote what your friends claim they earn.  

Your second area of research should focus on the company itself.  

You may not be able to get all the information you want, but this  

should not stop you from trying (just don't make a nuisance of  

yourself). Things to investigate include:  

• Remuneration policies. Sometimes, especially with smaller companies,  

there is a noticeable absence of such policies. However,  

if they do exist and you're able to access them, you may be able  

to use this information to your benefit. For example, if you know  

that the company reviews performance and salaries every six  

months, you might be able to negotiate a deferment of a higher  

salary until you've had six months in which to prove yourself on  

the job rather than accept a lower amount for an indefinite period.  

• Levels of pay. This can be tricky because information regarding  

people's pay is often shrouded in mystery. But if you are able to  

get an insight you will at least know what you're up against.  

Knowing, for example, that the company is inclined to pay its  

employees above market value can be a very useful piece of information  

when negotiating salary.  

• How well the company is travelling. Companies which are doing  

well are generally more inclined to pay more than companies  

which are struggling financially. The last thing you want to be  

doing is selling yourself short for a company that is riding high.  

116 interview skills that win the job  

• How desperate they are to fill the position. Some jobs are harder to fill  

than others, whilst other jobs are crucial to the success of the company.  

If your research indicates that the position you're applying  

for happens to fall in either of these categories, then it is reasonable  

to assume that you have greater leverage in your negotiating.  

Avoid mentioning money up front  

An important principle in negotiating salary is leaving the discussions  

right to the end. The idea is to make as good an impression as  

humanly possible before talk about money arises. This is no different  

from any salesperson trying to sell a product. Price is only mentioned  

after all the great features and benefits of the product are discussed.  

To talk about price before highlighting features and benefits doesn't  

make for a good sales approach, nor does it make for good salary  

negotiations. First talk about your skills and knowledge and how  

they can benefit the business before quoting your price. If you  

happen to come across an interviewer who wants to talk about  

money up front, try (politely) to convince them otherwise. You can  

try saying something like: 'I'd prefer to leave discussion about salary  

until the end of our talk. I'd really like you to get a better understanding  

of what I have to offer the company and for me to learn  

more about the job before money is discussed.' If that doesn't work  

and the interviewer is adamant, then you're left with no choice-  

but avoid quoting a specific amount. Instead, quote a range (see  

below). Doing so will leave you with room with which to manoeuvre  

later on.  

The first principle of quoting employers a range of money that  

you're willing to consider is realism. Quoting unrealistically high  

amounts will more than likely damage your credibility and can undo  

much of the good work you put have in. The following guidelines  

are designed to help you work out a range.  

building rapport and trust 117  

Establish your bottom line  

Give serious thought to determining what your bottom line is-that  

is, the absolute minimum amount you're willing to work for. Three  

factors you should take into consideration include:  

• your cost of living, taking into account expected rises;  

• what the market will bear given your levels of experience. Do  

not go below the bottom point of the market range. If the market  

range is between $45 000 and $65 000, your bottom line should  

not go under $45 000. On the other hand, if circumstances are  

favourable enough, you can exceed the top point;  

• how much you want the job. People are often willing to settle  

for less because of a variety of important personal reasons such  

as more suitable hours, minimal travelling time or because the  

job represents the first step to a career change.  

Work out a range  

Once you've worked out your bottom line, it is important that you  

stick to it. Accepting a lesser amount will more than likely lead to  

disappointment later on. Your minimum amount will represent the  

absolute bottom point of your salary range. How wide you wish to  

make the range should be contingent upon all the factors discussed  

above, but mainly on what the market is paying and your levels of  

experience. Here's one possible approach. Let's say you've decided  

that your absolute minimum amount is $50 000. You have lots of  

experience and you know both that the company really likes you  

and that they have been experiencing difficulties filling the position.  

You also know that the top end of the market in your industry is  

$60 000. In such a favourable situation, it would not be unreasonable  

to quote a salary range starting above your minimum and going  

above the top end of the market's top end-say, $55 000 to $65 000.  

If, on the other hand, you know that there is tough competition  

for the job and your experience is not outstanding, then quoting  

$50 000 to $58 000 would make more sense.  

118 interview skills that win the job  

Another, less conservative, approach to establishing a salary range  

in the above favourable scenario would be to have the range but  

quote a higher minimum-say, $60 000 to $65 000. The advantage  

of this second approach is that it increases the chances of getting  

the employer to automatically pay your quoted minimum and it  

fully recognises your powerful bargaining position. A less than flush  

employer (but one that you're keen on working for) may be frightened  

off by your expectations, but you should be able to overcome this  

by agreeing to drop your quoted minimum.  

There are no hard and fast rules about establishing either a  

minimum amount of money you're willing to work for or a salary  

range. The above guidelines are simply illustrations of possible  

approaches. The most important thing is to do your research first  

and then avoid quoting employers unrealistic amounts.  

Avoid under-selling yourself  

Some people tend to under-sell their services. Experts agree that  

common reasons for this are a lack of confidence, low self-esteem  

and the failure of some people to correctly perceive their true worth  

relative to others. Whilst it is not within the scope of this book to  

take an in-depth look at overcoming low confidence levels, two  

important observations need to be made.  

