Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,
and in this tutorial, I am going to give you my A-Z of interviews. Now, if you have any
interview coming up whatsoever, please do make sure you watch this from beginning to
end because I've got 26 BRILLIANT TIPS to run through from A through to Z for passing
any interview whatsoever! So, before I get into those 26 tips, a very warm welcome to
this tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn, the bald chap there in the center. And I've
been helping people for about 20 years now to pass their interviews. And in this video,
like I say, we're going to focus on 26 Brilliant, and they really are brilliant, interview tips
to make sure you pass. Please subscribe to the channel, I very much appreciate your support.
And I would also much appreciate it if you gave the video a LIKE. Thank you very much.
So, let's get straight into these 26 tips, A through to Z. A - first tip, always prepare
for three types of interview questions, regardless of what interview you have coming up. Prepare
for these. First of all, motivational interview questions. And I will tell you what these
are in a second. So, motivational interview questions, research based interview questions
and behavioral interview questions. Those are the three ones that I want you to prepare
for. So motivational questions are: Tell me about yourself? Why should we hire you? What
are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in five years’
time? So I can pretty much guarantee (99 percent) that these will come up during your interview.
And I will tell you where you can get the answers for the majority of these as we go
through the tutorial. And I will actually give you the answers for some of them as we
progress. Now, research based interview questions. There are just two. What can you tell me about
our company? and Why do you want to work for us? So the first question catches out a lot
of people. What can you tell me about our company? They haven't done any research, but
you're going to be different. And I will tell you what to say. And then finally, perhaps
the toughest type of interview question is behavioral type. These are the kind of questions
that go: When have you worked as part of a team? So you have to give a specific example
of when you've been in that scenario. Describe a time when you worked under pressure? Tell
me about a situation when you used your initiative to solve a problem? And the way to answer
behavioral type interview questions is by giving a specific example when you were in
that in that situation that they are asking about. So, motivational questions, research
and behavioral. B - always be positive during your interview. Any negativity or a lack of
self-belief will get you nowhere. I understand that the majority of people are lacking in
confidence. They're nervous about their interview. Perhaps you've not been to an interview for
a long period of time? It does not matter. The important thing is to BE POSITIVE because
positivity attracts positivity back. So if you're negative in your interview in any way,
and I'll give you examples of those as we progress through this tutorial, then you are
less likely to get the interview. So always smile, always be positive and don't worry
about things that you are lacking in. So, if you don't have much experience, don't worry,
I will tell you how to overcome it. If you don't have, you know, if you have interview
nerves and you don't have much confidence, don't worry. We will tackle that as we work
through a through the types of interviews. Number C. Sorry. Letter C! Create a strong
answer to the first interview question. So I can guarantee the first interview question
is going to be, Tell me about yourself? It will be. So you may as well prepare an answer
for it. So here is my suggested answer to the interview question, Tell me about yourself?
“Thank you for inviting me to the interview today. I am a hardworking, determined and
passionate employee who will always go out of my way to complete a task to the highest
standards possible. Over the years, I have gained plenty of experience that is a match
for this role. I have also studied the job description in detail and I believe the core
skills I possess of customer service, working under pressure, teamwork and attention to
detail will all enable me to excel in the role. So, if you employ me, I feel strongly
you will be more than impressed with my strong work ethics, my ability to fit in well with
any team, but also my passion for delivering outstanding customer service.” That's what
I would say to the interview question, tell me about yourself? I now want you to prepare
an answer for that first interview question, tell me about yourself, so you can answer
that confidently. That gives you a platform to then move on for the rest of the interview,
so practice your answer to the interview question, tell me about yourself, because that will
then give you the confidence to move on. D - Don't say at any time during the interview
– “I don't really have much experience.” You don't need to say that. So don't say – “I
don't have much experience.” Not only is it negative, and of course it might be truthful,
you might not have much experience, but there is a better thing to say. So what you could
say, if you are in the position where you don't have much experience for the role you
are being interviewed for? Say: “My natural passion, drive and enthusiasm means I will
not only learn the job quickly, but I will also be able to contribute positively from
day one, if you hire me in this position.” The majority of interviewers or hiring managers
will know that you don't have much experience, because they will have looked at your resume
or your CV, but they have still invited you to the interview. So it is not perhaps an
objection to them, but I will tell you how to deal with objections as we go through this
tutorial. E is ‘even eye contact’. This is essential when answering the interview
questions. Now, some of you will go along to an interview and there will be one person
interviewing you. So that's fine. Just make sure you look at them. You look them in the
eye when you're answering, not aggressively, but if we look at this lady on the left, she's
smiling. She's got good posture, and she's looking at the person asking the question.
