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Quote: Interview Tips Interview skills are learnt. Do your pre-interview homework, learn what questions you can anticipate and how best answer them. Practice and preparation are key for a successful interview. Your CV has impressed your research and networking activities have paid off and you have landed an Interview with your company of choice. Now to make sure you turn this Interview into a pot of gold and secure the job of your dreams. Below are some general tips and guidelines that should assist you through the Interview: 1. Research Most of you will have researched your company of choice thoroughly in order to get to this point. For those who haven't, it is essential that you do some background research on the company and the job before you walk in that door. The Interviewer will expect you to know a little about the industry and the company and will be very impressed if you are familiar with specific events, news and concerns relating to the business. Newspapers, industry and trade magazines, local libraries and the Internet are all a good source of information. Feel free to pick up the phone and ask the company for their annual reports any marketing materials - most companies are more than happy to oblige. The very minimum information you will want to know is what the company does, what job you are applying for and any well-known news pertaining to the company e.g. Merger, big scandal, new CEO. 2. Be prepared For those of you who were cub scouts, we are not suggesting ropes and a tent. We would however recommend you take with you a notebook and extra copies of your CV (in many cases the employer will have misplaced it, have an unclear copy or simply expect you to provide it). In many types of jobs, you may want to take with you examples of your work e.g. past creative work if you are in advertising, design or similar roles, architectural plans you are proud of if you are an architect, an example of something you have had published in a journal etc. Employers are usually very impressed to see examples of your work - it shows you have taken initiative and it makes their decision much easier. One other thing we recommend you bring with you for Middle Eastern job interviews is your college graduation certificate(s) where available. Employers often specifically request to see this, so you should be prepared. 3. Dress for success Your first Interview is the first impression an employer will have of you and it is essential to make a favorable first impact. You should always plan to dress conservatively for the first Interview even if the job involves casual wear. You can always dress down in later meetings. Generally, the image you want that first meeting is clean, well-groomed and conservative. Men should wear dark suits, preferably in navy or charcoal grey. Pinstripes are fine. We recommend you wear a white shirt which should be crisply ironed with a conservative necktie. Socks and shoes should be dark, preferably black. Jewellery on men is usually not favorably looked upon at the Interview stage - you can always dig out the hairdye and that amethyst ring from your great granddad after you have secured the job. Women are also advised to wear dark suits for that first Interview. In the Middle East it is advisable that skirts are below the knee and not exorbitantly figure hugging. Trouser suits are more casual but quite acceptable these days. Blouses can be any colour but again we recommend they are on the conservative side in cut and print. As a general rule of thumb shoes should be dark, with a low-to-moderate conservative heel and no stilletos. If the weather permits (often not the case in the Middle East) it is highly advisable to wear skin-colour tights with your shoes. Excessive jewelery looks unprofessional and we would advise you to keep it to the minimum: earrings, wedding ring(s) and maybe a pendant or a brooch or a simple bracelet. Long dangly busy earrings are generally unprofessional looking. Finally, wear your hair cleanly washed and well-groomed; if it is long and unruly, we recommend sweeping it off your face in a simple style that will allow the Interviewer to see your face and eyes. The first interview will give you a feel for the company culture and you can choose to tailor your look accordingly thereafter. In the Middle East and other Asian countries, dress allowances are usually made for local attire in the domestic companies. A Kuwaiti man may be expected to show up for an interview at the National Bank of Kuwait in a Dishdash for example and the same may apply across the board in the Gulf. General Western dress code rules are often relaxed in Middle Eastern companies to allow for the diversity of our work cultures with Saris, Dishdashes and different types of headdress being very permissible and quite common in the local companies. 4. Be punctual Make sure you arrive for the Interview a good 15 minutes early. Allow yourself plenty of time for any potential mishaps eg traffic jams, unclear directions, public transportation difficulties etc. 5. Attitude counts This is the time to show off your interpersonal skills. Employers are looking for certain key character traits and you need to demonstrate them at the Interview. Keep the following in mind: • Listening skills. Make sure you let the Interviewer complete his sentences and you don't interrupt. At the same time, show interest in what he is saying and encourage him to talk and ask questions. Good listening skills and a friendly pleasant demeanor are key attributes in any job. • Enthusiasm. In many cases, you will not be ideally qualified for the position, or you may have a steep learning curve ahead of you. You need to demonstrate to the Employer that you are extremely interested in the position and love what you do! Enthusiasm is contagious and employers are always keen to add enthusiastic members to their team. Your positive attitude will also rub off on the interviewer as long as it is genuine and not overplayed and he will leave the Interview with a favorable 'feel' about you. • Eye contact. Maintain eye contact with the Interviewer. Looking away continuously suggests distractibility and disinterest. Looking down suggests shyness and lack of confidence. By all means though keep it natural and feel free to nod your head and smile and even laugh where appropriate. • Flexibility. You need to demonstrate to the Interviewer that you are flexible, ie willing and able to adapt readily to new environments, demands, people, work styles etc. The Interview is a good place to demonstrate this. Be sensitive to the Interviewer's personal style by paying attention to his general behavior, his demeanor, his office space and the types of questions he asks and tailor your answers accordingly. • Professionalism. Above all, BE PROFESSIONAL! Respect the Interviewer-Interviewee boundaries at all times and do not behave in an overly friendly or casual fashion with the Interviewer. Avoid bringing up any of your personal life unless in a directly relevant manner, do not comment on politics, religion or any other controversial topics dear to your heart, do not stray from the Interview topics unless you have a common interest such as golf, and keep your answers factual, honest and professional. 6. Have the answers There is no telling what style an Interviewer will take and what questions he will come up with. Interviews range from the very structured and professional ones conducted by HR departments in multinationals and banks, to ad hoc conversations in small outfits where the employer may ask you to simply talk about yourself. In most large corporations however, certain questions are very standard and we recommend you take the time to really think about them, develop answers and find evidence to support your answers from past experiences and qualifications. Bayt has prepared a list of Common Interview Questions that you can start practicing on. Avoid Common Interview Mistakes Your professional CV and attention-grabbing cover letter are landing you interviews with your target companies yet somehow you are never able to make it past the interview stage. Make sure you are not suffering from the following career-blowing deficiencies.

