Ask anything you want to know and I will do my best to answer...

Good day to you, kindly describe the basic steps one should adhere to when going for an interview

windows8: Good day to you, kindly describe the basic steps one should adhere to when going for an interview

Basic steps right?
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare...

Please note that the below list is in no particular order and not conclusive...

1) Research the company and how the role sits in the scheme of things properly. You may have done a bit of that before you applied, but there is no harm in going a step further for the upcoming interview.
2) Research their local and international operations if they are based in more than one country. It is always a good idea to know what their competitors are doing and this knowledge always come handy when responding to specific question. In addition, it shows interest.
3) Familiarise yourself with the job description. It is amazing how many people do not know details of the job they applied for, even when it is clearly stated on the job description.
4) See if you can get in touch with anyone in a similar position and try to understand their responsibilities/challenges. This will better help you tailour you responses and help determine the skills to highlight.
5) Prepare relevant questions to better understand the role and company... An interview is a two way process, as much as it is an opportunity for a company to get to know if you are right for them and the role you applied for? it is an opportunity to know more about the company and role, and if they are right for you as well.
6) Find out the structure of the interview, is it competency based, group interview, panel discussion, 1-2-1, presentation etc?
7) Be very clear on why you applied for the role and what immediate and long term value you will bring... Focus less on what the company can do for you, but more on what you can do for the company. Be ready to explain this in a logical way.
For some people, practice questions may be helpful. Ask a friend to ask you some relevant questions and try answering.
9) Find out if other people have been interviewed for the role and what sorts of questions they were asked. Its amazing what you can research online. However, leave room for flexibility as sometimes, questions or interviewers may change.
10)Familiarise yourself with any instruction given. It is interesting that people still come late to interviews or even miss it completely because they got the date/time wrong.

Like I said, it is not conclusive, but I hope it helps... All the best!

^
Thanks, the question of asking an applicant how much he can take for the job he/she is applying for is a very challenging one , can you share info on how to tackle such questions in different ways when they arise.

windows8: ^
Thanks, the question of asking an applicant how much he can take for the job he/she is applying for is a very challenging one , can you share info on how to tackle such questions in different ways when they arise.

Research what a similar role would pay in a competitive company and suggest a range during the interview, but only if the interviewer insist. This would always be the last resort and can be tricky. I would initially recommend you through the question back to the interviewer in a polite way by saying:

1) As a multinational/large company, I am confident you will pay a package that is competitive, I am completely open to discussing a suitable remuneration at a later stage.
2) If you do not mind, I would appreciate it if we first determine if I am right for the role, before we discuss remuneration as I am very keen on the role and my motivation is not necessarily the package.

Please I need u 2help me out with dis.. I Was jst throwing out my cv 2dose firms.luckily one of dem sent me a mail 2com 4dere recruitmnt assessmnt.d issue is dat am nt vast in dat area.I tried 2chekon d details online of dere requirmnt d assesmnt will b base on.am nT getting a good respond.my Qs is? will it b proper goin 4such interview u dnt even hav d skills or knowledge about.if at all 2convince dem of dere training.how can I go about it.

burrytee: Please I need u 2help me out with dis.. I Was jst throwing out my cv 2dose firms.luckily one of dem sent me a mail 2com 4dere recruitmnt assessmnt.d issue is dat am nt vast in dat area.I tried 2chekon d details online of dere requirmnt d assesmnt will b base on.am nT getting a good respond.my Qs is? will it b proper goin 4such interview u dnt even hav d skills or knowledge about.if at all 2convince dem of dere training.how can I go about it.

Drop an email to the company to find out the type of assessment and what to expect on the day if you have their contact details. Find out who else has done a similar assessment with the company. Research the job section of NL as someone may have previously brought it up or connect with current employees with the same role on LinkedIn and drop them emails. I am assuming you know the company and role you are interviewing for.

Good luck!

Please i have an interview next week for the position of an office manager in a international premier mobile music service coy.
What is the salary range for this position in similar coys?
Presently my salary is 120k as a PA which has been not being increased since i joined the coy like 3yrs ago cos i'm a contract staff. I have over 6yrs experience in administration.
I will love to work with ds coy based on my research so far.
I look 4ward to ur quick responses.
Thank you

@ OP, In your informed opinion, how seriously would you say coys take their stated maximum age requirements for entry level jobs?

bizzle*:
@ OP, In your informed opinion, how seriously would you say coys take their stated maximum age requirements for entry level jobs?