One reason a large number of the people I have dealt with  

undervalue their worth is because they tend to compare themselves  

with an ideal of perfection rather than with other people. If you are  

in the habit of measuring yourself against a textbook ideal, you are  

likely to be setting yourself up for continual disappointment which  

may be contributing to less-than-ideal confidence levels. The  

workplace is awash with real people who make mistakes, struggle  

with motivation, don't have the right answers, are overweight and  

have wrinkles. Whilst it is a worthwhile pursuit to continually strive  

for some sort of ideal, it is counter-productive to measure yourself  

against this ideal when making a value judgment about your worth  

as an employee.  

building rapport and trust 119  

The second observation regarding people who undervalue  

themselves is that they often fail to recognise their key achievements  

and contributions to the workplace. This may be because they've  

never worked for an employer who gave them their due, or simply  

because they've never really taken the time to stop and think about  

their contribution. I am continually amazed at the responses of  

these people when I ask them what their key achievements have  

been. More often than not I receive a blank stare, a shrug of the  

shoulders and the timeless words: 'Not much really. I just do my  

work.' Yet, after a little prodding and encouragement, a veritable  

flood of achievements comes gushing forth from the same people.  

Eyes light up at the realisation that they've been contributing  

significant things all along but just never saw it that way. An important  

contributor to this sad state of affairs is that many companies do  

not measure the outcomes of the work their staff do and thus have  

no means of passing the relevant information on to them. If you  

have a haunting feeling that you may be in the habit of undervaluing  

yourself, it may be time to sit down and have a long hard  

think about what you've really achieved in the workplace.  

If you do your research properly, including what the market is  

paying for people such as yourself, and you take an honest look at  

your skills and experience relative to others, you should be able to  

avoid under-selling yourself. The overriding principle that you should  

have in the back of your mind is the concept of a fair day's pay for  

a fair day's work. Anything over that is a bonus; anything under it  

should be avoided.  

Cultural differences  

Several years ago, I was talking to a successful recruitment consultant  

about cultural differences and how they impact on the interview  

process. Many of this consultant's job candidates came from Asian  

countries where relationships and expectations between employers  

and employees are often different from those in the West. One of  

these differences is in the area of negotiating salary during the course  

120 interview skills that win the job  

of the interview. In the West, if asked what their salary expectations  

might be, most people would quote a figure hovering around the  

mid-range of the current market value of the job. Highly experienced  

people may seek more, whereas people with less experience would  

probably ask for a little less in the hope of securing the job. To  

people familiar with Western negotiating values, this approach makes  

a lot of sense; however, it is not necessarily how things are done in  

other countries. In some Asian countries, it is not uncommon for  

interviewees, when asked what their salary expectations are, to  

purposely undervalue themselves in order to give the employer the  

opportunity to offer them more, thus allowing employers to  

demonstrate their generosity and magnanimity. Failure to comply  

with this negotiating model could be seen as an act of radicalism  

or even rudeness, thus cancelling out any chances of being made a  

job offer. In the West, however, such an approach to salary negotiation  

could easily lead to the interviewee selling their services well below  

market value, and thus creating resentment later on. To avoid such  

problems, the recruitment consultant who first told me about this  

cultural difference started coaching her job candidates on how to  

negotiate their salary.  

In today's multicultural society, there are many subcultures  

coexisting side by side. If you happen to belong to one of these  

subcultures, and are not entirely certain as to the dominant cultural  

norms of the country you live in, it is important that you make the  

effort to acquaint yourself with these norms, otherwise you may  

inadvertently be sending out the wrong signals or selling yourself  

short. Cultural differences do not just lie with negotiating salary.  

Potentially they cover a broad range of behaviours, including the  

things we have covered in this chapter. Sometimes these differences  

can be subtle, but often these subtleties can make a powerful  

impression on the interviewer. For example, some non-Western  

cultures demonstrate their deference to the employer by averting  

their eyes and not speaking until spoken to. To the culturally unaware  

Westerner, such outward showing of respect may be interpreted as  

the behaviour of an overly passive person who lacks confidence.  

building rapport and trust 121  

How to respond when you've been sacked from a  

previous job  

On the whole, employers do not enjoy sacking people. Firing someone  

is fraught with difficulty and often causes a great deal of angst for  

both parties. Unfortunately, however, there are employees whose  

actions give employers no choice but to exercise the ultimate sanction.  

However, there are also instances in which employees are sacked  

through no fault of their own. These unfair dismissals can come  

about from a variety of reasons, including grossly incompetent  

management, very poor job design (some jobs-especially new ones-  

have not been thought through and often set people up for failure),  

poor recruitment practices or lack of training.  

The issue here is how someone who has been unfairly dismissed  

responds to the barrage of questions at their next interview. In  

particular, how do they respond to the ubiquitous question, 'Why  

did you leave your previous employer?' when we can reasonably  

assume that telling an interviewer that you were sacked (albeit  

unfairly) may border on interview suicide? As already mentioned,  

interviewers tend to be a cautious bunch (generally with good reason)  

and have only your word to go by when you try to explain how  

hard done by you were. Unfortunately, some recruiters (especially  

in an over-supplied labour market) will demonstrate considerable  

reluctance to hire someone who was sacked from their last job, even  

if that person was blameless. Much of their reluctance stems from  

a fear that the formerly sacked person won't work out in the new  

job. In such a scenario, the recruiter may end up looking incompetent.  

