This is one of the most important parts of a recruitment process - your performance in an interview will directly reflect the level of preparation you’ve done in advance. Unprepared candidates can come across as nervous and may ramble in their responses or may even forget simple, but crucial points or examples. Preparation will help iron out these hiccups and help you feel more confident in your approach.
A common interview style is known as behavioural based interviewing. This asks interviewees to draw upon their past experiences to demonstrate some key capabilities or competencies relevant to the role they are interviewing for. A common approach to answering these types of questions is to use the STAR or SAO format. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result, while SAO stands for Situation, Action and Outcome. So in your responses, you should provide the context of the Situation or Task, outline the Actions that you took, and then explain what the Result or Outcome was. This helps the hiring panel to understand your past experiences.
In preparing for an interview, it’s hard to know exactly which questions you will be asked, so a good tip is to think about your past experiences. These can be from university or school, from any sports activities, volunteer work or any paid employment that may be related to your field of study or casual employment. Then relate your experiences to some key areas that you may be asked about. Reviewing the job advert or position description will help provide some ideas. Then apply the STAR or SAO format. Even if specific questions or areas you’ve come up with aren’t asked about, you will have some great examples to draw upon.
During an interview, it is common to be nervous, and when nervous sometimes we focus so much on making a good impression we may actually miss the question being asked. If you start to feel nervous, take a few deep breaths or have a sip of water. Listen to the question to make sure your response is relevant and you select the best example to demonstrate your strengths. If you do miss the question or partway through your response you feel that you have gone off track, you can ask the interviewers to repeat the question. Just don’t do this for every question, or the interviewers may start to question your ability to listen.
The interview is just as much about seeing if the business is a right fit for you as it is that you are right for the business! It is a great opportunity for you to ask questions that provide answers to things that are important to you.
You should research the company before the interview to understand what the organisation does, the business’ mission and values, and to see if there is alignment with your own, and to see if this is a role that you could see yourself doing. We recommend thoroughly reading the company website and searching for news articles.
We also recommend preparing some questions in advance to take with you to the interview. As well as finding out what you want to know, the questions you ask will provide the panel with insight into who you are and what you care about. It is an opportunity at the end of an interview to make your mark with the panel. Take the time to prepare great questions. You may want to ask more questions about the role or the team or what the culture is like.
First impressions are extremely important, and providing a good one goes a long way towards being successful with your application. It is important to make sure your attire is appropriate. Avoid wearing casual items such as ripped clothes, jeans or inappropriate footwear such as runners or thongs and avoid wearing strong perfumes, or overloading on makeup. If you are a smoker, avoid having a cigarette close to your interview.
If your interview or assessment is virtual, it is still important to dress appropriately. This will also help you to feel more confident and be in the right mindset for work.
On making good first impressions, a simple win to keep in mind is to turn your phone to silent, switch vibrate off, and place it and any personal belongings under the table, or somewhere tucked away and out of sight. Leaving your phone on the table indicates you feel you may have a more important matter to attend to, not to mention it can cause unnecessary distractions. Sitting at the interview table with a notebook, pen, and a marked up position description or pre-written notes is a good tip. It shows that you’re prepared, passionate and enthusiastic about the position.
If your interview or assessment is face to face, be sure to know your trip and travel time in advance, and leave plenty of room for traffic or delays. If you are travelling by car, ensure you know where there is parking available for more than the allotted interview time, so you don’t get a parking ticket. If you are unsure about where to park or the length of the interview, you can always reach out to the Early Careers team who will happily provide this information to you. If you are using public transport, plan your trip in advance and factor in time for any potential delays.
It is a good idea to arrive earlier than the interview – but not too much! We recommend showing up about 10 minutes early. This allows you time to get into the building and settle before your interview, but it doesn’t leave you waiting in the lobby or other waiting area too long, which can add to the nerves. If you are early, go grab a coffee and review your notes.
If your interview or assessment is virtual, make sure you test your computer, the internet connection, your video and audio prior to the day. If you would like to make a time to test this, you can always reach out to the Early Careers team who will happily work with you. On the day of your interview or assessment, please make sure you are logged on and ready to go 10 minutes before the start time to allow for any last-minute technical adjustments. Also prior to the day, find out if there are dial-in details you can use to call in from a phone if your internet goes down or you have a bad connection. It’s smart to have a backup plan.
The interview and assessment is a great opportunity for you to showcase your individuality and what you can bring to the business, on both a professional and personal level. Here at Leidos Australia, we value diversity and encourage you to bring your whole self to work. We encourage you to be enthusiastic about your passions and interest in your chosen field, and in our industry. We love to hear about what motivates you, what you enjoy, and why you chose to study for your chosen degree. Your enthusiasm also allows us to get a great picture of the wonderful person that you are, and all you can bring to our business.
Remember that it is important to be honest and genuine in your responses as this adds to your credibility. It is important to answer questions with truthful answers – especially if you do not know the answer as nobody knows everything! You could explain how you would go about learning that particular topic to show you are keen to learn or give an example of a similar scenario. It is also important, to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses as this can provide the interviewer with an idea of where you might be able to add value to the business but also where some upskilling or further training could be offered. It is also natural to feel anxious or nervous when being interviewed but remember it is important to remain yourself and make sure that your true personality shines through. Try and relax.
If you are unsuccessful in an interview, it is natural and ok to feel disappointed. However, try to learn from the experience. The more experience you gain, the better you will perform in the next one. Make sure you ask for feedback as to how you went, why you were not selected for the role and anything you could do better or differently next time. Don’t take it personally, as there are usually a large number of applicants and many variables involved in selecting the right candidate. Take constructive feedback on board and use the experience gained for future interviews.
Keep your chin up – resilience and persistence are key to being successful - both in landing the right role and also throughout your career as it progresses.
Once you have landed the job, you will want to make sure you are adding value and making an impact, which is the perfect mindset to begin a new role. Keep in mind that you are still learning the lay of the land, so try not to take on too many things at once. Create small achievable goals in order to successfully hit personal targets. Make it a point to introduce yourself or connect with your key stakeholders in the first few weeks - it’s important to invest in these relationships as you build your personal brand. Also, make sure to ask lots of questions, even when they seem basic or mundane - knowing is better than trying to muddle through without being certain.
There are many ways to make a good impression, the key here is to make sure you communicate well, stay positive and maintain energy, the rest you will learn along the way.
All the best