Making a Good Impression in

Job Interviews

Ray Le Tarouilly
National Careers Service Adviser

National Careers Service West Midlands including Staffordshire

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Aims of today’s session
• To raise your understanding of the National Careers
Service and how it can help you generally
• To raise awareness and understanding of different
interview formats
• To show the importance of effective preparation for
interviews
• To introduce the STAR(R) technique when answering
interview questions
• To show the National Careers Service website and other
resources available to help you prepare effectively for
job interviews
Objectives of today’s session
By the end of the session, you will be able to:
• Know how to access further help from the National
Careers Service if required
• State the purposes of job interviews from the employer
and interviewee perspective
• State the different types of interview format
• Identify useful sites to help you prepare effectively for
job interviews
• State what the STAR(R) method is for responding
effectively to interview questions
• Get ideas of questions you could ask in interviews
The National Careers Service
The National Careers Service provides free, professional and personalised
advice on getting a new job, changing careers, training, education and
the labour market.
Our careers advisers can help you to: -
• explore different careers and options
• review your strengths, skills and develop your career goals
• plan your next steps
• make the best use of high-quality, career-related tools
• understand the local job market
• access learning, training, apprenticeship and employment
opportunities, including making applications
• develop your CV, interview skills and job searching techniques
• implement your plan of action.
Types of job interview
• Face to face one-to-one
• Face to face with a panel of two or more interviewers
• A live video/virtual interview e.g. on Zoom or MS Teams
• A recorded video interview
• A telephone interview
• A group interview

Some employers ask applicants to take part in other

activities e.g. a team - based activity or some form of
assessment e.g. aptitude tests
First Impressions are key!
• Research has revealed that we form opinions about
people within 7 seconds of meeting them!
• Therefore first impressions are very important
• “You never get a second chance to make a good first
impression”
• Between 70% - 90% of human communication is non-
verbal e.g. facial expressions, body language, posture,
dress code
• Be yourself! No need for a false persona
• Remember that you are being interviewed from the
moment you enter the building e.g. how you behave
towards reception staff etc.
Get the basics right!

• Don’t forget to smile!

• Be YOURSELF!
• Maintain eye contact with the interviewer(s)
• Have correct posture – don’t fold arms, sit upright
• Don’t overdo hand gestures
• Dress appropriately – more formal/smart outfit for any
office based role, smart casual for more outdoor/practical
jobs.
• Try to see what the dress code is for the
workplace/organization you are applying to
Common interview mistakes
• Body language which portrays poor interpersonal
skills/disinterest
• Not providing evidence for achievements, skills and
qualities.
• Insufficient research on the organisation
• Not showing sufficient understanding of the job applied
for
• Not demonstrating enthusiasm or interest
• Inappropriate questions for the interviewer showing lack
of research or judgement
Suggested documents to have with you
in an interview….
• Any documentation you have been asked to bring e.g.
proof of identity, qualification certificates…
• Your CV if you applied for the job with this, or a copy of
the application form you completed
• Up to three prepared questions that you want to ask
• If you have lost qualification certificates, see:-
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education
• https://www.gov.uk/replacement-exam-certificate/if-your-
old-exam-board-no-longer-exists
If you have lost qualification certificates

• You cannot get a replacement certificate for an O level,

CSE, GCSE or A level - your exam board will send you a
“certified statement of results” instead. You can use this in
place of your exam certificate
• Other qualifications – awarding bodies may be able to
provide replacement certificates
• If you have lost qualification certificates, see:-
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education
• https://www.gov.uk/replacement-exam-certificate/if-your-
old-exam-board-no-longer-exists
A key to success

PREPARATION!
PREPARATION!
PREPARATION!
 How to prepare for an interview
Research the organisation applied to
• Who are the key people
• Latest news and updates
• Values and mission
• What the organisation does/sells/offers

Research the job

• Obtain the job description and person
specification
• Information sent about the job
• Find out what format the interview will take so
you can prepare

Prepare yourself
• Practice a range of interview questions
• Prepare some questions to ask
• How you will describe in more detail the
experience outlined in your CV/application form
To help you find out about employers:
• Check the organization’s own website
• Read the job description and person specification carefully
• https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm
• www.jobapplications.co.uk
• www.targetjobs.co.uk
• www.prospects.ac.uk

• Some job vacancy sites e.g. Indeed, contain interview

advice and information
Types of interview questions
• General - these are general questions that most people are asked
during an interview.
• Competency based - the focus is on the things you can do, so you will
be asked to give examples to show you have the skills needed for the
job.
• Technical - test your job-related knowledge and understanding of work
processes
• Situational judgement - test how you would react in typical work
situations (often used at application stage e.g. Civil Service)
• Values based - to confirm that you share the values and understand
the culture of the organisation e.g. NHS, social care employers
• Motivational - these help an employer to see what drives you and to
make sure you will fit in with them e.g. sales, jobs that are target
driven
The importance of demonstrating your
skills
Skills are the expertise or talent needed in order to do a
job or task

Skills are what make you confident and independent in life

and are essential for success. It might take determination
and practice, but almost any skill can be learned or
improved.