The cold, hard reality is that people who have been sacked from  

their last job generally start the interview race some distance behind  

the rest of the field. However, all is not doom and gloom-it just  

means they have to try that much harder. There are several things  

such interviewees can do to increase their chances of success.  

122 interview skills that win the job  

Describe what happened in detail  

One option is to draw a very clear picture of the circumstances that  

led to your dismissal. One of the keys here is not to use pejorative  

terms. Avoid descending into abusive language or insulting your  

former employer, hard though it may be. Just stick to the facts and  

present your case dispassionately, using measured language. Four  

things you could include to bolster your case are:  

• Similar experiences with other employees. This is a powerful argument.  

If others were treated in a similar way to you, then that is  

compelling evidence condemning the employer.  

• Broken promises. Employers who dismiss employees unfairly usually  

make lots of promises which they break.  

• Examples of poor management practices. These could include any  

number of things, including: no training where training was  

essential; significant changes without any warning; zero consultation  

or feedback; abusive behaviours; or major changes to your  

job duties without any warning or consultation.  

• What you did to save the situation. This would include attempts  

you made to improve matters, including suggestions you made  

or any actions you took.  

Here's what a good answer to the dreaded 'Why did you leave  

your former employer?' question may sound like:  

Unfortunately we parted ways because of a string of negative  

incidences. My former employer was under some pressure  

and had great difficulty in coping. He often took out his  

frustration on his staff, including using abusive language and  

making all sorts of threats. As a result of this, many of his  

staff were terrified of him and were actively looking for other  

work. In fact, staff turnover was very high. He was also in  

the habit of making important commitments but very rarely  

keeping them. One example of this was a promise he made  

that we would receive training on new machinery. This training  

would have improved our productivity levels significantly  

building rapport and trust 123  

and made everyone's life much less complicated, yet the  

training never arrived. When I approached him about the  

matter, he told me to mind my own business. When I tried  

to explain to him that my concern was for the welfare of the  

business he got very angry and dismissed me on the spot.  

Compare the above answer to the following:  

I left because I got fired, which was the best thing that could  

have happened to me. My former boss was terrible. As well  

as having no idea on how to run a business, he had no people  

skills whatsoever. He was a bully and an idiot and could not  

cope with pressure. No one could stand him and those who  

weren't jumping ship were looking for other work. I got fired  

because I told him we needed training on new machinery-  

training he promised we would receive and which would  

have improved our productivity levels significantly. Last I  

heard he was going broke, which surprises me not at all.  

Even though both of the above answers say essentially the same  

things, on one level they are complete opposites. The first answer  

is dispassionate, avoids using abusive language and makes a  

compelling case before raising the dismissal. By the time the first  

speaker gets to the dismissal, there's a good chance that he has  

recruited the sympathy of the interviewer. Whereas the second  

answer, apart from being abusive and emotional (which would worry  

any interviewer), begins perilously because it mentions the sacking  

in its opening sentence. Mentioning the dismissal in your first  

sentence simply does not give you the opportunity to soften the  

interviewer.  

Avoid mentioning the sacking  

The second option involves keeping your mouth shout. Given the  

stigma attached to sacked employees, it makes little sense to mention  

the sacking and inevitably frighten the interviewer, especially where  

your employment period was for a short period of time or performed  

124 interview skills that win the job  

in the distant past. At the risk of offending those who enjoy occupying  

the moral high ground, it is my view that there are times when  

certain things need not be revealed to interviewers. At the end of  

the day, all employers are entitled to know only whether you can  

do the job, whether you will fit into the culture of their organisation  

and what your motivation levels are like.  

Group interviews  

An increasingly popular form of interviewing is the group interview,  

in which a collection of interviewees come together and are given  

a set of tasks to work through as a group (though some tasks may  

require that you act by yourself, such as giving a presentation).  

Examples of group tasks can include any exercise that requires  

problem-solving, coming up with creative solutions, planning and  

organising, defining and setting goals or resolving conflict. Whilst  

the group is working through these tasks, the situation is monitored  

carefully by an assessor, or a group of assessors, whose job it is to  

observe how you interact with the group and what your contributions  

are. Based on your observable behaviours-that is, what you say, how  

you say it, what you do and how you interact with the others in  

your group-the assessors will draw conclusions about your suitability.  

In a way, the group interview is the ultimate behavioural interview.  

The key to group interviews is to ensure that you demonstrate  

the required behaviours and avoid undesirable behaviours.  

Desirable and undesirable behaviours at group interviews  

Be sure you contribute. Your contribution should be designed to facilitate  

the smooth functioning of the group and the completion of the tasks. Avoid  

any behaviours that might undermine these two primary objectives.  

Undermining behaviours can include anything that can reasonably  

be seen as aggressive or overly dominating behaviour, such as:  

• intimidating others;  

• insisting on your own way;  

building rapport and trust 125  

• not listening to or dismissing other people's contributions;  

• hogging the limelight.  