But if there's more than one person on the interview panel, let's say this lady asks
the first question, when responding to that interview question, you would look her in
the eye. And then as you continue with your answer, you would then look at the other two
people. So the point is, make sure you involve everyone during your answers to the interview
questions. That's a really good, strong point in respect of interview technique. F - Always
FOCUS on your strengths throughout the duration of the interview. So, I know what my strengths
are. Do you know what your strengths are? So I would encourage you to write down your
top three strengths and then use them to your advantage during the interview. No my key
strengths that I believe have always helped me in any job I've gone for, or when running
a business as an entrepreneur, are my POSITIVITY, the fact that I am ORGANIZED and also my DETERMINATION.
So, if I was going along to an interview, I'd write these down and then I would focus
on them in my answers to the questions. So I would say: “My positivity will make the
customers experience all the more enjoyable.” “My organizational abilities mean I will
carry out lots of tasks all at the same time.”, and also: “My determination means I will
succeed whilst under pressure.” So write down your top three strengths. They might
be the fact that you're great with customers. You might have great interpersonal skills
or communication skills, or you might be a brilliant team worker! So write down your
top three strengths. Then think about how you would focus on them throughout the duration
of the interview. G - Give evidence based answers to the interview questions where possible.
So those people who pass interviews time and time again are those people who can show the
interview panel that they have experience in a particular element of the job they're
being interviewed for, and they can give evidence. So, for example, if you're going for a job
that requires an ability to deal with customers, they will give examples of when they've already
worked with customers successfully. So this is what's called an ‘evidence-based’ answer.
So here's an example of what an evidence based answer for the interview question “When
have you dealt with a customer complaint?” So my answer would be – “In a previous
job, I often had to deal with customers. One particular time I was dealing with a customer
complaint and I went out of my way to not only follow the company's complaints procedure,
but I also took the time to resolve the complaint successfully for the customer. I listened
to their concerns, and I apologized before coming up with a resolution that they were
satisfied with.” So give a specific example, that's the way to answer interview questions
when they require evidence! H - Have two to three questions ready to ask the interview
panel at the end of your interview. So, have two to three questions prepared already. Now,
I've been interviewing people in the past and I can remember one particular person asking
me seven questions at the end, and I had to stop them. It was too much. Now I admire their
enthusiasm, but you only need to ask two or three questions. And I think you should ask
questions! Some people say, no, I haven't got any questions because you've answered
everything during the interview. Just say - I just have two or three questions. Now,
we need to make sure that you ask questions that put you across in a positive light. So
these are simple questions. Here they are. So what are the plans for your company over
the next three to five years? Because that shows that you're planning on staying with
them for a long period of time. Next question. Have you launched any new products or services
recently and have they been a success? So you're giving the interview panel the opportunity
to talk about something that they're passionate about. And then finally: What would you need
me to focus on in the first few weeks of starting, if I'm successful? So this demonstrates that
you're already thinking ahead about what you're going to do in the role and what they want
you to focus on. So, two or three questions at the most and make sure they're intelligent.
