How to Prepare for an Interview

Being well prepared for an interview is so important. Not only so you have all the information you want to highlight clear in your mind, but also just as importantly, so you feel comfortable and ready, which will make you more relaxed and allow your engaging personality to come through.

The first point to consider is, what is the interviewer looking to find out:

1. Can you do the job? – do you have the necessary technical and soft skills required?
2. Will you fit well into the company/team culture?
3. Risk element of the hire – is the individual likely to be happy in the role, feel challenged and therefore stay with the company for a reasonable amount of time?

 

Let’s break each of the above points down:

1. Can you do the job?

• Read the job description carefully. Make sure you understand the main responsibilities and duties. With these in mind, list the skills and experience you think the employer is looking for in a suitable candidate.
• Now you know which skills are vital, you’ll need a couple of examples of projects and/or past work scenarios that best showcase those skills. Make sure you include technical and soft skills.
• Think of each example as a vehicle that carries all these nuggets of information. You want the interviewer to feel like they are grabbing these nuggets for themselves. Remember, telling someone you are good at something is nowhere near as effective as letting them come to that conclusion by themselves!!
• A few key points when putting together your examples; Start with a high-level overview so the interviewer can picture the scene, objectives, team etc, then go on to clearly explain what YOU did! In a professional environment, especially in an advisory capacity, we often start sentences with the word “We”; We implemented….” or “We recommend….”. However, this is a personal interview. The interview wants to get to know YOU.
• It’s also very important to research the company you are interviewing with, and industry they’re in. Understand their products, services, and international business activities. This will help you tailor your responses to align with their needs and it shows a genuine interest and enthusiasm.
• Stay updated on the latest trade regulations and laws relevant to the industry and region.
• If you have experience with trade compliance software or tools, highlight it. Familiarity with systems that aid in managing compliance can be a very valuable asset. Both implementing and using such tools.
• If the role requires you to manage a team, make sure you highlight past managerial responsibilities, including managing people in different locations or remotely. What is your management style? How have you helped people progress?

2. Cultural fit

• If you are well prepared for the interview, you will be more relaxed, and come across more naturally and engaging. The interview will flow better, and the aim should always be to turn the interview into a natural two-way conversation. If you succeed in doing so, both you and the interviewer will feel at ease. Leaving the interviewer with a positive feeling of having met someone who they could work with.
• Don’t be scared to ask questions that you genuinely want answers to; Has someone done this role before, if so, what could have been done better, how open is the business to change, what do you (interviewer) think is the most urgent work needed, what is the team culture, etc.

3. Risk element of the hire

This is heavily linked to your motivations. If your motivations to move are aligned with what’s on offer in the new potion, then you are more likely to stay there for some time. If they don’t, you could very quickly feel unsatisfied, and leaving within the first year. Which for the hiring company is very costly, both financially and the impact on the function.

For example; You are considering a move because you would like to directly manage a team. The role you are interviewing for offers an increase in salary and job title. BUT, it’s a stand- alone role, with no budget to hire an additional team. And so you might have a little more spending money, you wont be satisfied and still crave a managerial role. Resulting in another move.

So, don’t underestimate the questions of motivations in an interview. You want to really think about what is driving you to consider a role. This is not only helpful in terms of preparing for an interview, but also to make sure you’re considering the most suitable move.

There are two types of motivations to move job;

→ Push factors - why you might want to leave your current job?
→ Pull factors - why are you interested in the new employer and position?

When preparing to discuss motivations, its ok to discuss push factors, but always make sure you include the pull factors too. Make it as specific as possible. This shows you’ve researched the role and company, and you understand the challenges available. Ideally, if those challenges are also your motivations, then even better!

Example – I have now implemented my employer’s trade compliance process. The role has now become more of a maintenance job and there are very few new challenges left for me. I see you (new employer) are looking to drive improvement in your trade compliance process. Having done this before, I understand the challenges you are likely to face, and although this will be hard work, it’s what makes the role so interesting.

A common question we often receive; What do I say if they ask me about salary? – Two questions can come up; 1. What is your current salary? or 2. What salary are you looking for?

In some countries, there are laws in place that restrict potential employers asking for current salary information, and so can only be asked for salary expectations. This is the case in a number of US States. So, in this case, be ready for question 2. Give some thought to your salary expectations before the interview, and be clear with the interviewer, so they understand whether your expectations include bonus, car, etc, and also be ready to explain how you came up with the figure. What research did you do to come up with this number. If you live in a country where it is allowed to ask for current salary, which is the case in most European countries, then again, make sure you are clear to explain your current base salary, and if you have any other benefits, such as bonuses, company car, private medical etc.

We hope the above will help you prepare for your interview and to get the best offer possible. If you are going through a specialist recruiter, then ask them for as much information as possible on the role, culture and what they think the interviewer believes are the most important skills and experience.

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