I've got a job interview tomorrow... UPDATE

sassyblue

I've got a job interview tomorrow morning - the first interview for about 20 years! I'm not nervous (I don't think!) but it has occurred to me that l haven't done any 'research' as such.

I mean, what sort of questions may l get asked? It's a part time job in a solicitors office. All l keep thinking about is my best and worst attributes and l can't think of anything else they might ask, though the list must be endless.

Thanks in advance x

mountainofdebt

Calm down they thought you were good enough on paper to interview you!


They may ask you 'what would you do in this situation sort of questions' or how you would prioritise conflicting deadlines.

They may ask why you would be good for the role or what attributes you would bring the role or even why are you apply for it

meritaten

what sort of job? admin?
then you need to be an 'organised' kind of person. Details matter!
why a solicitors office - have a look at what they specialise in.........conveyancing and wills are boring as hell - but make out that housebuying is so satisfying and wills help the person making one.
Criminal law - 'fascinating'! they will be defenders so 'making sure innocent people get the defense they deserve'.
Family law - focus on 'whats best for the children'.
get the idea? now have a quick google on what this firm actually DO!

idea

Lots of interviews these days work on a competency basis. So the interviewer may ask you things like…

Can you think of a time when things didn't go to plan (you need to say why not and how you rectified the situation/learnt from it)
Have you ever dealt with any difficult staff/customers?
Can you tell us how you plan and organise a large workload? etc etc etc

There's tons of questions on this site: http://www.interview-skills.co.uk/competency-based-interviews-questions.aspx

Very best of luck to you!

Idea x

aggypanthus

I cant imagine why you have not prepared well ahead, you will be up against people who will be fully ready for interview.

Be confident and sit up , eye contact, and let your personality shine.
LUCK !

Timeflies

They will basically want to assess three things:

1. Whether you can do the job
2. Whether you want the job
3. Whether they want you to do the job

For 1) you want to show your relevant attributes and experience. Have a read through the job description and try to think of examples of relevant experience/skills you have. E.g. if the job is customer facing, they may ask, "Can you tell me about a time you've dealt with a difficult customer?" Think up an example in advance that shows you in a good light. Equally "Tell me about a time you've managed multiple deadlines" or "Can you tell me about a time you were part of a successful team. What was your role in the team?" if this is relevant to the role. Less experienced interviewers may ask more hypothetical questions, e.g. "how would you work as part of our team?" It's better to turn this back to a concrete example to avoid waffling - i.e an example of when you have worked well in a team.

If this is your first interview for 20 years, have you been out of employment for a long time, or in one role for a long time? This may impact the perception of 1) and 2) Be ready to explain the skills you have developed recently and why you're looking for a new role after so long.

For 2), nothing beats a bit of enthusiasm. Read what you can from the firm's website. Google them. Find out they're the longest established solicitor in your town/winner of award X/ were recently in the news for Y. You're likely to get a question along the lies of "Why do you want to work here?" Remember to be flattering about the firm. If nothing else, saying nice things about the firm polishes the ego of the interviewer(s), who after all, chose to work there too. The more specific your answer, referencing what you know about them, the more keen and sincere you sound.

They may probe 2) further, with questions like: "are there any parts of the role you would not enjoy/think you would not be good at?" You may get a cringey question like "where do you see yourself in 5 years' time?" which is a naff way of getting you to talk about your career plans. An answer like "I think I would enjoy this role, but I'm always happy to consider any future opportunities that may arise" is suitably vague!

For 3) They're looking for "fit." They know the existing staff/customers/suppliers you have to work with, and wonder how well you'll work together. They may have certain attributes they're mentally ticking off: e.g. that you're well-presented, you speak clearly, you seem organised, calm, punctual, hard-working. If you've done a good job convincing them of 1) and 2), you're halfway there with 3).

So know why you want to work there, why you'd be able to do all they're asking, and have relevant skills experience for each point they listed in the job description. Be enthusiastic and good luck!

sassyblue

aggypanthus wrote: »

I cant imagine why you have not prepared well ahead, you will be up against people who will be fully ready for interview.

Be confident and sit up , eye contact, and let your personality shine.
LUCK !

Yes and no. I only found out about this position on Thursday and was asked to email my CV in ASAP, they responded within a couple of hours with this appointment. My office experience was in a busy engineers nothing this professional as it were...

Thanks 'idea' and 'timeflies' l have some reading up to do now.

Thankyou all, some good points I'm going to have a read up and think. X

mountainofdebt

Most of all ..........


DON'T PANIC!!!

74jax

Google the firm, see if you can find any big named clients they have, how long have they been going for, how many solicitors do they have, have they moved etc then try and drop these points in your answers dsothey know you have researched the company .

ava_adore

No advice, but good luck

time2deal

Be ready for the cliched questions. They may be really obvious, but you should know what you will answer if they are asked.
1. What are your strengths.
2. What are your weaknesses.
3. Why do you want this job. Why this company?
4. Why did you leave your last job.
5. Where do you see this job taking you/where do you want to be in 5 years.

They may be cliched, but they are VERY COMMON. Practice the answer out loud in front of a partner or mirror. You'd be surprised how many people can't answer these questions.

Don't talk in theories. If someone asks 'how well do you work with difficult colleagues'. Don't day 'I'd approach them and discuss... blah blah'. Find a real example (even if it isn't really real!). eg. I used to work with someone who was chronically late, so I spoke to the office manager and we decided a suitable approach was x,y,z'.

I interview a lot and I hate theorisers. Give me a real example anyday.

Don't talk too much about how great the job will be for your career/learning and how it's a good step up to challenge you. Remind them how useful you will be for them - with just a hint of how it would allow you to stretch your already excellent skills further.

If you are a woman, don't start the interview saying what you can't do. All women do this! They say 'Just so we are clear from the start, I haven't done x activity before, but I am sure I can learn.' For some reason it is a classic womans error - men never draw attention to what they can't do. (I am a woman)