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Complete guide to
interview success
Speaking with hundreds of candidates every
month, we know that looking for a job can be
stressful. It takes a lot of focus and confidence.
You should recognise your strengths, but more
importantly, you must know your weaknesses
and develop them to your advantage. Job
hunting requires plenty of preparation and this is
why we created this guide. Interviewing is our
bread and butter and we’ve seen it all. So, here
are our insights, tips and tricks which will help
you succeed.

Prepare in advance
Give yourself time and don’t wait until the eleventh hour to begin.
You can find reassuring guidance on our Ignite Digital candidate
resource filter on our blog or on our Facebook page. It will also
save you some time and keep you focused on exactly what you
need to do in order to land the role you want.

Research
Research the market and competitors. Go beyond their website and
try to understand why the organisation are hiring. Think about the
current business challenges and opportunities. Use your network to
find information about the company and its culture and use
LinkedIn to gather information.

Rehearse
Rehearse answers to the most common interview questions outlined below in the Ignite Digital
Talent candidate resource. You may also like to practise the delivery of your answers, ensuring
that you can talk about yourself with confidence and clarity.
In the run up to your interview think about:
? Your CV. Refresh your memory on key dates, past roles and people within the organisation.
? Asking a friend to do a mock interview with you.
? Your interview outfit. Think about the culture of the company and the role you are going for.
Times have changed...a suit and tie is not always necessary.
? How are you going to get to the interview and how long will it take?
? The job description. Be familiar with the role and have copies of your CV to take with you.

“Tell me about yourself.”
It’s easy to get side-tracked answering this question. The last thing you want to do, is tell
someone your life story! We recommend following the formula of Lily Zhang’s: Present-
Past-Future. Tell your interviewer what’s your current situation, how you got there and
what are your ambitions for the future.
Don’t recite your CV or share anything personal. Be concise. This is an opportunity to
talk through your CV. Outline your main skills, and how these are directly relevant to the
role. Explain your achievements, preferably quantified and what you could bring to the
role and business.
What questions am I likely to
be asked?

“What interests you about our role
and company?”
The interviewer wants to see how well you have researched this position,
how committed you really are and why you are looking for a new job.
Make sure you have done your research on the company structure,
finances, products and services. Look at their key staff, clients and
competitors. Try to gain some insight on market trends and the
challenges they may face going forward. Our Ignite Digital Talent blog will
help you keep up to date on current trends.

“Tell me about a difficult situation at
work and how you dealt with it.”
The interviewer wants to know how you react under pressure and how
you problem solve. Think of examples which demonstrate your strengths
and avoid any examples which are very personal or involved a
disagreement or an error on your part.

“Tell me about your strengths.”
Focus on what you know they are looking for. The job specification and your
company research will give you the information you need.
It is beneficial to think about your strengths in 3 categories;
? Knowledge-Based Skills which are specific to your training and experience
? Transferable Skills such as people skills which can be used in different roles
? Personal skills unique to you and how you work.
You may be empathetic or a strong dependable leader. Also try to think about
relevant examples which demonstrate your strengths in each area.

“Tell me about your weaknesses.”
Choose a weakness that doesn’t have a direct bearing on the role you are
going for or find a weakness that you can turn into a positive. A good
example is “I like to cover a lot of ground and sometimes take on too much.
However this forces me to prioritise and focus”.

“Tell me about your career goals.”
The interviewer is trying to understand how ambitious you are and if you have
specific career goals which may affect how long you may stay in this role.
They will be considering team dynamics and how you may fit in to the
business. Reassure them that the role you are applying for fits your career
plan and the culture of the company is in line with your style and approach.

…I get asked about my salary
expectations?
Salary negotiations are best handled at the job offer stage and it is highly
unlikely this will be discussed in the interview. Ignite Digital Talent will
guide you through this process as and when relevant. Try to avoid
discussing this at interview.
What if…?

…I get asked about skills or experience
I don’t have?
At Ignite Digital Talent our briefing process ensures that we have
a thorough understanding of both the role and the skills of our
candidates. We will have addressed any gaps in your experience against
the brief and assessed with the client if this is an issue before interview.
So don’t worry. If you get asked about a skill you don’t have,
demonstrate you have the potential to develop and adapt and your
approach to one of learning.

Answer questions with passion
To get a tech job, IT skills are important, but there are other factors involved in
the hiring process. Cultural fit, communication and motivation all play a part.
When interviewed, avoid giving just straight technical answers that sound like a
memorised definition from a textbook. You have to showcase your passion and
your personality.
Talk about the web-development side-projects you did in your free time. Speak
about the satisfaction you get when you finish a good build. Show off that you
are not just a skilled developer, but a colleague that the interviewer would be
happy to work with.
Top tips

Don’t lie
Never lie at a job interview, especially if it’s a technical role. If you don’t
know something or you are not sure about it, don’t try and make up an
answer. Don’t pretend you know a program or you’ve used it in your last
job.
Remember that the perfect candidate doesn’t exist, and the recruiter
doesn’t expect you to know everything: you can say that you aren’t
sure. Instead, try and give an answer based on what you think, and then
you can follow up by asking what the correct answer is to show that you
are genuinely interested.

Practice makes perfect
In any software position you apply to, you will, of course, be working with
specific programming languages. Java, MySQL, PHP, .NET to name a
few. Usually the job interview will encompass some technical questions
to test your real knowledge. If you are currently working in a not very
challenging job, it’s important to review the fundamentals and get ready
for a very specific test.

Ask for advice
How to best highlight your last work project? Is your CV too long or too
short? What salary should you negotiate?
Marketing yourself can be difficult if you don’t know exactly what the
employers are looking for. Having personalised advice from a specialist
recruiter can be the key to a successful move on in your career.
Here at Ignite Digital Talent we can offer the best advice to enhance your
CV and assist with your interview preparation.

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Complete guide to interview success

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Complete guide to interview success