Equally as bad are overly passive behaviours. Sitting there and  

not contributing, or contributing very little, will do you no favours.  

It is important that you have the confidence to make a contribution.  

Don't sit there thinking, 'Oh my God-what if they all laugh at my  

suggestion?' It is far better to make a less than spectacular contribution  

than to sit there in silence.  

Listen to and acknowledge what other people say. If someone  

makes a good suggestion, acknowledging it will win you brownie  

points. But avoid acknowledging for the sake of doing so. And, whatever  

you do, do not pay homage to every single suggestion.  

Where possible, help others-but do it properly. Avoid embarrassing  

group members or taking over their task.  

Don't lose sight of the purpose of the task. If you see the group  

straying from task, try to bring them back on course by reminding  

them of the objectives.  

Try to work out what behaviours the task has been designed to  

elicit. For example, if you think the task has been designed to draw  

out behaviours relating to solving problems within a group, then  

your job is to demonstrate those behaviours. These might include:  

• getting everyone to agree on what the actual problem is (problem  

definition);  

• initiating a discussion on possible causes of the problem;  

• finalising the most probable cause/s;  

• suggesting a brainstorming session on possible solutions;  

• getting agreement on best solutions;  

• drawing up a plan of action designed to implement solutions;  

• remembering to avoid dominating procedures.  

Hopefully I've convinced you of the importance of establishing  

rapport and trust and that winning a job depends on more than  

just answering questions correctly. While all of us are different and  

126 interview skills that win the job  

bring different communication styles to interviews, the experts agree  

that some behaviours are more effective than others in terms of  

building rapport and trust. It is important to familiarise yourself  

with these behaviours so you can maximise your effectiveness.  

You may find some of the techniques described above a little  

difficult to master in the beginning. That's not because they are  

inherently difficult-in fact, most of them are straightforward. The  

challenge will be in unlearning current behaviours, but with a little  

perseverance you will be amazed at how quickly you can begin  

changing; it really is worth the effort to keep at it until you've  

mastered all the techniques.  

Suggested activities  

To help you achieve mastery of these techniques, here are some  

suggested activities to help you along the way.  

1. As mentioned above, begin modelling the behaviours of people  

whose interpersonal skills you admire.  

2. Start getting some feedback on how others see you. The challenge  

here will be getting honest feedback. Because people  

hesitate to give negative feedback it is worthwhile making the  

effort to find someone whose opinion you trust and explaining  

to them the purpose of the exercise. It helps to a) be as specific  

as possible with the behaviours you want to change and b) monitor  

your progress. You could monitor your progress by having  

your helper allocate you a score, say between 1 and 10, every  

few weeks against each of the behaviours you want to change.  

3. You can practice many of the techniques in most social situations.  

Next time you're having a conversation with someone  

give some thought to your body language. Does it lend itself to  

improving communication, rapport and trust? And what can  

you do to improve it? After a while you'll find that this kind of  

self-awareness becomes second nature.  

building rapport and trust 127  

Summary of key points  

• Building rapport and trust requires three things: answering questions  

intelligently and honestly; ensuring all your non-verbal communication  

(body language and personal appearance) does not give cause for  

apprehension in the interviewer; and conforming to acceptable  

interview behaviours, such as never arguing.  

• Be aware of first and last impressions-people tend to better remember  

what happens at the beginning and end of any interaction, including  

interviews. Smiling, using appropriate facial expressions and nodding  

your head at the right time all give a positive impression.  

• For telephone interviews, recruit your voice; it replaces your body  

language when talking on the phone.  

• Remember the key do's and don't's: give credit where it's due and  

avoid criticising others, including previous bosses; use positive  

statements but avoid big-noting yourself; mention any shortcomings  

or hurdles you've overcome but avoid embellishments.  

• When negotiating your salary, do your research first-don't undersell  

yourself, but be realistic in what you ask for. Avoid discussing money  

before you've highlighted what you can bring to the company.  

• In panel interviews, make sure you familiarise yourself with everyone's  

name. In group interviews, be pro-active in demonstrating behaviours  

the interviewers are looking for.  

128 interview skills that win the job  

10 Effective answers to  

common questions  

Effective answers to common questions  

By now, as well as recognising the basic ingredients of a good  

interview response, you should also be able to put together your  

own effective answers. You should know how to:  

• find out as much about the job as possible before finalising your  

answers;  

• use the four steps to bring together the major parts of your  

answers, including what you did, how you did it, the context in  

which you did it and the outcomes;  

• put all your information together so you can articulate clear and  

coherent answers which do not meander all over the place;  

• answer a broad range of questions, including those concerning  

duties that you have performed before, duties that you have not  

performed but whose skills you have mastered and duties that  

you have not performed and don't yet have the skills for;  

• use your body language and other interpersonal communication  

skills to establish and maintain rapport.  

There's no simple formula for a good answer  

It is important to reiterate at this juncture that, even despite useful  

guidelines on how to answer questions, there is no single blueprint  

or structure for an answer that is applicable to all interview questions.  

