Succeeding at interview. “Will you do the job?”

Recruiters don’t want to know only “Can you do the job?”, they want to know “Will you do the job?” They want to feel confident about your motivation (a) to carry out the responsibilities of the role and (b) to work for their organisation.

What they don’t want to hear is an emphasis on what the role will do for you and your career, with the focus on the benefits for you rather than for them. They are looking to know the value that you will bring to them now and into the future.

After all, the recruitment process as well as inducting a new person into the role and the organisation, is a big investment for them and they want to know their investment is going to be worthwhile, now and in the longer term.

Here are 7 tips that can help you show how interested and keen you are:

1. In advance, thoroughly research the organisation, their website, social media, and professional and commercial articles about them so that you are knowledgeable about their activities, products, services and culture.
2. Be conversant with their vision, mission and values, so that you can talk about them and demonstrate your enthusiasm for them, how they attract you to work there and your fit with them. Check that your social media does nothing to put doubts in their minds.
3. Arrive in good time so that you’re relaxed and look pleased to be there; thank them for inviting you.
4. Express your positive reaction when you saw they were advertising a role in your field and how keen you were to apply.
5. Plan carefully beforehand how you answer the question: “Why do you want to work for us?” and give it a structure that’s easy to follow. You may wish to include: your positive response when you saw the advert, your interest and alignment with their mission, vision and values, your appreciation of the quality of their products/services, your fit with the role, and what you will bring (knowledge, skills, achievements), their reputation for supporting their staff, their commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and your long-term professional goals which you want to develop within the organisation and your willingness to undertake training and development.

6. Ask pertinent questions that demonstrate your genuine interest and avoid asking questions that can be answered by looking at the website.

7. As the interview comes to a close, thank the interviewer(s) for their time, say how much you enjoyed meeting them, express your interest in the role and ask when you can expect to hear.

Overall, build a relationship with your interviewer(s), through your body language and conversation flow. Remember to give good eye contact to everyone, not staring or glaring, but comfortably. You can help yourself and them feel relaxed! And, of course, it’s important that what you say and how you say it is authentic, believable and true.

If you would like to fine tune your interview skills or CV to land that dream job, please get in touch by email or via my contact page.