interview technique ...

Psychologists will tell you that people make their minds up about someone in the first few seconds of meeting with them. It is therefore essential that anyone going in for a job interview should focus on his or her visual presentation and personality style. This is especially true of sales based roles in Financial Services. Selling in this market is all about professional presence, so ignore it at your peril. The likelihood is that you will be competing against others with similar qualifications etc to yourself, so a face-to-face meeting is a great opportunity for you to stand out. The interview provides a platform for you to differentiate yourself from the rest. Don’t let it be an opportunity to hang yourself with sloppy presentation.

If you follow the interview preparation guidelines below this should help you overcome any interview nerves and instil confidence for a productive meeting with your potential employer. Remember, you need to leave them with the feeling that you could competently and confidently sell their company’s proposition or support those sales, so start by selling yourself.

Practical tips

Double check the date, time and location of the interview and be familiar with the name and title of the interviewer. Take your interview confirmation letter with you.
Prepare your interview outfit in advance - all of it. Ensure your appearance is immaculate, appropriate and comfortable.
Familiarise yourself with the journey to the location, to ensure you arrive in plenty of time. If driving, do a 'dummy run'. Check timetables and book train tickets in advance. Anticipate delays, especially on unknown routes. Contact your interviewer swiftly if you are unavoidably delayed on the day.
Do not arrive over-laden with belongings! Take your references and any examination certificates only if requested.

Do, however, take a spare CV, a copy of the job specification if available and a notepad and pen. A mobile phone is always useful but ensure it is turned OFF before arrival at reception.
Be punctual for your meeting but it is inadvisable to arrive more than a quater of an hour early. Leave yourself enough time to visit the toilets and tidy up if necessary.
Remember that you start making an impression on your prospective employer the moment you arrive at reception. Be courteous to the Receptionist and any other staff you may meet prior to your interview. Their opinion of you is often sought and may even have some influence on the final selection.

Research

Find out, in advance, as much information as possible about your prospective employer, its product range, markets and services. From websites alone it should be possible to familiarise yourself with mission statements, culture, future goals, current analyst ratings etc. Be aware that if your prospective employer does have a comprehensive website, you may seriously compromise your chances if it becomes apparent you have not taken time to research it.

If there is no company website, it is still easy to research your employer. Most national newspapers and industry publications have online sites with archive articles. You can also utilise web search engines just by entering the company name. Talk to anyone you know who has worked or is working at the organisation – we are often able to arrange this if you don’t know anyone personally. If all else fails, telephone the company and request general information. Finally, remember that we are always here to help you so please ask us if you still feel unsure about anything – we may well have the answer.

As mentioned earlier, make sure you have the latest job specification if one was provided. Try to match key accountabilities on the specification with your own personal experiences. This process should help you to pre-empt questions that you may be asked. It’s also important to know your CV inside out. You need to have your experience at your fingertips before an interview.

The interview

Greet your interviewer standing, with a strong, firm handshake and a smile! Good body language is vital. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Speak clearly and confidently. Try and maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout.
A standard interview will generally start with an introductory chat, moving on to questions specific to your application and experience. General information about the company and role may follow, finishing with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions. Make sure you have some intelligent questions ready.
Be familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer.
LISTEN to what is being asked of you. Think about your answers to more difficult questions and do not give irrelevant detail. Give positive examples from your experience to date but be concise. Avoid one word answers however. Prepare yourself in advance for likely questions (see next section for common interview questions).
Avoid using too much “fundspeak” when giving your answers. Your technical competence should be obvious from your qualifications, so with general questioning try to use as little jargon as possible. The chances are that your interviewer will be assessing your communication and selling skills, so plain speaking will always be more impressive.
Be ready to ask questions that you have prepared beforehand. This can demonstrate you have thought about the role and done some research on the organisation. Ensure they are open i.e not demanding “yes/no” answers, thereby encouraging the interviewer to provide you with additional information.
Show your enthusiasm for the role, even if you have some reservations. These can be discussed at a later stage

Top 10 interview questions......and how you should answer them

As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail", so here is a valuable insight into the world of interview questions and the techniques best used to answer them.