Sometimes it may be appropriate to give a three-part answer which  

includes the context, what you did and how you did it, and an  

outcome. At other times it may be more appropriate to talk about  

your ability to do the job, your cultural fit and motivation levels.  

Often, it may be more appropriate to mix and match from the above.  

At the end of the day, it is up to you to recognise a suitable structure  

or approach for each question. And one approach may be just as  

good as the next-remember, there's no perfect answer. Practice will  

give you the ability to provide the best possible response.  

This chapter presents some good and not so good answers to  

common interview questions, as well as brief explanations of why  

they work. By learning to recognise a less effective answer, you  

should be in a better position to avoid it.  

Question: Why did you choose this job?  

Good answer  

Ever since I can remember, I've been interested in this line  

of work. What attracts me to it is the opportunities it gives  

me to interact with people, solve problems and work  

autonomously. I love the fact that one day I could be out on  

the road helping clients with their problems whereas the next  

day I can be in my office working with a team of people  

trying to solve a complex technical problem. I very much  

enjoy working in a service industry such as ours where I can  

satisfy clients.  

Not so good answer  

Actually I stumbled into it quite by accident. I always wanted  

to be an actor, but getting work was next to impossible.  

I suppose the reason I'm still in this line of work is because  

I've picked up all the skills and knowledge and know my way  

around the traps. I've been doing it for a while now and I  

suppose you could say I'm an old hand and know how to  

deliver the goods.  

130 interview skills that win the job  

Comments  

The first answer responds to the question promptly and then proceeds  

to highlight the main duties of the job-interacting with people,  

problem-solving, etc.-as the reasons why the candidate chose the  

job. Just as importantly, we get a strong sense of the candidate's  

high motivation levels and the desire to give good service. It also  

implies that the candidate enjoys working in a team and can do the  

job, thus addressing the three things employers want to hear.  

In the second answer we have to wait until the third sentence  

before the question is addressed-far too late. Despite the candidate's  

experience, we get a strong sense of indifference towards the job.  

We're left with the impression that it's just a job, whereas the first  

answer is brimming with enthusiasm.  

Question: What factors do you think determine a person's progress  

in an organisation?  

Good answer  

In my view, there are three things that determine a person's  

progress in an organisation. These are, first, an ability to do  

the job well, including a willingness to learn new things and  

adapt to changing circumstances; second, to be able to fit in  

with the culture of the organisation (i.e. be able to get on  

with colleagues); and third, to have high levels of drive and  

motivation. Certainly these are the three things that I insist  

upon for myself in the workplace. If at any time I feel I'm  

not at my very best in all three areas, I stop and ask myself  

what I can do to improve matters. I don't think anyone can  

truly be happy in their work if all three areas are not being  

satisfied. So far they've held me in good stead.  

Not so good answer  

Keeping on the boss's good side is probably the number one  

thing I can think of. It doesn't matter how good you are-if  

you don't get on with your boss, I think your days are  

numbered. Of course, it also helps to be good at your job,  

but being able to play the game-that is, navigating through  

effective answers to common questions 131  

the minefield of organisational politics-is I think more  

important. I realise this may sound somewhat cynical, but  

all of us know that to get to senior management one needs  

to know how to play the game.  

Comments  

A question such as this should immediately be recognised as an  

opportunity to highlight your strengths. The first answer talks directly  

about the three things all employers want to hear-ability to do the  

job, cultural fit and motivation (see Chapter 2)-and then goes a  

step further and states that all three are qualities that the candidate  

offers. The second answer is far too cynical and fails to emphasise  

the candidate's strengths. There is little doubt that an ability to 'play  

the game' can have a bearing on a person's progress, but to throw  

all your eggs into that basket is a fatal mistake.  

Question: Why would you like to work for our organisation?  

Good answer  

Yours is the sort of company in which I could maximise my  

contribution. All my research has revealed that you are not  

only market leaders in service standards and product  

innovation but that you also have a great work culture.  

Everyone I've spoken to has talked about the high levels of  

support, training and recognition employees receive. You offer  

great career prospects, interesting work and family-friendly  

policies. Above all, I've always been very keen to work for a  

company that offers challenging and cutting-edge work.  

Not so good answer  

I know your organisation really looks after its people-  

everybody I talked to wants to work here. You pay well and  

look after your employees. You're a large company, which  

means that my prospects for career enhancement would be  

increased and hopefully I wouldn't be doing the same kind  

of work all the time. I like the idea of getting rotated and  

learning new things.  

132 interview skills that win the job  

Comments  

The tone of the first answer is set in the opening sentence, where  

the candidate talks about wanting to contribute-which is the sort  

of thing that excites employers. The answer recognises all the good  

things about the company, but very importantly links these plusses  

to contribution on the part of the candidate. In other words, it's  

not just about what the candidate can get from the company but  

also what the candidate wants to give back.  

The overriding problem with the second answer is that it's all  

about what the candidate can get out of the company. No overt link  

is made between what the company offers and how these factors  

can increase the candidate's contribution.  

Question: What do you want to be doing in your career five years  

from now?  