Very seriously. There is no point applying for a job when the company has specifically stated their requirement and you do not meet it. You will be disappointed as you will be screened out as soon as they find out...

I wish I had seen this thread earlier. Anyway, its quite valuable. I am glued.

When asked, "where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" or something akin to that - what are the interviewers/recruiters looking to establish precisely? what is the aim of such questions?

Nice thread. Well done Op & all good contributors.

Pls I need a sample of a cover letter for the position of an admin assistant

Hi Consultant,

The question "what is your weakness?" always throw me off balance. Who can I answer it?

RuuDie: When asked, "where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" or something akin to that - what are the interviewers/recruiters looking to establish precisely? what is the aim of such questions?

Nice thread. I will throw in more light in addition to what the owner of this thread has to say. In a question like this, the interviewer may be trying to find out your career aspiartion or if you will stay with the company for long. General rule of thumb, research the company you are interviewing with as well as other roles within the company. Answer this question with progressive statements like, "in the next five years, I'd like to see myself grow with this company in a progressive role and on the long run if my responsibilities are needed in similar roles within the company because of the confidence the management has in me, I'd be glad to enage in that role". Do not ever tell your interviewer that in five years time you will like to take his role. Also do not tell him/her that you see yourself moving on to bigger companies.

murtalaa: Hi Consultant,

The question "what is your weakness?" always throw me off balance. Who can I answer it?

There is no one right answer to this question. My advise is always use a positive workaholic scenarios to win the mind of the interviewer. With that in mind, an answer like this may be a way for you.... Thank you very much for this interesting question. My approach to work prioritization and ability to multi task on demanding task is my way of dealing with possible weakness. I do take up a lot at workload upon myself, I try not to say 'no' to additional workload. I really do not know if this is a weakness because I still get it all done because I am good a prioritizing tasks, even if I have to work extra hours.[i][/i]

Hope this helps? Never say things like ' my weakness is that I am very friendly and people seem to take advantage of me''. That could be an outright deal breaker.

Good thread Op

Hope49ja: Ask anything you want to know and I will do my best to answer...

Hope you don't mind me assisting with additional information on your thread? Recruiting and job placement is my passion. I have always had very good success rates when I prep candidates for job interviews.

Hope49ja:

Research what a similar role would pay in a competitive company and suggest a range during the interview, but only if the interviewer insist. This would always be the last resort and can be tricky. I would initially recommend you through the question back to the interviewer in a polite way by saying:

1) As a multinational/large company, I am confident you will pay a package that is competitive, I am completely open to discussing a suitable remuneration at a later stage.
2) If you do not mind, I would appreciate it if we first determine if I am right for the role, before we discuss remuneration as I am very keen on the role and my motivation is not necessarily the package.

Don't ever try going through that line of being more Keen on the Job than the Salary, I tried it with the present company I am working for and I am regretting it, walahi. Most Nigerian employers even the once from foreign firm ask you this question to know if you understand the enormity of the Job you want, the moment you play too nice, they take it as you probably do not have the required experience or skills and need the job to get, next thing is to pay you what they think you should get and not neccessarily what is fair. I was asked thesame thing and I kept on talking about how I was more interested in gaining practical experience through the Job than what is fair as Salary. i ended up getting almost half of what my coleagues are presently getting. Effort to negotiate it has been very difficult and I suspect the HRM purposely does not make himself available once he knows I am the one waiting to see him; it is either he gives you another time to see him or claims to be in a meeting.
The best thing to do is to know the industry standard payment for your position and tell them, you will want to be paid based on that, if they ask to know whether you know the industry standard, you tell them. Act like you know your worth. Dont go there telling them you want to work while de-emphasizing the payment. Me presently sef, I want to leave the job and prolly explore banking jobs. . .they pay more and the job is not so physically tasking on like my present job. So use your head o.