There are some questions that are asked frequently in interviews and you should prepare your answers beforehand. The key things to remember when responding to interview questions are to keep your answers relevant, brief and to the point. If you are faced with a difficult question, make sure you stay calm, don't get defensive and take a moment to think about your response before you answer.

Remember, these responses are only suggestions. Try to personalise your response as much as possible.

Q. Tell me about yourself.

A. Identify some of your main attributes and memorise them. Describe your qualifications, career history and range of skills, emphasising those skills relevant to the job on offer.

Q. What have your achievements been to date?

A. Select achievements that are work-related and fairly recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievements and quantify how they benefitted the company.

Q. Are you happy with your career to date?

A. This question is really about your self-esteem, confidence and career aspirations. The answer must be 'yes', followed by a brief explanation as to what it is about your career so far that's made you happy. If you have hit a career plateau, or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must qualify your answer.

Q. What is the most challenging situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it?

A. The purpose of this question is to find out what you consider to be challenging situations and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving. In order to show yourself in a positive light, select a difficult work situation which was not caused by you and which can be quickly explained in a few sentences. Explain how you defined the problem, what the options were, why you selected the one you did and what the outcome was. Always end on a positive note.

Q. What do you like about your present job?

A. This is a straightforward question. All you have to do is make sure that your 'likes' correspond to the skills etc. required in the job on offer. Be enthusiastic, describe your job as interesting and diverse but do not overdo it - after all, you are looking to leave.

Q. What do you dislike about your present job?

A. Be cautious with this answer. Do not be too specific as you may draw attention to weaknesses that will leave you open to further problems. One approach is to choose a characteristic of your present company, such as its size or slow decision-making processes etc. Give your answer with the air of someone who takes such issues in your stride as part of the job. Whatever you do, don’t “knock” your current boss or company. This would not do you any favours at all.

Q. What are your strengths?

A. This is one question that you are almost certain to get so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four proficiencies e.g. your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal etc. Give examples of the above. Make sure you have statistics to hand about your sales performance, even if your role is in sales support. It’s important to show that you align your strengths with the success of your organisation. This will show that you are results oriented.

Q. What is your greatest weakness?

A. Do not say you have none - this will lead to further problems. You have two options - use a professed weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) on your part in an area that is not vital for the job. For example, ‘I have not had too much experience of this class of business but I understand its principles and benefits and I know how to sell, so I can’t see it being a big hurdle for me’. The second option is to describe a personal or professional weakness that could also be considered to be a strength and the steps you have taken to combat it. An example would be, 'I know my team think I'm too demanding at times - I tend to drive them pretty hard but I'm getting much better at using the carrot and not the stick'.

Q. Why do you want to leave your current employer?

A. State how you are looking for a new challenge, more responsibility, a broadening of experience etc. Do not be negative in your reasons for leaving. It is rarely appropriate to cite salary as your primary motivator.

Q. Why have you applied for this particular job?

A. The employer is looking for evidence that the job suits you, fits in with your general aptitudes, matches your long-term goals and involves doing things you enjoy. Make sure you have a good understanding of the role and the organisation and describe the attributes of the organisation that interest you most.

Other questions to consider:

What do you enjoy about this industry?
Give an example of when you have worked under pressure.
What kinds of people do you like working with?
Give me an example of when your work was criticised and how did you deal with this.
Give me an example of when you have felt aggrieved at work. How did you cope and did you still do a good job?
What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
Give me an example of when you have had to face a conflict of interests at work and how did you deal with this.
What are the strongest objections you have had to counter in a sales role to date and how did you manage them.
Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your boss.
Do you prefer to work alone or in a group? Why?
This organisation is very different to your current employer - how do you think you are going to fit in?
What are you looking for in a company?
How do you measure your own performance?
What kind of pressures have you encountered at work and how have you dealt with them.
Are you a self-starter? Give me examples to demonstrate this?
What changes in the workplace have caused you difficulty and why?
How do you feel about working long hours?
Give me an example of when you have been out of your depth.
What sales training have you had?
Where do you think the investment management market is heading?
What trends can you see in the financial advisory market?

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