Good answer  

I'd like to be doing what I'm doing now-that is, enjoying  

my work, working hard and contributing to the best of my  

abilities. Of course, I'd expect that in five years time my added  

experience would hold me in good stead for greater  

responsibilities, which is something I look forward to taking  

on when the time comes. The most important thing, however,  

is to be happy, productive and a valued member of the team.  

Not so good answer  

Basically, I'm ambitious and hard-working, so I expect to  

further my career considerably. My aim is to work hard and  

get as far as I can. I think I'd be looking at some sort of management  

position with greater responsibilities and of course  

greater rewards.  

Comments  

There's nothing crushingly wrong with the second answer; in fact,  

it makes several good points-namely, it gets right to the point and  

promotes the candidate's hard work and ambition to get ahead. The  

reason it is not as good as the first answer lies in its limited approach:  

the candidate's primary goal is one of promotion only. The sub-text  

effective answers to common questions 133  

is that if there's no opportunity for promotion, the candidate might  

leave. On the other hand, the first answer acknowledges the  

importance of hard work and promotion but very wisely goes on  

to say that getting promoted is not the only thing that matters. The  

first answer is less egocentric and more aware of the importance of  

making a contribution to the company.  

Question: Describe your ideal job.  

Good answer  

This job that I'm applying for contains many, if not all, of  

the ingredients of my ideal job. It contains a lot of variety,  

is intellectually challenging, will allow me to work on my  

own as well as in a team environment (the best of both  

worlds), and will also allow me to offer creative solutions to  

clients. I've always thrived in challenging and results-driven  

environments and this job offers me all of that.  

Not so good answer  

My ideal job would be one in which I'd work hard but I  

wouldn't be too stressed out all the time. It would have lots  

of variety and a good amount of challenges with plenty of  

opportunities for advancement. It would include great people  

to work with as well as a good boss.  

Comments  

One of the reasons the first answer is so effective is that it links the  

candidate's ideal job to the actual job in question. Telling an  

interviewer that the job you're applying for is one you consider  

ideal makes a lot of sense. Note that all the main ingredients of the  

job-variety, challenge, working solo as well as in a team environment,  

and providing creative solutions to clients-would have come under  

step 1 in the four steps.  

Once again, the second answer is not a fatally flawed one. Its  

major mistake is mentioning stress. The instant you mention stress,  

the interviewer's alarm bells will start ringing. They'll want to know  

how much stress is too much and what things stress you out-not  

what you want to be talking about in an interview.  

134 interview skills that win the job  

Question: What motivates you?  

Good answer  

There are lots of things that motivate me in the workplace,  

but three of my biggest motivators would have to be problemsolving- 

especially highly technical problems that require  

specialised knowledge; learning new things and keeping up  

to date with all the changes in my field; and working in a  

cooperative team environment where we're throwing ideas  

off each other and coming up with creative solutions. I love  

the camaraderie that goes with that.  

Not so good answer  

Probably my biggest motivator is having a fun job, one I  

really look forward to and excel in. There's nothing worse  

than turning up to a job you don't enjoy day in day out.  

Also, I love having great work hours. I don't mind staying  

back occasionally and lending a hand, but I wouldn't want  

to be doing that all the time. I also love working in the city  

because it's easy to get to from where I live and it gives me  

easy access to great shops and restaurants.  

Comments  

The first answer would only be an effective one if the duties mentioned  

in it-solving highly technical problems, keeping up to date with  

the latest innovations and enjoying working creatively in a team-  

were all part of the job description . . . the point is that an excellent  

strategy for answering the motivation question is to go to the main  

duties of the job and talk about those (see Chapter 7).  

The second answer begins well but fails to mention what  

constitutes a fun job. Thereafter it is a fatally flawed answer. Working  

hours and location of work may very well be motivating factors,  

but they should never be mentioned because they fail to demonstrate  

how you will add value to the job.  

Question: What qualities do you think are important to be  

successful in this field?  

effective answers to common questions 135  

Good answer  

The qualities necessary to be successful in this field would  

include the skills and knowledge to actually do the job properly.  

I'm not just talking about all the technical skills, such as  

knowing how to operate the various software programs and  

a comprehensive knowledge of the relevant legislation and  

how to apply that legislation, but also an ability to get on  

with people, possess great communication skills and know  

how to plan and organise your work whilst working under  

considerable pressure. I also think high levels of motivation  

and drive are very important. These are all qualities that I  

possess and can bring to this position from day one.  

Not so good answer  

The qualities necessary to be successful in this field would  

include a detailed understanding of all the various software  

programs required to complete operations. Not only does one  

require knowledge of how to operate the software but also  

how to fix things when they go wrong and something is  

always going wrong. The same can be said for the complex  

legal technicalities. As you well know, in our industry the  

devil is in the detail and a superficial understanding of the  

legislation can lead to a lot of trouble. As well as having a  

thorough understanding of all the programming requirements  

of this job, I also have a comprehensive knowledge of the  

legal subtleties.  

Comments  

This type of question invites you to go directly to the main duties  

of the job you're applying for and use those as your answer (it is  

the same strategy that's used in answering the motivation question).  

