OXFORD

CONFIDENT INTERVIEWS
If you’ve been invited to interview, you’ve convinced the employer that you
this impression, and demonstrate that you are what the hiring manager is
looking for.
APPLICATION ESSENTIALS
D
HOW TO PREPARE
Repeat the preparation detailed in this chapter, but in more
and ensure you understand the job and the competencies
required. And be clear about the points you absolutely want to
make, and practise building them into different answers
] As a starting point, prepare some answers to typical
questions, and practise answering them out loud.
Articulating your answers is harder than thinking them over
in your head, and saying them out loud will help you to
] Be clear on your motivations for why you want to work for
the organisation.
] Be ready to show commercial awareness (p.40):
Consider how recent global events, current affairs and
the economy may affect the organisation.
Think about how the organisation competes in its
market, and how it compares with its competitors
COMPETENCY BASED RECRUITING
Many companies use competency frameworks to identify
and group related skills, knowledge, attitudes and abilities
that are needed to be effective within their organization
and the range of situations typical for a particular role.
In interviews, competency based questions are common
and tend to follow the structure:
“Can you tell me about a time when…...................?”
[insert competency here]
Using a simple framework to provide structure to your
answer helps you to:
] Tell your story clearly and makes it easier for an
interviewer to follow that story.
] Include all the most relevant and important points.
STRUCTURE YOUR RESPONSES WITH THESE MNEMONICS:
Read a quality broadsheet and be ready to offer an
informed opinion on business and current affairs.
] Prepare some questions - note them down - to ask at the
interview.
SUPPORT AT THE CAREERS SERVICE
] Sessions for improving your interview skills are held each
term, and dates and times are advertised in the weekly
newsletter and on CareerConnect (p.4).
SITUATION
TASK
ACTION
RESULT
For example, use the STAR outline to:
CONTEXT
ACTION
RESULT
] Mock interviews, led by employers, are offered every
term. The recruiter will give you feedback to improve your
technique, and you can make a recording to review later.
] You can also use a short discussion with a Careers Adviser
to discuss interview technique or tackle some general
interview questions.
] The Careers Service’s Resource Centre holds a number of
DVDs, books and handouts that can help you prepare for
interviews.
] The Interview Feedback Database on CareerConnect
contains helpful tips from past students’ interview
FIRST – Briefly describe the specific SITUATION you
were in.
SECOND – Describe the TASK you needed to accomplish.
Give only enough detail for the recruiter to appreciate
your contribution.
THIRD – Describe the ACTION(s) you took. Keep the focus
on what you did rather than the efforts of the team, even
for a group project.
LASTLY – Describe the RESULT. Based on relevant
measures of success, outline what happened and what
you accomplished.
When appropriate, probably within an interview, you
can extend this structure by including ‘E’ for EVALUATION
(STARE/CARE):
] Highlight what you learned from the experience, or
what you would change if went through the process/
experience again.
] Explain how this experience might be relevant in the
role applied for.
www.careers.ox.ac.uk 53