Keep cool in the hot seat

Most people consider interviews tough enough without having to deal with tough questions. And although few employers ask awkward questions with malicious intent, you must still deal with them without losing your cool.

Awkward questions may seem unkind but interviewers are keen to draw out how you react under pressure. The key to handling them is thorough groundwork and the ability to think on your feet.

"A big mistake people make is not preparing for the interview," says Rob Yeung, business psychologist and author of Successful Interviews Every Time (How To Books).

"People think they can just walk into an interview and be themselves and talk off the top their head," he says.

But without doing your homework you are likely to end up kicking yourself and feeling you didn't do yourself justice.

"The candidates who do well aren't necessarily the best people for the jobs but they are good at getting job offers because they plan and prepare."

If you are a bit rusty on your interview technique, it is worth remembering organisations continually evolve the selection process.

"The way employers are assessing candidates is changing," says Rebecca Clake, a resourcing adviser in Britain.

"We do a survey every year on organisations' recruitment and retention practices. In years gone by, an interview would have involved a chat through your CV but these days many more companies are focusing on competencies."

Organisations identify a set of skills and qualities that are important to the job and ask questions based on how your past experience is relevant to the current post. And they want specific examples.

For example: "Can you describe a situation where you might have demonstrated leadership skills?" Or more awkwardly, "Can you tell me about a time when you were working with a team who were having problems getting on?"

The interviewer isn't interested in understanding how the emotional saga unfolded but how you coped.

"They want to know what the situation was, what you did about it and the result. That is quite a simple structure and it is useful to have some reasonably concise examples up your sleeve," says Clake.

Some of the toughest interview questions are the ones that appear the most straightforward.

" 'Tell me a bit about yourself' is a very common opening question," says Yeung. "It sounds simple enough, but quite often candidates will spin a long tale."

This is not the time to indulge your storytelling abilities. The key is to use every opportunity to put yourself in a good light. The best way to reassure an interviewer is to talk about your strengths and give examples.

"First thing is to look at the job advertisement," says Yeung. "What kind of skills are they looking for? If they talk about a team worker, leader and customer-service skills then you need to relate your strengths to those as closely as you can without lying."

And look for key phrases. "If it says 'must be tenacious' then you talk about your dedication and hard work."

Though few interviewers look like interrogation personnel, some questions will feel like the thumb screws are being applied.

Be particularly careful if your interviewer is a friendly figure who you are immediately reassured by. It is easy to be lulled into confessing all. That is not a good idea, particularly when you are asked, "What is your greatest weakness?"

"This is a direct invitation to put your head in a noose. Decline the invitation," says Martin John Yate, ex-personnel director and author of Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Kogan Page). There are various ways of dealing with this.

"Take a weakness from way back and show how you overcame it," he says. For example, you may say that when you first started work you found it difficult to multi-task but you have learned to make a list of things to do every day, juggle projects and prioritise. "You can then go on to describe how you have demonstrated excellent organisational skills in your most recent roles."

A friendlier but sneakier version of this question is, "What area of your skills or professional development do you want to improve at this time?"

"This is another tell-me-about-your-weaknesses question," says Yate. "You should try to avoid damaging your candidacy by tossing around careless admissions.

"One effective answer is to say, 'Well from what you've told me about the job I seem to have the necessary skills and background. What I would really find exciting is the opportunity to work on a job where ... ' "

This not only reassures the interviewer that you can do the job already but allows you to show your enthusiasm for certain aspects of it.

Then there are those intrusive questions. "Are you married? Do you intend to have children?" and "Aren't you a bit old for this job?" are prime examples.

You are not obliged to answer these as they are potentially discriminatory and may put you at a disadvantage when it comes to a selection decision.

"There is a whole range of legislation on equal opportunities and diversity and it is very important that interviewers are aware of the law," says Clake.

You can choose to answer these types of questions in a way that reassures the employer about your commitment to the company or you can politely suggest the question is not necessarily relevant.

"Selection is a two-way thing," says Clake. "It is a case of the organisation trying to find out more about your skills and experience, how you match the job and how you will fit into the organisation.

"It is also an opportunity for you to find out more about the job, more about the company and the kind of people who work there.

"If you had negative questions at interview and you felt you had been asked inappropriate questions, it is for you to consider whether that is where you want to work."

If you do get a question that you are finding tough it is sensible and acceptable to think for a moment.

Interviewers know you are only human and it is better to take a pause and think rather than start gabbling and realise a few minutes later that you really wish you had said something else.

You can always make up for a duff answer by asking intelligent questions at the end.

When you are released from the interview, be gentle on yourself, advises Clake. Do the preparation, do the best you can, and once it is over, put it out of your mind.

Regardless of whether you receive a job offer, ask for some feedback.

"Find out what went well and how you could have done better. Asking for feedback can be really helpful and you can use the information next time round."

Successful interviews

1. Find out all you can about the organisation.

2. Look carefully at the job advertisement and description. You don't wasn't to ask questions that have already been answered elsewhere.

3. Use the job description and any other information to figure out what qualities they are looking for.

4. Think of examples that illustrate your skills and abilities in these areas. Many interviewers will want you to talk about examples of your abilities.

5. Look over your CV and try to think of what questions they might ask. Friends can be helpful in identifying areas that may not be obvious to you.

6. Identify what you will wear. Does it fit the culture of the workplace? Is it clean and comfortable?

7. Get there early. You don't want to come running in at the last minute - it's better to wait, have a drink of water and catch your breath.

8. Take a pad of paper and a pen with you. It allows you to jot down any important points, including the names of interviewers.

9. Have at least one prepared question for the end of the interview - and don't make it about the pay. At a minimum, you can ask about next steps and their timeline for filling the post.

10. After the interview, and before the next business day, send a thank-you note or email saying you enjoyed the interview and look forward to hearing from them. You can attach any requested information or a point of clarification on your CV.

* Supplied by careers expert Dr Marie Wilson.

- INDEPENDENT