And those three are great ones! By the way, if you need to pause the video at any time,
please feel free to do so, so you can take notes. And also, if you haven't done so yet,
I’d very much appreciate it If you SUBSCRIBE to the channel. Thank you very much. I - So
this is about ‘I’ when answering behavioral type interview questions. You know those questions
when they say: “Can you give an example of when you've worked under pressure?” “Can
you give an example of when you used your initiative to solve a problem?” Make sure
you use the word ‘I’ as much as possible. It's about YOU. So, if they were to say to
you, can you give an example of when you you've worked as part of a team? and you start talking
about everyone else in the team, and you hardly talk about yourself, then you are not demonstrating
the key skills that you have that are a benefit to them within their organization. So, talk
about yourself as much as possible. If the question was: “Tell me about a time when
you worked as part of a team?” I'd be saying: I listened to the team brief carefully. I
focused on the end goal all times and I made sure I supported the other team members throughout
the task. J - J is for JOB description. Make sure you read the job description or the job
advert before you go to the interview. This is really, really important. One of the most
important tips, I would suggest! If we look at a sample job description, a lot of them
will say you need to be able to provide excellent customer service, you should be able to demonstrate
excellent attention to detail skills, you must be able to work on the pressure to complete
challenging tasks, and also work as part of a team to meet the organization's goals. I
have highlighted in bold excellent customer service, attention to detail, work under pressure,
work as part of a team. I would write them down. So I get the job description, I read
it and then I take a note of what the core skills are, and qualities that they need,
for someone to carry out the job to the standards required. I would then be reaffirming those
during the interview. I would say – “My core strengths are.” They say: What are
your strengths? I'd go: “I'm really good at customer service. I have really strong
attention to detail skills. I won't make mistakes. If you put me under pressure, that's when
I perform to the highest standards. And I'm also brilliant at working with people. I prefer
to work as part of a team.” So I'll be focusing on those. What you're doing there, is you’re
resonating positively with the things that the interviewer or the hiring manager want
from the successful candidate. K - Keep using ACTION VERBS in your answers. Now, action
verbs are positive words, and again, they will resonate positively with the interview
panel. What are action verbs, some good ones you can use? Accomplished. Write these down.
Accomplished. I ACHIEVED some amazing things whilst working from my previous employer.
Before I carry out a task, I make sure that I ANALYZE the information carefully because
I don't want to make mistakes. I BOOSTED the performance of the team by contributing effectively.
I always make sure that I COMMUNICATED effectively during the team task. I COMPLETED things as
quickly as possible to a high standard. I CREATED lots of different ideas to help the
team. These are all ACTION VERBS. Some more: responded, undertook, updated, provided, worked,
resolved, generated. These are all good action verbs that you can use, and they will put
you across as a strong employee, someone attractive to the hiring manager. Great words to use!
L - Leave a lasting, positive impression by saying the following at the end of your interview.
So, you get to the end of the interview. They've said to you: “Have you got the questions?”
You've asked those two or three questions, and then say this at the end of your interview:
“You can shove the job where the sun doesn’t shine!” No, don't say that! I'm joking!
Do not say that at all! But, I want you to say something at the end of your interview.
Say this at the end. “I just want to say thank you for inviting me along to the interview
today. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I genuinely hope I get the opportunity to
show you what I can do, and how I can contribute to your company.” The reason why I want
you to say something like that is, you walk out of the interview room, you shake their
hand, you walk out. They are then probably going to assess you. So they will discuss
you and mark you. That last thing that you've said will stick in their minds. Nobody else
will say this. I'll guarantee it. But you're being polite, and you are being positive.
M - Make sure you give a FIRM HANDSHAKE at the start of the interview, and also at the
end, prior to leaving. You will notice this lady here is pleasant. The young lady is looking
at this person in the eye. Don't shake their hand and look away. Shake somebody standing.
You should, whenever you shake someone's hand, you should look them in the eye, not aggressively,
but just look at them. It's really good interview technique. OK. This doesn't look very good.
So this is a bit of an exaggeration, but (N) never say you didn't get on with your former
boss or coworkers during the interview. Just don't say it! Even if it's the case, it does
happen. You know, I've worked for people before that I didn't really get on that well with.
But I would never say it during the interview. I would never say it. When they say to you
– “Why do you want to leave your current job?” Don't say, well, I didn’t really
get on with the team. They don't understand me! What you should say, or what I would say
is: “Well, my employer has been brilliant. I really enjoyed my time there and we've achieved
some amazing things together. However, I am now ready for a new challenge and I want to
work for an exciting, forward thinking organization like yourself, where my skills and experience
will be put to good use.” That's a safe answer. That's what I would use when they
say to you – “Why do you want to leave your current job?” O - Only sit down and
interview chair when they invite you to do so. So it's a little tip, but it's these that
all add up to positivity and putting you across in a good, a good manner. So I've been in
interviews before, and it's a common known fact, that the interviewer will form an impression
of you within the first seven or eight seconds, as soon as you walk into the room. You shake
their hand firmly, you look them in the eye and then don't sit down in the interview chair
until they invite you to do so. It's just good manners. Stand by the chair. Okay. Take
a seat. Thank you very much. And then you sit there, so you're forming a good impression.
But if we wind back a little bit, you attend the interview location and you're sat outside.
