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HomeBlog General Furthering your career: Part 2 interview no no’s

Furthering your career: Part 2 interview no no’s

16th May 2013

So recently I discussed what not to do when writing a CV to get you an interview.  But once you get to interview stage there are still a huge number of potential pitfalls standing between you and your dream job.

1. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

So it may have been sold to you as an informal 1st stage interview or be a telephone screening 1st stage, but don’t fall into the trap of believing that this means you need to be any less prepared.

The job market is very competitive at the moment and it is imperative that you come across as particularly keen to work for the company interviewing you – not just desperate for a job!

There is a fine line here, it is not necessary to know in full the mode of action of the pharma product you will be promoting or the entire consumer product range but it is important to know what it is about the company that attracts you to them and be aware of the main products they promote and any future pipeline so you can talk convincingly about why the company and the job is right for you.  If you haven’t considered all of these things then why are you interviewing with them anyway?

Although it seems basic, it’s also important to plan your route and how long it will take to get to the interview to ensure you arrive in good time and also to book time off work.  So many candidates try to attend interviews during work time, not only is this not fair on your current employer,  if you then have to cancel last minute due to last minute meetings, this doesn’t reflect well on you as how you treat your current employer is an indicator of how you will treat your new employer.

Similarly with a telephone interview, ensure that you have set aside at least an hour when you can talk undisturbed, ideally on a landline which won’t be affected by signal problems. 

2. Knowing you

It may sound obvious, but make sure you know your CV!  Particularly if a third party has submitted your CV as they may have made alterations.  It is a good idea to request a copy o the CV they have sent so you know what the interviewer is looking at.

When asked to tell the interviewer about yourself – this is not your cue to begin with the school sports day where you came 1st in the egg and spoon race and recount every step of your career since, nor is your interviewer interested in the politics and internal movements of each employer you have worked with to date,  nor are they keen to hear about the running club you are part of in your spare time and how you’ve just achieved your personal best. 

This is your opportunity to sell yourself and why you are right for this role, so tell the interviewer why this is the case by selecting the elements of your experience and achievements which demonstrate this to talk about.

3. Reasons for Leaving

I firmly believe that when discussing why you are looking to move jobs honesty is always the best policy.  Stick to the facts and remain professional, refrain from any personal opinions on other employee’s in your current organisation and simply be clear about what it is that you are not getting in your current role that you believe can be gained from joining the new company you are interviewing for.

Vague reasons for leaving such as looking for a new challenge often only raise more questions as to why you don’t find your current role challenging and are you doing enough in it, or indicate that you are covering up a rift with your manager, lack of motivation or even under performance.  Similarly be careful about money being your only reason for moving as a potential new employer may be concerned about your commitment and feel you will move on quickly if another opportunity paying more appears.  

If you have been unfortunate enough to be made redundant then ensure that you are armed with how the decision to make your role redundant was made and why you were not selected for another role as unfortunately this is a reason often used to cover up the end of a contract due to poor performance and you need to be able to reassure your interviewer that this was not the case.

4. The dreaded STAR Format

Candidate errors during competency based interviews often fall into two camps, they either ignore any advice on how to answer a competency based interview question or over prepare numerous examples in a perfect STAR format.  The former often ends up rambling through examples and going off on a tangent while the latter struggles to answer any question which doesn’t perfectly fit the pre-prepared answers.

Competency based interviews are designed to be able to predict how you will behave in future situations based on how you have behaved in the past – your job is therefore to allow the interviewer to understand exactly what you did in a particular scenario by talking them through the actions you took step by step.

Again, planning is key but don’t be so rigid in your planning that the examples you come up with can’t be flexed to answer a slightly different question.  Think about which of your career highlights you particularly want to talk about in advance and ensure you are clear on exactly how your role played out within that example but be able to flex how you use the example so that it can be used for a variety of questions.

5. Brag about it

It is vital in this industry that you take along with you evidence of your achievements which you can use to back up the examples you give.  This used to be in the form of a ‘brag’ file full of various printed out e-mails, league tables and certificates.  Of course you will still need to show relevant documentation and are likely to have some things in paper form, however recently I have also seen people using digital media to show their evidence which is also fine and shows that you have adapted to new technology.

Whichever media you choose, my feeling is that evidence works best when used sparingly – don’t expect your interviewer to leaf through 3 A4 files at the end of the interview or watch a presentation on your ipad, some don’t want to see anything at all – let’s face it you aren’t going to put anything negative in there!  Just choose one or two item’s per example that demonstrate the result of your actions.

6. Intelligent Questioning & Closing

Asking intelligent, well thought out questions can enhance your interview and show you are well prepared.  However, it can also highlight a lack of research on your part if you ask things which are readily available on the company website!  So try to direct questions which you couldn’t know the answer to previously, such as What does the manager see as being the main challenges in the role? or Why do they enjoy working for the company? 

This can then also open up the conversation for you to express your interest in the role and show your enthusiasm for joining the company.

As a sales person, you are expected to close at the end of an interview, but how you do this should fit with your personality and be something you are comfortable with.  Very few interviews end with the candidate being told they have got the job so please don’t close with “So, when do I start?”!!

I actually think that this part of the interview is underused and often just given lip service by candidates as they know they are supposed to close but also know they are unlikely to get a decision there and then.  However, if you use this as an opportunity to uncover any reservations your interviewer might have this gives you an opportunity to address these there and then and could be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful interview.

Don’t be the one to raise salary and certainly don’t ask about the car scheme as this can come across as a little shallow!  If money is raised then please be realistic about your expectations and be consistent with what you have said when applying for the position.  It is important to be honest about what you would and wouldn’t accept as if there is no common ground then proceeding to the next stage is pointless but if you come across as greedy then this is likely to call your integrity into question and therefore affect your chances of proceeding to the next stage.  Ideally, give an idea of the salary you would look for but indicate a degree of flexibility and leave any salary negotiations until a job offer has been made.

7. Final Thoughts

Your potential new manager is looking for someone who they believe not only will work hard and be successful but also that will get on with them and the rest of the team.  Be aware of what your interviewer is looking for, examples of how you had a brilliant idea that your manager didn’t agree with but you did it anyway may have led to one of your best achievements but will just result in an interviewer believing that you would not adhere to company policy and are likely to be difficult to manage.

Overall, the most successful people at interview for any level of role are those who come across as confident, professional and enthusiastic and ultimately are able to be themselves.  Don’t over egg it – enthusiasm and preparation on the day look great, but don’t be fooled by thinking that contacting the hiring manager before and after the interview will help your cause, it can just make you seem desperate.

 

Claire is our Business Manager for Pharmaceutical Sales, Pharmaceutical Executive and Consumer Healthcare. Whether you’re looking to explore your career options or expand your team contact Claire now to discuss your recruitment aspirations.

 

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