Interview Tips - Advice for the jobseeker

Telephone Interview - Employers and recruitment consultancies sometimes employ this form of interview if it is not viable to interview face to face. Candidates will sometimes assume that this is an easier option, we actually think it is harder because you don't have the chance of eye contact or body language to express your views or feelings. A telephone interview should be conducted in the same professional manner as you would expect any interview. You need to speak in a clear and concise manner, do not be tempted to speak too much. Try not to allow the interviewer to lead the conversation, ensure that you ask the question "is there anything else you require from me at this point in time and have I covered everything that you were looking for?" Also ask the question "I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this further". It may be useful at this stage to give the interviewer your availability.

Screening Interview - Usually this will involve a brief meeting with the company itself or a recruitment consultancy that is a preferred supplier of the company, and they will administer the first stage of the process. This type of interview usually takes the format of simple questions about your personality and achievements in your career to ascertain your suitability to the role.

Be honest and provide the facts, there is no harm in building a rapport but don't push too hard as this type of interview only lasts between 45 mins and 1hour.

One to One Line or HR - You must be doing well! You have probably passed either a telephone or screening interview to get to this stage. This is when the process really narrows. The types of interviewer you are likely to encounter could either be: a senior HR manager; your ultimate boss; or a potential peer who may be carrying out the same or similar role you are applying for. At this stage be prepared to explain your career in detail, including reasons why you have been promoted and why you left a certain employer and why you are looking to change direction. You will also be asked why you want this job, and what you can bring to the company that differs from the other candidates they may have seen.

To access more details then please visit our preparing for interviews page which will give you more tools to succeed at this stage.

This stage is about how much you can impress upon the interviewer and that you are the person for the job because of your cultural fit, qualifications, personality and your career experience to date.

Panel Interview - During this type of interview, you will be asked numerous amounts of questions from different people in the organisation. You may have a HR Director assessing your cultural fit and style, an Operations Director wondering how he/she could work with you and how your experiences could add value to his/her team and a Managing Director who may be thinking how much bottom line revenue you could bring to the business and how he/she sees you in the future in terms of succession.

You must try to keep calm, as these types of interview can be quite daunting. A really important tip is not to reply to one person but to give equal amounts of eye contact to all the interviewers whilst still keeping focussed on the person who asked the question. Be aware, that at the same time, the other interviewers will assess your body language and mannerism.

Assessment Centre - Assessment Centres tend to be the last or last but one stage in the recruitment process. If it is the final stage then you will usually find all the people who make the decision to offer you that job are in attendance.

There won't be as much pressure on you personally, however, if you want to succeed at this stage you need to impress all the assessors. Be careful not to just direct your answers to one person, because ultimately everybody's opinion contributes to the final decision.

A good tip is to ask lots of questions, be different and positive and enjoy the day.

On the assessment centre you may encounter the lesser known "during lunch interview!" Never take your guard down, remain calm, and try to follow the assessor's actions. Always avoid the garlic bread, and bolognaise sauce splashed down your front doesn't look impressive!!