Thks OPS for dis thread. pls i have 2 question 2 ask
1 "tell us abt ur self" do i have to talk abt my personal data or talk abt me in general.
2"i went for an interview and was asked to analyze all about analytical skills. Pls throw more light on these cos we learn every day thanks

bookmarked

Hello,
i am currently working as a permanent staff with an IT firm.But i got a juicy offer with a third party company to an Oil company.is a contract position that will be renewed after every one year.Now,my fear is that,what if the contract is not renewed at the end of the first year? It may put me under alot of pressure.I am yet to accept the offer as i told them to give me one week to decide.Now,someone advised i ask them to make me a 2 years contract offer on a goal.I am yet to relay this to the firm,but how do you think is best to negotiate this deal? the offer is good and i do not want it to sly.Kindly advise.

what's the best cv, resume and cover letter format for an unemployed physical science graduate?
what are my chances of employment being that i'm 30 and finished my nysc 2years ago?
what do i do since i've misplaced my nysc discharge cert?

Interesting thread, not all these 'Nairalander with a celebrity' pictures I see on front page.

Gd thread i ave learnt alot on dis thread,pls @ op could u kindly drop me some more interview tip on my mail box am current searching for a a job i lost my job wit sum times back nw i;ve bin in transport/logistics mgt bt am also open 2 administrative jobs,i wood b vry grateful if u could drop me sum more hints @ ozovehestephen26@gmail.com

rhymz: Don't ever try going through that line of being more Keen on the Job than the Salary, I tried it with the present company I am working for and I am regretting it, walahi. Most Nigerian employers even the once from foreign firm ask you this question to know if you understand the enormity of the Job you want, the moment you play too nice, they take it as you probably do not have the required experience or skills and need the job to get, next thing is to pay you what they think you should get and not neccessarily what is fair. I was asked thesame thing and I kept on talking about how I was more interested in gaining practical experience through the Job than what is fair as Salary. i ended up getting almost half of what my coleagues are presently getting. Effort to negotiate it has been very difficult and I suspect the HRM purposely does not make himself available once he knows I am the one waiting to see him; it is either he gives you another time to see him or claims to be in a meeting.
The best thing to do is to know the industry standard payment for your position and tell them, you will want to be paid based on that, if they ask to know whether you know the industry standard, you tell them. Act like you know your worth. Dont go there telling them you want to work while de-emphasizing the payment. Me presently sef, I want to leave the job and prolly explore banking jobs. . .they pay more and the job is not so physically tasking on like my present job. So use your head o.

In as much as companies want to make money and reduce costs, the above bolded is very wrong. People motivation should not be compromised especially when they have a good employee in you. What is fair would have been to put you in the same band as your colleagues and if they want to be cheap, then they'll put you at the lower end of the band. As for that HRM, he is not a professional at all. Anyway, lessons learned though, know your worth and state it. If you're good, you're good. The worst that can happen is they'll call you to negotiate

Informative thread....

....Reading on.

.

van909: Thks OPS for dis thread. pls i have 2 question 2 ask
1 "tell us abt ur self" do i have to talk abt my personal data or talk abt me in general.
2"i went for an interview and was asked to analyze all about analytical skills. Pls throw more light on these cos we learn every day thanks

Tell us about yourself - Talk about your background (education and experiences especially related to the job. If not related look for specific skills or projects that may be), your strengths, skills, interests. You may also talk about your hobbies that may be relevant to the job (e.g. technical writing, etc..) but this is optional as they may still ask you later in the interview and you don't want to talk too much here. Bear in mind that this is mostly an ice breaker question so summarize it but load it with the relevant facts that they need to know. And please this is about you so prepare before hand so you can talk about yourself in a relaxed manner.

analyze all about analytical skills- This question sounds funny but my first inclination would be to quickly think about what those analytical skills are. I would say it requires being able to think critically with regards to a given set of information gathered for the problem, creating solutions/possible scenarios to a given problem, testing those solutions and making recommendations. If i'm right, the question then begs for you to analyze (talk about) each of these skills, i.e. what each one entails.

I'd love to hear another view to my answers though

Great thread but empty! I'm subscribing anyways job seekers pls keep the questions rolling, there is a lot to learn.

Hope49ja: Ask anything you want to know and I will do my best to answer...

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm sort of passionate about recruitment so I'd love to contribute and learn as well...