Quote: Lack of Professionalism You will not get a second chance to make a first impression so it is imperative that the way you look and act in the interview are in keeping with the professional context and not working against you. • Arrive at the interview on time. Nothing shows as much disrespect to the employer as arriving late and having no good reason for it. Aim to give yourself plenty of lead time; those precious minutes you spend waiting for the employer when you arrive early can be used to assimilate the new surroundings, read any company literature in the waiting area and get yourself in the right mood and frame of mind. • Arrive at the interview alone. This is not the time to bring along your children, spouse, domestic help or parents and it is surprising how many candidates bring along an uninvited significant other for moral support or other unjustifiable reasons. • Arrive properly dressed, perfectly groomed and with a professional smile and firm handshake that indicates you are happy to be there, happy to make the interviewer's acquaintance and mean business. There is plenty of literature available on dressing for the workplace so make sure you do not miss the mark. Dress conservatively and sensibly in a business suit that is not too tight or revealing and is appropriate for the industry you are interviewing for. Busy accessories, busy or revealing attire, attire that is too casual, or unclean, sloppy careless attire, excessive or inappropriate make-up will all send out the wrong message. • Bring extra copies of your CV in mint condition, and if relevant, your portfolio. • Be courteous. Listen to the interviewer attentively, smile politely and do not interrupt. Tailor your answers to the precise questions to show you are in fact listening and understanding all that is being said. • Watch your body language. Sit upright in the chair, maintain comfortable eye contact, smile and nod politely without staring the interviewer down or using aggressive, domineering, passive, bored, overly familiar or overly confident body language. Your voice, hand gestures and eye contact are all sending out signals to the interviewer; make sure you are aware of the impression you are making and that it is a professional and appropriate one. You need to come across as energetic, interested, confident, courteous, and happy to be there. Lack of Preparation If you are properly prepared, your answers and how you deliver them should be well rehearsed and very few if any questions should come as a surprise. • The interviewer is looking for the candidate who is most skilled, competent and generally appropriate in the context of a given job, company and industry and all your answers should be tailored accordingly. You should be very familiar with the skills and competencies the employer is looking for from your research activities and be able to demonstrate them in your answers. • You should know your CV inside out and support all your answers on personal strengths with directly relevant specific examples from your past work experiences and/or education. • You should be familiar with recent events in the company and conversant in industry trends and news if asked about them. • Avoid long rambling answers that do not specifically address the skills or experience in question. Be succinct and precise in the delivery of your response. • Don't forget to ask intelligent questions. Your questions should indicate that you have researched the company and industry thoroughly and are familiar with pressing issues and trends. Lack of Interest Your attitude can make or break the interview. Employers are looking for energetic professionals who will be positive and enthusiastic members of the team. Looking bored or tired or displaying lack of interest during the interview will work against you. Over-confidence, superiority, bragging or excessive name-dropping will also not go down well with the prospective employer. Negative comments about previous employers, bosses or peers are generally regarded negatively and you should refrain from them at any stage of the job search. Answer questions attentively, respectfully and in a manner that engages the employer and demonstrates your interest in the company and the job. Lack of Honesty Exaggerations and outright lies at the interview stage are more often than not glaringly obvious. Experienced employers will be more or less familiar with what the limits of your job would have been at your current or previous places of employment and will probably probe deep where they detect inconsistencies or fabrications. Make sure the dates and facts on your CV and cover letter are accurate and that your answers are brief, to the point and illustrate your strengths rather than weaknesses without resorting to lies. Lack of Follow-Up Many a potential job is lost by poor follow-up. Companies are interested in candidates who are interested in them and you need to reiterate and confirm this interest in a thank-you letter and diligent follow-up after the interview. Remember that employers are busy and may have been side-tracked from your application so don't assume it's over till you have received confirmation of the outcome of your application one way or another. Your first follow-up letter following an interview should thank the interviewer for their time, reiterate the skills, competencies and experiences that make you uniquely suitable for the job and give a time/date at which you will call the employer to follow up. More often than not, the employer is waiting for you to make that next move after the interview and your thank-you letter should be used to sell yourself again.