Interview Hints & Tips

Whether your interview is over the telephone, or face to face the following tips should help you get the most out of the experience and hopefully one step closer to the job you want at Zen.

General Interview preparation

• Make sure you have a good look through the careers website and also any corporate websites as part of your research
• Review the job details in advance of your interview and consider which of your experiences and achievements relate most closely to the requirements and responsibilities of the role
• Be prepared to explain situations / scenarios clearly and concisely; explaining your specific role and contribution
• Think about how you can demonstrate your success – measurable examples are very useful (e.g. how much money did you save? By what percentage did you improve efficiency?)
• Prepare a couple of questions that you may want to ask about the company, department or role
• If the interview is face to face plan your route and even do a trial run to ensure you know where you are going on the day
  

The interview
For telephone interviews:

• Ensure you are somewhere quiet where you can speak freely and concentrate on the interview (e.g. not sitting in a crowded space with lots of background noise and possible interruptions!)
• If you’re using your mobile make sure it’s fully charged up and receiving good signal
• You won’t have the benefit of using body language to enhance your point, so ensure you talk clearly, concisely and not too fast
  

For face to face interviews:

• Plan to be slightly early, but not too early, so you will be relaxed and unflustered. If for any reason you are going to be unavoidably late then call a member of the HR team so they can call your interviewer and explain the situation
• Dress appropriately, neatly and conservatively – don’t be afraid to ask what the dress code is to make sure you look the part
• Remember to smile! Interviews are never fatal and can be satisfying if you relax. Try and avoid showing signs of nervousness such as fidgeting, drumming of fingers etc
• Demonstrate genuine enthusiasm, interest, and confidence. This is your opportunity to sell yourself and explain why you are the right person for the role.
• Don’t give general examples (relating to we, they, the company)
• Do give solid, specific examples (explain exactly what you do/did) with a decent amount of detail
• Clearly and concisely set the context of any example (where / why / who / how)
• Be mindful of time and follow the structure provided by the interviewer
• At the end of the interview check the next stage of the process, thank them for their time and tell them you enjoyed speaking/meeting them.