Usually there will be a receptionist. They might be watching you and they might be feeding
back later on to the interviewer or the hiring manager. So if you look at these four people
here, you can see that this person is looking at his watch. The lady on the end is resting
their elbow on the on the radiator. It doesn't look good. So just, you know, sit there, smile,
be polite and just wait patiently. Okay. Form a good positive first impression. P - As I've
mentioned throughout, POSITIVE WORDS, phrases and sentences will make a huge difference
to your scores during your interview. They will. Okay. Examples of positive key words
and phrases. Take a note out of these. My strong values of work ethics mean I will always
perform to an exceptionally high standard. If you hire me in this position, I will not
let you down. During difficult and challenging tasks, I always remember to remain calm, composed
and focused. I am the type of person who thrives under pressure. So they are all positive.
Be positive throughout your interview! Q - Quality employees are not necessarily the ones who
have the most experience. You can have loads of experience, but you can still be not a
great person to work with. That's a fact. If you don't have much experience, don't worry.
And even if you do have a lot of experience, you still need to show that you can learn
the role quickly. These are the most important things a hiring manager or an employer will
want from you. Your ability to LEARN quickly. I don't want to spend weeks and months supervising
you. I want you to be able to go away, learn a job quickly. Also, your LIKABILITY factor.
So, I do apologize. I spelt that wrong, but your likability factor is really important.
Okay. If you get on in the team, people like you. That is a big plus. Your ENTHUSIASM for
the job. You want to add in the enthusiasm for the job will trump any level of experience!
You turn up at my interview and your enthusiasm, I like you and you will learn the job quickly.
That's a winner for me! R - Research the following three things before you go to your interview.
NUMBER ONE. What does the company do? Have a look on their website. Find out what they
do, because if they said to you: “OK, tell us about our company?” Now, I have asked
that question before numerous times in interviews. Most people don't know. And that is shocking.
You should know what the company does! And the more you know about them, the better.
If you can find out a little bit about their history, then do, because that will show above
and beyond what most people would know about a company. What about their latest products
or services? And also go on their website and have a look, if they have it, at the LATEST
NEWS section. So you can say, oh, recently I noticed that you'd launch a new product.
That's impressive, because then it shows that you are up to speed on what they are doing.
These are all basic things that will get your higher scores than your competitors. S - Make
sure you sit a MOCK INTERVIEW before you attend the real thing. Now, I'm going to tell you
soon where you can get a full list of 21 interview questions. Most of them will come up during
your interview. Why not get somebody to sit in front of you and fire the questions at
you, and you can practice them? Tell me about yourself? What are your weaknesses? What are
your strengths? Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? What would your former
work colleagues say about you? Questions like that. So practice them and then you will be
far better prepared than everyone else. Take, this is a good one… Take the time to understand
the interviewer's OBJECTIONS about you. Now everybody, all interviewers will have OBJECTIONS
relating to interviewees. If I went along to an interview, they would have some objections
about me. It's just normal, but nobody apart from you will consider what those objections
are. And this is about looking at yourself and going, well, they're bound to have some
objections. Now, common objections might be: I'm not sure you have the experience for this
particular position, or: I'm not sure you would fit into our team. Or a common one is:
I'm concerned about the number of jobs you've held in such a short period of time? These
are all common interview objections. How do we overcome them? Let's look at this one.
I'm not sure you've got the experience for this position, I would say. “I can understand
your concerns, although I do lack some experience, I more than make up for it in my ability to
learn things quickly. I can follow rules and training to the letter. I also have lots of
enthusiasm and passion for getting the job done quickly. I'm someone who will fit into
your team and I will learn a job in super-quick time, which means you don't need to spend
your valuable time supervising me or continually monitoring my performance.” I'm overcoming
the objection. You're selling yourself. I'm not sure you would fit into our team. Here's
what I would say. “One of my core strengths is I understand your organization needs to
employ someone who will not only fit into the team, but who will also focus on helping
you achieve your goals and objectives. At the end of the day, I will only have a job
with your company if I do fit in and I perform to a very high standard. I feel I am a strong
team worker and the interpersonal skills I possess will ensure I work hard to help your
team complete the tasks and projects it needs to focus on.” So I would be overcoming that
objection. This is a real common sense. A lot of people have lots of jobs for various
reasons. It's normal, but it would be a concern. So I'm concerned about the number of jobs
you've held in such a short period of time? Here's how I would answer this. “It's been
important for me to gain employment with a company that is a match for my own skills
and experience. Now, I can totally understand your concerns, but please let me reassure
you that having researched the person specification, the job description and your company in detail,
I feel very confident I would be with you for many years to come and you'd be more than
satisfied with my performance.” What's important here is that you recognize the objection.
