Working in Aberdeen

  ◘  Advice for Partners

  ◘  Careers Guide

  ◘  Print Careers Guide

  ◘  Partner Dev't Programmme (PDP)

News and Events

Newsletters

Gallery

Global Outpost

Outpost UK

Aberdeen Careers and Development Guide

Chapter 5  -  Job Interviews

5.0   Job interviews

If you are invited to attend an interview for a job, be aware that job interviews in the UK are usually formal. Even if you are attending an interview for a manual job, or a job where you will be given a uniform, you will be expected to be well groomed and in 'formal clothing'. Gentlemen should wear at least a shirt and tie and ladies some smart clothing - either skirt or trouser suits are acceptable You must be punctual so if you are not familiar with the location of the interview give yourself plenty of time to find it and if possible do a 'test run' at a similar time of day to the interview so that you can see how much time it will take you to arrive and whether there are any problems with parking.

Do your homework before the interview. Take some time to find out about the company as this demonstrates your enthusiasm for the company and the prospect of working there and shows your resourcefulness. Use the internet to see if there have been any recent press coverage of the company such as opening a new office, developing a new product or new way of working. Remember to study any job description supplied and the CV which you forwarded as the interviewer will be basing his questions on what he already know about you. Your CV may throw up some obvious questions- i.e. a series of quick job moves, a change of career direction, a period where you were not working, etc. Make sure you have prepared answers to these questions. The main reason for a job interview is for you to explain to the interviewer how your skills can be used to do the job which is on offer- so expect questions on how you think your skills fit the job description.

Here is a list of some possible questions take from the Careers Scotland website which you should be confident about answering:

• Why have you applied for this job?

• What skills do you think are needed for this job?

• Why do you want to work for this company and what can you contribute to it?

• What do you know about this company?

• What was your greatest success?

• What has been your biggest failure? (Choose something which you were later able to correct)

• How would you describe yourself?

• What sort of manager are you?

• Are you willing to travel?

• What do you currently earn? (Be careful with this one- if you are looking to earn more in a new position you need to make it clear that your current salary is too low)

You will often be asked if you have any questions you would like to ask. It is difficult to think of these 'on the spot' so it is a good idea to think of one or two in advance: it is acceptable to write them down and then refer to your note if, in the heat of the interview, you forget what they were! You could ask question about training and development opportunities, the chance to work overseas, the size of the department you will be working in. It is always a good idea to ask when and how you will be notified about the results of the interview.

If your application for a job is not successful, good business etiquette should dictate that you receive a letter from the company advising you that this is the case. Whilst this usually happens if you have reached the stage of an interview, some companies are neither efficient nor polite and you may not receive a written reply. Don't be afraid to telephone to follow up an application where you have received no reply after a reasonable length of time has elapsed. However, as a general rule, Scots are fairly modest people, who are often put off by what they perceive as pushy people. We can give you guidance about this in Outpost so don't be afraid to come and see us before you attend an interview. Partners who have come to see us prior to an interview have given us positive feedback. Cultural difference matters when it comes to job applications and job interviews. It is important you have researched the Scottish way of doing things.