In-person interviews: 3 things you need to know

In-person interviews can be intimidating. You are trying to be confident, speak intelligently, and show us that you are the best candidate for the job. Before you start your in-person interview, here are three things you need to know to help you stand out from the crowd.

1. Understand the 2 types of questions interviewers will ask

Behavioural questions ask you to describe a time you demonstrated a certain behaviour. For example, “Please tell me about a time when you had to deal with a conflict that occurred between you and a co-worker.”

Situational questions ask you to describe how you acted or how you would act in a certain situation. For example, “Please tell me about a time when worked under a tight deadline and how you handled this pressure.”

2. Know how to answer using the STAR method

The best answers to interview questions always follow the STAR method.

Situation – Explain the specific event in enough detail for the interviewer to understand the context.

Task – Outline the purpose or goal of the event.

Action – Identify the steps that you took to accomplish, contribute to or resolve the event.

Result – Explain the outcome of your actions.

To ensure you’re giving a well-rounded and complete response, make sure your answers contain each point – situation, task, action and result.

3. Review the job posting and identify the key skills and qualifications

You can be certain that if a skill is listed in the job positing you will be asked about it in the interview. For example, if we are looking for someone with conflict management skills, you should think of times in the past where you demonstrated these skills. You may want to research what each skill or qualification fully entails in order to answer a question about a scenario in the best way possible. Remember, once you have your research done and answers outlined, state the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.