“I totally understand your concerns.” and then you overcome them. That's the way
to do it. You understand what the hiring manager or interviewer is looking for, and you give
it to them in the answers to the interview questions. Okay. U - Understand what they're
looking for. How do you do that? Well, there is this thing that I've just mentioned in
the previous tip, which is called the PERSON SPECIFICATION. So the interviewer or the hiring
manager will have created an outline, a blueprint of what they want from the successful candidate.
You get a copy of that, and then you match it. Let's have a look at an example for a
particular job. This is an example person specification for the admin administrative
assistant. Okay. So you can see they're managing multiple tasks efficiently. So, prior to the
interview, I would look at this document and then I would think of a time when I have managed
lots of tasks efficiently. I would also think about a time when I was flexible in a work
situation. Maybe I stayed behind at work for a long period of time to help out my manager
whenever I could. Communicated effectively. Maybe I had to give a presentation at work,
or I had to change and adapt my style of communication to suit the audience. Also, when I worked
under pressure, I would give an example of that. So by getting a copy of the PERSON SPECIFICATION
for your particular job that you were being interviewed for, you are not only being savvy,
but you are being intelligent because it will enable you to find out what they are looking
for and then you can give them evidence in your answers. V - The victory at the interview
is dependent on the following four things. Number one, your likability, what you’re
like as a person. Don't forget what I mentioned about POSITIVITY attracts POSITIVITY. Giving
evidence, as I've just mentioned, of how you match the job specification. Your enthusiasm
for the role, and how you are a match for their company. Will you fit in to their team?
Those are the four things that are really important. W - When the interview is over,
go home, or back to work, and then send the following thank you letter or email. Actually,
don't send it from work! Send it from home. Okay, you could do it on your phone if you
wanted to as soon as you leave the building of where the interview is. But send this,
and there's an important reason why I want you to send this. I'll tell you in a second.
But this is what I want you to send. Subject: A thank you note following my interview today.
Dear sir, madam, I wanted to follow up with a quick message to say thank you for inviting
me along to the interview. I very much enjoyed the experience and if you need any further
information to assist in making a decision, please don't hesitate to contact me. Now,
what this does is two things. It's positive, and it's polite. But let's say you don't get
the job. Let's say, hopefully you will, but let's say you don't get the job. It's another
positive thing that they will remember about you. Now, a lot of people go for jobs. It
doesn't always work out. I've been in a situation before where I've interviewed for a position;
the person started. It didn't work out. And the first thing I do is I go back to my list
of people who didn't get a job. I interviewed them. You will be the person who stands out
there positively, if you've sent that. So make sure you send it. Nobody else will send
it. X - Don't say any of the following during your interview! Please don't say these! “I
don't really have much experience.” or “How much leave will I be entitled to?” you should
not be asking that question. “I plan to stay with you for a year or so and then I'll
be moving on” Other people have said that to me before. I admire their honesty. But
I'm not going to employ them. I am not going to spend a whole year training them up, getting
them competent in the role, for them to then leave. I just wouldn't take you on, regardless
of how good you were. “I didn't really see eye to eye with my former boss.” Don't say
“All my work colleagues didn't seem to understand me. So don't say any of those. Don't forget.
Just be positive at all times. Y - I've got one more tip after this, so please do watch
it. But you can download my 21 Great Answers To Tough Interview Questions at that link
in the top right hand corner. I created 21 that you can download, and they’re really
strong answers, and they will put you across in that great light, that positive manner
that I want you to come across in. The final one. Z. Make sure you get a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP
prior to your interview! Now, this is obviously important. You will perform better if you
get a good night's sleep. So finally, thank you very much for watching! I hope you've
enjoyed that. Please do support my channel by subscribing, and please give it a LIKE
if you've enjoyed it. I'm shattered now, but I've really enjoyed giving it those 26 tips.
If you've got any questions, put them in the comments section below. But I hope you've
enjoyed my training and I wish you the best in passing your interview. Have a brilliant
day!