Employers will ask about your skills in interviews

Job skills
• There are skills needed for jobs that are not only desirable
by employers but necessary in order to grow in your role
or work well with others. 
• Skills are wide-ranging and some can transfer from one
job to another. 

There are two key types of skills:

• Hard skills
• Soft skills
Hard Skills
Hard skills are often job specific. For example:
• Practical
• Technical
• Computer
• Mathematical
• Written
Hard skills are learned abilities acquired and enhanced
through practice, repetition, and education. Hard skills are
essential because they increase productivity and efficiency
and subsequently improve job satisfaction. These are
important to include on your CV.
Soft Skills
Qualities or traits that make you a good worker. For example:
• Getting on well with colleagues
• Effective listening and speaking
• Leadership
• Empathy
• Honesty and Integrity
• Compassion
• Strong personal organisation
These are your individual intrinsic qualities/traits
General interview questions

Tell me about yourself

What do you know about us?

Why do you think you are a good fit for us?
Why do you want to work for us?

What are your main strengths?

Why should we hire you?
What are your weaknesses?
 Competency interview questions
Competency questions you may be asked at interview include:

• Describe a situation in which you led a team.

• Give an example of a time you handled conflict in the workplace.
• Tell me about a big decision you've made recently. How did you go
about it?
• Tell me about a time when your communication skills improved a
situation.
• Give me an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace and tell
me how you overcame it.
• Give an example of a situation where you solved a problem in a creative
way.
• Tell me about a time that you made a decision and then changed your
mind.
• Describe a situation where you were asked to do something that you
had never attempted previously.
 Competency Interview Questions –
using the STAR Technique
Situation - the situation you had to deal with
Task - the task you were given to do
Action - the action you took
Result - what happened as a result of your action and what you
learned from the experience
When using STAR, remember:
• You can use examples from work, home or volunteering
• Keep examples short and to the point
• Try to get your points across in a conversational way so as not to
appear too rehearsed
• Be prepared to answer follow-up questions about the examples you
give
 Example answer using STAR
Give me an example of when you faced a problem at work. How did you
handle it?
Situation - I was working in a florist shop with the manager and we were
arranging an order of flowers for two weddings. The person who had taken
the order had mixed up the customers’ addresses and the flowers were
delivered to the wrong venues.
Task - I had to get the flowers to the right place and apologize to the
customers.
Action - I told my boss that I would deal with the mistake, leaving her to
take care of the shop. I spoke to both customers on the telephone to
explain, and reassured them that we would put things right straight away. I
drove to both venues, swapped the flowers in time and apologized in
person. I gave both customers a voucher for a bouquet as compensation.
Result - the customers were grateful that we had acted quickly. Later on,
they both came back to the shop to spend their vouchers and have since
recommended us to their friends.
 Example answer using STAR
• “Tell me about a time when you have shown leadership skills”
• Situation - in my previous digital marketing job, the company
wanted to get more people to sign up to a newsletter which
was not receiving a lot of attention.
• Task - my job was to find a way of getting more people to sign
up.
• Action - I organized a meeting with other important members
of the marketing team to come up with creative ideas, and I led
the social media campaign to generate interest in the
revamped newsletter.
• Result - over a period of 3 months, there was an 25% increase
in sign-ups to the newsletter and the approach I took was used
by the management team in other departments.
Telephone and video interviews
• Do your research and prepare answers.
• Practice at least one mock interview.
• Pick a suitable location that is quiet and free from distractions
• Stand or sit up and smile and refer to your notes sparingly
• Have a glass of water nearby
• Take notes and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification

In addition, for video interviews: -

• Find out the format and platform e.g. Zoom, Teams, Skype etc.
• Is it recorded or live?
• Download the app and check your technology works.
• Select the best location – good internet, lighting, and an
appropriate background.
• Plan for technical problems.
• On the day – test equipment again before the start, dress
professionally and remember your body language.
Useful Links

YouTube link for video on PassMyInterview.com: - 

 
• https://youtu.be/ulEt9nK20tQ 
Useful links

• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advic
e/interview-advice

• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advic
e/top-10-interview-questions

• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advic
e/how-to-do-well-in-telephone-interviews/

• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advic
e/how-to-do-well-in-video-interviews/

• https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm 
• www.jobapplications.co.uk
 Get in touch!

Telephone
To speak to an adviser, call our helpline on 0800 100 900.
Lines are open from 8am-8pm Monday-Friday and 10am-5pm Saturday.
Calls are free from landlines and most mobile numbers.

Webchat and Email

Visit our website: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ to contact an
adviser via webchat or email

Social Media
Follow National Careers Service West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. Just search for @CareersWestMids
We would appreciate your feedback
Please let us have your views and if you need further
support at https://forms.office.com/r/LNiby4Ea54
 Any questions?

Thank you for attending this session