Management job interviews: tips for graduates
Work out your top skills
Good preparation is essential for a successful interview. The first step is to remind yourself what you are offering the potential employer. It may be a while since you filled in their application form so dig it out and look at the statements you made about yourself. You will need to be able to justify every statement you made, so think of experiences that you can use as evidence. Try and think of at least one different situation you can use to explain each different skill.
Find out what the employer wants
Most organisations are upfront with their selection criteria. There will usually be a section of the job advertisement which explains the job requirements. If you meet someone from the company at a careers fair or presentation, ask what these essential attributes are. It pays to find out what they emphasise in particular, as this may be what differentiates them from the competition. If they ask ‘Why do you want to work for us?’ you can include these attributes in your response.
Match it to your abilities
All being well, the criteria that the employer is selecting against should be pretty similar to the list of skills you are offering. Don’t be dismayed if you are uncertain about some of the things they seem to want. After all, one of the things they’re looking for is potential. Just demonstrating that you have recognised the importance of a particular criterion will impress the interviewer much more than mumbling apologetically. You will have a chance to learn if you get the job.
Remind yourself of your studies
Re-acquaint yourself with the fine details of your degree study. Employers will be interested in hearing you talk about your course intelligently and in some depth. It’s easy to forget most of what you studied, so go over the relevant parts to remind yourself what you learned. If you did (or are doing) a dissertation or project, make sure you’ll be able to tell the recruiter about it.
Research the company
Find out more about organisations by seeing whether they have a reference file in your careers service. Have a look on the employer’s website and dig out any annual reports or company newsletters. Also check out employer profiles (written by them) and employer insights (written by us) on TARGETjobs. If you can turn up something interesting, you will have an important advantage over other candidates. Interviewers like to know that you actively applied to work for their organisation, as it suggests that you’re interested in a long-term career with them.
Telephone interviews
Telephone interviews are a common feature of management recruitment. They usually come as part of a multi-stage process, and may be used to filter candidates. Some interviews have suggested that candidates should stand up to take the call as walking about and being more animated will make it feel more like a face-to-face chat. Other important advice includes making sure that you call from a landline (so that you don’t lose signal), making sure there will be no interruptions, and making sure you are ready and prepared ahead of the interview.