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Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview - Jobs/Vacancies (9) - Nairaland

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 11:59am On Nov 22, 2015
D. Succeeding at Assessment Centres

Organisations that use competency-based interviews often invite candidates to assessment centres. At these events, the people scrutinising you are often called assessors rather than interviewers. The assessors
don't simply ask candidates to talk about their skills – they want to observe those
skills in action.

That an assessment centre is a real place – such as a specially designed
building for putting candidates through their paces – is a common misconception. But
the term actually means a collection of different techniques for scrutinising how
candidates perform in different situations. Assessment centres can be held at a variety
of locations, from the organisation's own offices to a hotel or conference centre.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:03pm On Nov 22, 2015
E. Passing in-trays

In-tray tests are designed to simulate a day in the office and to test your ability to
assimilate and prioritise information.
An in-tray usually consists of a collection of paperwork such as letters, reports
and printouts. Usually, some of the items are very important while many others may
have been put in to distract you. They may be based on an entirely fictitious business
or they may be made-up items concerning a real business.

Some modern organisations may even simulate a real day in the office by
providing you with a computer and a telephone. You may have to type up a report or
send emails to colleagues and customers while taking phone calls – the whole
experience can be quite tough if you're not ready for it!

Read the instructions carefully and identify the key points. Too many
candidates go wrong simply by misreading what they're supposed to do.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:08pm On Nov 22, 2015
F. Giving great presentations

You may be asked by the assessors to give a presentation so they can examine
your oral communication skills. Employers are increasingly looking for people who
can not only convey factual information clearly, but also do it in an engaging and
interesting way.

The assessors are evaluating not only what you say, but also how you say it.
Make sure that you maintain good eye contact with the assessors and use inflection in
your voice to make the presentation come to life.

Some employers ask candidates to prepare a presentation beforehand; others may
give candidates a topic during the assessment centre and set aside time for them to prepare a presentation.

Here are some pointers for giving a great presentation:
*Watch the clock.
*Create a structure for your presentation.
*Focus on a small number of key points.
*Use simple visual aids.
*Prepare for questions.

The key to giving presentations is don't overcomplicate. Covering a small
number of crucial points is better than exhaustively wittering on about a topic.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:14pm On Nov 22, 2015
G. Excelling at group exercises

The assessors may gather a group of candidates – usually some number between
three and eight people – together and ask you all to discuss a topic or engage in a task
while they observe you. The key in these exercises is to demonstrate that you're
confident, but not arrogant, and that you can be a team player without dominating the
discussion or being rude.
Group exercises can vary enormously, but some popular ones include:

*Discussing a topic in the news.
*Constructing a tower out of children's play bricks.
*Evaluating a business idea and coming up with recommendations for taking it further.

Here are some tips for handling group exercises:

*Encourage others to speak.
*Watch your body language.
*Build on others’ suggestions.
*Demonstrate your enthusiasm.

If you're asked to discuss a topic rather than to create something during the
exercise, here are some further pointers:

*Prepare pros and cons to contribute to the discussion.
*Prepare questions that you can ask to elicit further pros and cons from other candidates
in the discussion.
*Always disagree tactfully, by saying, ‘That's a good point. Adding to that, I'd say
that . . .’ rather than ‘No’ or ‘But . . .’.
*Show your agreement whenever possible by nodding, saying ‘uh-huh’ and ‘yes’, and
smiling when appropriate.

Finally, here are a couple of example discussion topics. Consider how you'd
prepare for the following issues:

-The Nigerian government is considering doing away with the naira and instead adopting
the US dollar as its national currency. Discuss.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:22pm On Nov 22, 2015
H. Being a star in role-play simulations

The assessors may ask you to role-play a scenario similar to the job you're
applying for. For example, if applying for a managerial position, they may ask you to
discipline an actor pretending to be an unruly member of your team.

Bear in mind that the organisation has probably invested a lot of time and
money in designing the simulation and training managers or even bringing in
consultants to run it. So make sure that you behave as if the situation was serious. If
you say that you ‘don't like role-plays’ or don't play along, expect to be marked down
automatically.

