Interview Tips

1. First impressions are vital; if you are able to introduce yourself with confidence then you're on your way. Upon meeting the interviewer for the first time, shake his/her hand firmly and meet his eye. A limp/awkward handshake may mean the interview is over before it has even begun. 2. During the interview, try to sit straight and slightly forward - or at the very least in a position that feels comfortable and demonstrates attentiveness. Always maintain eye contact when the interviewer is asking you a question and try to maintain a comfortable level of eye contact when responding - just as you would when speaking to a friend. 3. The golden rule throughout the whole interview is to never, ever be negative. An interviewer will often try to break the ice by asking how your journey was / where you have travelled from. Even if your train was cancelled and you were then caught in a downpour, do not complain about it! Try to put a positive spin on every answer, even to the unofficial conversations. 4. After being asked a question, take a second to pause and to think about your answer. Do not rush your response. Candidates make the mistake by believing that interviewers will be impressed with a quick response and end up waffling or repeating themselves. An interview is not a quiz! Take your time and go at a steady pace. 5. If you are asked a tricky question that stumps you, causing temporary brain freeze, do not panic. Simply ask the interviewer if you can come back to the question later. She will know that interviews are nerve racking experiences and if anything, will be impressed that you have shown a sensible, mature approach in a moment of difficulty. 6. During the interview itself, the most common question that (good) interviewers will ask you is for examples in life in which you have demonstrated a particular competency. A popular question is: Can you give me an example when you have worked in a team? If there is one tip you should take from all of this then it is the following four point structure that you should use to respond to 'example' questions: 1) Briefly describe the activity: e.g. "during university I set up a band with my friends. Try to keep this part as concise as possible. Weaker candidates often waste time by describing at great lengths a particular activity, forgetting that interviewer is interested in you and not, for example, the locations of your band's first three gigs. 2) Then describe the responsibilities/activities this involved (again, do not make this section too long) e.g. "This involved encouraging my friends to give up their time for rehearsals to ensure we would meet regularly." 3) Now explain the skills and competencies that this activity developed within you and, if possible, try to link this through to a tangible achievement. (The achievement does not have to be jaw droppingly incredible, just something that you are proud of). This section should make up the bulk of your answer e.g. taking on a leading role allowed me to develop my ability to handle different band members personalities. For example, the bass guitarist is a somewhat naturally shy person and during group discussions he would often be a silent presence. To make sure he felt included. I would make the effort to ask him directly for his opinion and I would often turn to him first after rehearsing a song to hear his feedback. Over time, as he became more assimilated into the group, he grew in confidence and began to volunteer his opinion without being prompted."

4) Then (and most importantly) explain why you think the skills that you have developed make you an excellent candidate. This is the most crucial step and will be what separates you from the rest as many candidate fail to apply their competencies to the role in question. "This developed my ability to empathise with my team mates natural styles of working which is a skill that I will bring to PwC as I am aware that the majority of work is conducted in groups" In a nutshell, for all 'example based' questions, the four steps should be: I did this, which involved this, which taught me this and which I can now use in the job that I will do for you'. 7. You may also be asked awkward questions e.g. give me a time when you received negative criticism? Again use the structure above on a tricky question like this but do not dwell on the downsides - try to put a positive spin on it e.g. the criticism I received was constructive and taught me the importance of respecting other peoples opinionswhich is something I will certainly use if I were to work for you. 8. Improve your commercial awareness in advance of your interviews. This is an obvious point but do make sure you're abreast of current affairs (and not just business) news. Unless you are applying for a job in trading, I would personally avoid the Financial Times as it is often quite technical and can be intimidating if you are unfamiliar with the concepts. Instead, try to read the business sections of the broadsheets / the BBC website and / or subscribe to a magazine such as The Economist or The Week. You should be prepared to speak on any major news topic but try to find one you're particularly comfortable with as you might be given a free reign to discuss a topic of your choice. Make sure you have read the news on the day of your interview itself as the interviewer make grab the City AM and pick an article at random. 9. Make sure you know as much about the job that you are applying for as possible. A common question is what do you expect to be doing in the first 6 months?' To prepare for the answer, try to speak to someone at the company. If, as is likely, you do not know anyone, ring the switchboard and ask to speak to someone in graduate recruitment who should be able to put you in touch with the right person. Remember, it is as much in their interests to help you pre interview as it is yours because a. they are representing their company - if they give a bad impression they may have just deterred an outstanding candidate and b. they will want to make sure candidates know what to expect in the job and do not make the wrong decision in accepting / declining a job offer from them. 10. At the end of the interview you will almost always be asked whether you have 2-3 questions that you would like to ask of the interviewer. Have these prepared in advance. For example, I asked "If I am to join PwC I do plan for it to be for the long term. Could you therefore give me a summary of how the career progression and the promotion system works beyond the graduate scheme"? This is also a good opportunity to attempt to have another crack at a question that you feel went particularly badly during the interview. It takes some guts to say it, but if you really floundered on a particular question you can say "Earlier on I did not feel I did myself justice on your question about being in an uncomfortable situation, are you happy for me to have another attempt at answering? You may feel this is too risky but if you are able to provide a competent answer a second time round then you will pick up bonus points for courage! 11. Make sure you know your C.V/application form inside out. You will be asked questions on it. Read through it beforehand and try to do some question spotting. 12. Practice as much as you can before the interview. Buy an interview book full of questions and hand them to a friend / family and ask them to pick ten at random. Use the internet too

- there are plenty of example questions out there which you can practice your four point answer style to. If there's no one around e.g. when you are travelling to the interview, practise answering questions in your head. END