The first answer does just that. It is superior to the second response  

because it covers more bases. As well as talking about the technical  

skills, it also talks about getting on with people, planning and  

organising, and good communication (the generic competencies).  

136 interview skills that win the job  

The second answer is not a bad one, but it falls into the common  

trap of only focusing on the technical side of the job.  

Question: Tell us about a time you handled a difficult situation  

with a coworker.  

Good answer  

Last year one of our colleagues was displaying a lot of aggressive  

behaviours, including dominating team meetings, belittling  

other people's ideas and not cooperating. I approached the  

rest of my colleagues about him and soon realised everyone  

was feeling the same as I was. We decided not to take the  

matter to our manager until we had the opportunity to talk  

to him first. So we decided that at our next meeting we would  

raise these issues with him. I was chosen to initiate the  

discussion. At the meeting I avoided personalising the problem  

and I avoided using inflammatory language. I also adopted  

an upbeat and optimistic tone. The results were better than  

we anticipated. He thanked me for the delicate manner in  

which I raised the issues and also thanked us all for talking  

to him first before taking it further. After our meeting, his  

behaviours changed markedly for the better.  

Not so good answer  

There was one time when one of my colleagues was not pulling  

his weight, nor was he being at all cooperative with other  

members of our team. The manager failed to pick it up because  

some members of the team covered for his mistakes and he  

would always go out of his way to be extremely friendly when  

the manager was around. So one day when he was being  

uncooperative I pulled him aside and let him know what I  

thought about him. Ever since that day his behaviour towards  

me changed. He went out of his way to be friendly towards me  

and he made sure all the work that I needed was done properly.  

Unfortunately, his behaviour towards the other members of  

our team did not alter at all. The lesson I learned was that you  

have to stick up for yourself because no one else will.  

effective answers to common questions 137  

Comments  

The first answer demonstrates an ability to consult with colleagues,  

the capacity to solve a problem on your own rather than immediately  

escalating it to management, and an ability to communicate highly  

sensitive information in an appropriate manner. It also demonstrates  

a great outcome for everyone involved. The second answer is too  

narrow in its focus. It solved the problem only for that individual  

but fails to address the broader issue of team harmony and  

cooperation.  

Question: Tell us about a time you had to meet a very tight  

deadline.  

Good answer  

When I was working for the Interplanetary Commission, I  

was required to meet multiple tight deadlines. I was able to  

consistently meet all my deadlines by adhering to sound  

planning and organising principles. These included planning  

my work well ahead so there were no surprises, ensuring that  

everyone in my team was well trained and well aware of their  

responsibilities, always having various contingency plans for  

when things went wrong, and never accepting more work  

than we could handle. The effectiveness of these practices  

was highlighted by the fact that my team never missed a  

deadline and was seen as the standard-bearer for performance  

within the organisation.  

Not so good answer  

The way I meet tight deadlines is by making sure that I stay  

back and put in the hard yards. When something unexpected  

arises or we are experiencing a particularly busy period, I'm  

not one to shirk my responsibilities. If it means staying back  

to complete the work on time, I'll do it. In my view there's  

no substitute for hard work.  

Comments  

The first answer adheres to the classic components of the four steps.  

It starts off by providing a context (step 3), then follows up with  

138 interview skills that win the job  

examples of how deadlines are met (step 2) and finishes by stating  

positive outcomes (step 4). It gets right to the point, provides multiple  

examples of how to meet deadlines and states great organisational  

outcomes. The second answer is commendable because of the  

candidate's willingness to work hard to get the job done, but it is  

too one-dimensional. Meeting deadlines requires more than just  

hard work. It also requires an ability to work smarter.  

Question: What sort of manager would you like to work for?  

Good answer  

I'd like to work for a manager who knows how to do his or  

her job properly as well as knowing how to lead staff. It's  

important that managers know how to do their job well,  

otherwise they can lose credibility amongst their staff and a  

manager without credibility will soon lose the respect that is  

needed to be an effective leader. My ideal manager would  

understand and practise sound leadership principles such as  

consulting with staff, acknowledging people's hard work,  

providing regular feedback and not intimidating or bullying  

people. My view is that a good manager is a firm but fair one  

and knows how to gain the commitment of staff.  

Not so good answer  

I think it's important for a manager to have good people  

skills. The best manager I worked for was able to get on with  

her staff in the workplace as well as outside. She was a good  

friend to all and everyone knew they could turn to her in  

time of need. She never turned anyone away and always tried  

her best to look after us. More people turned up to her farewell  

dinner than to the general manager's.  

Comments  

The second answer is too narrow. Good managers need to be more  

than just liked by their staff. They also need to be good at their jobs  

and firm with staff when and if the need arises. It's possible that  

well liked managers may be operating inefficiently in order not to  

lose popularity amongst staff. The first answer is a more complete  

effective answers to common questions 139  

one. Not only does it acknowledge the importance of getting on  

with people, but it also acknowledges the importance of being firm  

when the need arises as well as having good work skills.  

Question: Have you performed the best work you are capable of?  