The key in role-plays is to think about the nature of the job that you're applying
for. Decide upon the required skills and try to demonstrate them throughout. For
example, if you're applying for a customer service job that requires tact and
diplomacy, make sure that you behave tactfully and diplomatically when talking to
other candidates in a group exercise.

Role-play simulations test not only what you say, but also how you say it.
Make sure that your body language is consistent with what you are talking about – for
example, demonstrating empathy or enthusiasm in your facial expressions, tone of
voice and use of hands.

Role-play simulations vary enormously from job to job and organisation to
organisation. However, here are some common tasks:
*Meeting an angry customer.
*Selling products or services to a new client.
*Disciplining a member of your team.

Maintain a positive, enthusiastic but professional demeanour at all times.
Many role-plays contain some element of conflict within them. So your subordinate
may not be happy with your management style or your client is unhappy with your
services. Ask questions, listen and empathise, and apologise or smile as appropriate.
Showing your irritation definitely won't go down well!

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:24pm On Nov 22, 2015
Part 8- Asking great Questions
Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:27pm On Nov 22, 2015
*As the interview draws to a close, the interviewers will almost certainly ask you:
Do you have any questions for us?

Interviewers often judge candidates on the nature of the questions that you ask.
For example, asking about the hours and the number of annual leave days you're
entitled to can give them the impression that you are a bit of a slacker, interested only
in how little work you can get away with. Or asking about the pay and benefits can
make you sound greedy.

In this chapter, I cover how to research great questions that not only impress the
interviewers, but also help you to decide whether this is an organisation that you'd
actually want to work for.

Never ever say that you have no questions. Saying that you have nothing to ask
is a very poor response and signals to the interviewers that you aren't really that
interested in the job.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:28pm On Nov 22, 2015
* Preparing the Right Questions for the Right Interview

You really do need to do some research to prepare a good dozen or more
questions for the interviewers. This way, even if the interviewers tell you a lot about
the job and their company, you're still able to ask a few questions at the end of the
interview.

When asked if you have any questions, you may be tempted to say, No, because
we've already covered all of my questions in the discussion so far. The problem is
that – even if you're telling the truth – the interviewers may just decide that you simply
had not prepared any questions.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 12:33pm On Nov 22, 2015
*Stuck for questions to ask?

If applying for a managerial role, consider asking questions such as:

*What are the members of the team like?
*Does the team have any issues that need sorting out? Are there any people who are
under-utilised?
*Who are the key decision makers in the organisation?
*What sort of budget would I have for running the team?
*What do you see as the main challenges facing the team at the moment?
*What style of leadership is the team used to?
*Are there any major milestones or deliverables that you expect the successful
candidate to achieve?
*What kind of development programmes do you have for managers?

If interviewed for a part-time or job-share position, you may want to ask questions such as:

*How do you see this position fitting in with the rest of the team?
*Do you have any other people in a similar position at the moment? How is the role
working out for them?
*How would I be expected to hand over work to the other job-share person and vice
versa?

If the position is a short-term contract, ask a few of the following questions:

*Exactly how long is the contract?
*What are the deliverables within this time frame?
*When do you hope for this project to start?
*How likely is it that you may extend the contract or make it a full-time
appointment?
*Assuming everything goes well, are there any realistic opportunities to join your
organisation on a full-time basis?

Always check that a question is relevant to the particular role that you're
applying for. For example, Will I have a development budget? is not a sensible
question for entry-level or junior positions with no responsibilities in this area.
Whatever job you go for, always aim to ask at least three or four questions about
the job to demonstrate that you're genuinely interested in being taken on.

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by petengine(m): 6:47pm On Nov 29, 2015
God bless you AMZYMAYO for these fabulous inklings. Great job you're doing here. kudos

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Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by AMZYMAYO(m): 2:18pm On Aug 02, 2016
petengine:
God bless you AMZYMAYO for these fabulous inklings. Great job you're doing here. kudos
Thank you
Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by EdoBoy90(m): 5:38pm On Nov 09, 2016
Ok
Re: Interview Exposed-Some Of The Things You Need To Know Before & During Interview by rinzaugustine: 4:16pm On Aug 18, 2017
.

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