Interview Tips: Do's, Don'ts, Questions to Ask and more...

We asked our Consultants a variety of questions around the topic of interviews and we've listed their feedback below...

Dress Smart
Pay attention
Ask questions
Be personable
Show your personality
Smile and show interest
Sit up properly
Prepare for your interview, do your research about the company and get everything you need to take with you ready the night before
Have your phone on silent
Plan your route, allowing extra time for any unexpected delays to try and get to your interview 10 minutes early

Don’t turn up late
Don’t come in eating
Don’t say that you’re only at the interview because the job centre sent you
Although we don’t ask people to come in a suit and tie, we don’t like people to turn up with their hood up, baseball hat, chewing gum etc.
No answering or using your phone in the interview
No swearing in an interview
Don’t slouch in your chair
Don’t rush the interviewer

Common Interview Questions:

There are some questions that you can almost guarantee will crop up in a job interview. You should prepare answers to some of the questions about your personal strengths and weaknesses, as well as being able to explain why you would be the best person for the job. To help you to prepare for an interview, here are some common questions we ask when interviewing our candidates:

Establishing a reason why you want to work/motivators for working?
Why you left/looking to leave your current or past position?
What are you looking for in the next role?
Ask specifics- for example if they have done order picking before, how did they pick? Pick sheet, Scanners, Headsets?
What do you do in your spare time?
What type of hours are you looking for?
What are your salary expectations?
Are you happy to work overtime?

Other common interview questions can include:

What are your weaknesses?
How did your hear about the position?
Why do you want to work here?
What is your greatest strength?
What can you tell us about the company?
Tell us something about yourself?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Give an example of when you’ve performed well under pressure?
Give an example of when you’ve overcome a challenge in the workplace?

Questions to ask in an interview:

You should always have some questions prepared for your interviewer, to demonstrate your interest in the position. Prepare a minimum of five questions, some which will give you more information about the job, and some which delve deeper into the culture and goals of the company. We’ve listed some good question to ask:

What are you looking for in a candidate for this position?
Can you describe the staff culture in the organisation?
Are there progression opportunities available?
Is there an opportunity to lead to a permanent position? (for temporary/ongoing contracts)
Does the company provide any internal training to develop your skills?
Where do you see the company heading within the next few years?
Do you hold any events for staff?
What do you enjoy about working for the organisation?
Can you tell me more about the team I would be working with?

How to close an interview:

Once you are finished asking your questions, you can take the following steps to close the interview:

Restate your enthusiasm for the position and reinforce why you think you’re a good fit for the position
Address any concerns from the interviewer
Find out the next step in the hiring process (When can I expect to hear back from you? / What is the next stage?)
Ask the interviewer if they need any final information from you
Thank the interviewer for their time

Reason's why someone has been unsuccessful in an interview:

Here are some common reasons why candidates have been unsuccessful in an interview they’ve applied for with us, take note of these and make sure to avoid these mistakes in your interviews: