Employers are always going to ask a series of questions in an interview, and you will have a lot of time to talk about yourself. The trick is finding the right balance. You need to speak honestly and truthfully about yourself in a pragmatic yet friendly manner. Always be conscious not to waffle around an answer.
Depending on the interview style, you may come across some “behavioural based questions” which are quite common. These are the types of questions which start with, “Give me an example of a time when….”
There are literally hundreds of these questions which you will be asked. Be prepared for them, and try to have a few answers rehearsed.
Interviews are indeed a two-way process and therefore you must also ask questions in an interview. Always try to prepare a few to take with you, and think about what you need to know. When you leave an interview, you need an idea of whether the role is right for you. Think about what that means to you, and position your questions around that. For example, think about asking questions about the market, the company, the teams, the people, the role, whatever you feel is important to you.
Don’t necessarily rely on the interviewer to tell you everything about a role. In accepting a position you really need to know everything about it. If you haven’t questioned effectively in an interview, you might take a role which isn’t appropriate for you.
A good interview will last between 45-60 minutes and should leave both parties feeling confident with the information discussed. If ever you are finding interviews are only lasting 20 minutes, it means there is room for improvement.
ProGrad is a specialist graduate recruitment company working with over 600 companies across Australia. For more information about our process, please contact our ProGrad Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300.