Professional Resume writing services
Interview training that gets jobs
Preparation, positivity and proof
I provide Republic Resume clients who have used our resume and cover letter service and landed an interview, with inside knowledge of the job interview process.
I’ve conducted thousands of job interviews and led university and TAFE selection interviews. They’re nerve wracking because they’re so artificial. You have to talk about yourself!
Around 65-70 per cent of my clients get through to the interview stage. You’ve passed the first hurdle and made it through to the final five or ten applicants. Well done!
Research and preparation
You’ll be nervous because you don’t know what questions they’ll ask. Take a deep breath, because I know the questions and how you should respond. You’ll have the answers at your fingertips.
‘Preparation, positivity and proof’ are the keys to interview success. The last element is most important. Be prepared to use real life examples from your career. That’s proof. You’ve grounded your reply in experience.
I’ve used recruiter Robert Half’s outline below (see link) on interview preparation because it’s excellent. The first link will introduce the other headings.
- Review the job description
- Research the company
- Plan what you will wear
- Plan the journey to the interview
- Prepare for questions you will be asked (see below)
- Prepare your own questions for the employer
- Follow up with the employer
Interview training
Rehearse the answers
I offer clients inside tips on interview preparation for questions such as:
Tell me about yourself
This is often the first of many interview questions, designed to ‘warm up’ the candidate. Many candidates choose to respond with an overview of their work and employment history. While this is helpful, it’s important you offer new information. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of waffling. Some candidates focus on a key aspect of their career, building a story around it with performance highlights. It’s important to ensure your answer is aligned with the job description or advertisement, to demonstrate how you can add value to the company and the role.
What attracted you to our company?
This is your opportunity to demonstrate you’ve done your research. Prior to the interview, read up on everything you can about the company from their own website, social media channels and other news articles and forums. Identify what stands out about the company’s mission and values, and how that resonates with your own desired career path and personal values.
Tell me about your strengths
This should be the easiest question to prepare for. Identify two or three of your best attributes and give concrete examples of those strengths, articulating how they led to the professional success you achieved. Be sure to close the loop and articulate how they are relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Your employer wants to see how driven and goal-oriented you are. They also want to check that your expectations are realistic. In your answer, demonstrate your awareness of industry trends and ability to be flexible.
Other important questions include:
- Why do you want this job?
- Out of all the candidates, why should we hire you?
- What’s your biggest professional achievement?
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision. What did you do?
I cover everything from what to wear, first impressions, making eye contact, body language, introductory small talk, attitude and having a copy of your resume. There’s considerable emphasis on preparing responses to questions and rehearsing them.
I also focus on behavioural questions, where the interviewer puts a hypothetical situation to you and asks, “What would you do if …?”
Little known fact
Every Republic Resumes client gets a copy of a PDF, which focuses on key interview skills.