Good answer  

Yes I have, and I'd like to think that I do it on an ongoing  

basis, not just on so-called important occasions. Performing  

the best work you are capable of, in my view, requires high  

levels of motivation and a willingness to work hard and learn  

from your mistakes. These are qualities that I bring to the  

workplace every day, and I believe the proof of this can be  

seen in the quality of my work and the praise I have received  

from former employers. My work on the Odysseus Project,  

where I exceeded all my targets and played an important role  

in bringing home the goods, is an example of my daily work  

rate and contribution.  

Not so good answer  

Yes I've managed to perform at my best on several occasions.  

I tend to be at my best when the pressure is on. If I know  

there's a lot at stake I roll the sleeves up and really give it all  

that I've got. If that requires working late and on weekends  

then so be it, as long the job gets done. I love a challenge  

and enjoy delivering the goods under pressure.  

Comments  

The strength of the first answer is its argument that performing at  

one's best is something the candidate does all the time rather than  

an occasional approach reserved for special circumstances. It also  

lists the qualities required for someone to perform at their best and  

then goes on to give a specific example. The second answer is  

commendable for the candidate's willingness to roll the sleeves up  

when there's a lot at stake; however, an employer would like that  

sort of dedication all the time.  

Question: How do you deal with criticism?  

140 interview skills that win the job  

Good answer  

I view positive criticism as being the same as constructive  

feedback-something which is designed to improve my  

performance, which is important to me. If I'm criticised about  

an aspect of my work I try my best to locate the source of  

the problem and do my best to rectify it. Viewed in that light,  

criticism can be a great learning tool. On the other hand, I  

do not take kindly to criticism that is not constructive, where  

the main objective is to hurt or undermine the other person.  

In such cases I'm inclined to approach my critic in an open  

manner so we can work things out. I don't think there's a  

place for negative criticism in the workplace-it just undermines  

morale.  

Not so good answer  

I don't like people criticising my work. No one's perfect and  

I never go around criticising other people's work. Let he who  

is without fault cast the first stone. Of course, I expect my  

team leader to criticise my performance if I make a mistake,  

but I think it's important that the criticism be delivered in  

the proper manner, with no belittling or bullying. I've seen  

too many people get crucified over minor mistakes which  

undermines their commitment to the organisation.  

Comments  

The first answer's strong suit lies in its ability to distinguish between  

constructive and negative criticism and its statement of how the  

candidate would respond to each of those. The second answer's  

weakness lies in the candidate's reluctance to be criticised by  

colleagues. Even though the part about belittling and bullying is  

good, one comes away thinking that the candidate may be a little  

too sensitive to criticism.  

The above answers have been written to give you an insight into  

what an effective interview might sound like and the reasons  

employers prefer to hear some answers rather than others. Used in  

conjunction with the information provided in previous chapters  

effective answers to common questions 141  

you will be able to construct your own original answers that will  

impress even the most hardened interviewers. Note, however, that  

while there's nothing wrong with copying key sentences and phrases  

from the good answers, they have not been designed for rote learning.  

These good answers are meant to provide guidelines for what effective  

answers might sound like; they're not meant to be entire answers  

to your interview questions. Your own answers will be better because  

they will stem from your hard-earned experience.  

•  

Performing well at interviews is not as difficult as many people  

think. The key to success lies with correct preparation and practice.  

Knowing what to prepare and how to prepare, then giving yourself  

the opportunity to apply your newly acquired skills, is a tried and  

tested formula for success. Remember, great interviewees are not  

born with effective interview skills-they develop their skills by  

following this formula.  

Completing this book means your awareness of the realities of  

the interview process has increased significantly. It's also highly  

likely that your interview skills have already inproved. It is important  

to note, however, that the more you think about your answers and  

the more you practice them the better you will become. Great  

interview skills are not developed overnight; they improve with time  

and correct application.  

Nine key points to remember from this book  

1. Don't waste your time looking for quick fixes-they don't exist. They  

could even make matters worse. Great interview performances come  

from proper preparation and practice.  

2. Avoid memorising other people's answers.  

3. Remember that interviews are about more than just giving good  

answers; they're also about building rapport and trust. And building  

142 interview skills that win the job  

rapport and trust is contingent upon more than simply words-body  

language and attitude are very important.  

4. All interviewers want to know three things:  

• whether you can do the job;  

• how motivated or driven you are; and  

• whether you'll fit into the existing workplace culture.  

5. Using the four steps gives you a simple-to-follow system by which  

you can organise and bring together large amounts of disparate  

information about your work achievements, to help you form clear  

and articulate answers.  

6. The vast majority of jobs have skills or duties that overlap. These  

include:  

• being a good team player;  

• planning and organising your work effectively;  

• good interpersonal communication skills;  

• ability to cope with change in the workplace; and  

• ability to provide effective customer service (including to internal  

customers).  

Awareness of these allows you to anticipate the nature of some of  

the questions you may be asked.  

7. Do not fall into despondency if you have a bad interview. Everyone  

has them, even good interviewees. The key is to learn from it and  

get yourself ready for the next one.  

8. Often, interviewers are not experienced and can ask questions that  

are not well considered. Your job is to know how to handle both the  

novice as well as the experienced interviewer.  

9. Believe in yourself. Now that you know what to do there's no reason  

not to.  

Good luck.  

effective answers to common questions 143