Interviews assessment centres

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Interviews assessment centres

• Tom Davie
• Durham University
• Careers Advisory Service

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Interviews and assessment centres

• You can assume that because youve got past
• the application form/CV stage that
• They feel that you can do the job
• That they want to know more about you
• So why select further?
• To assess the knowledge that you have marketed in
  your initial application
• To evaluate your transferable skills under
  pressure
• To judge how you would fit into their
  organisation/institution/department
• BUT
• It is also an opportunity for you to judge
  whether you want to work for them

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Plan, Prepare, Present
• Be yourself
• Give interesting examples to questions that they
  ask
• Be willing to expand on any responses that you
  make
• Dont be thrown by the unexpected question
• Stay calm
• Buy time to think
• Remain positive throughout
• Show them that you are right for the position and
  for them!
• At the end of the interview think about what
  impression you want to leave with them
• If you cant think of good questions to ask
  them dont ask stupid ones. Ian Jackson BT

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Tough interview questions
• What would you describe as your greatest
  strength?
• What would you say is your major weakness?
• How would you define your approach to team
  working?
• What would you say is your greatest achievement
  and why?
• What are your main research interests?
• Describe how you have overcome a major obstacle
  in your field of research
• How would the skills gained from your
  research/previous employment help our
  organisation?
• How would your research knowledge help you in the
  role for which you have applied?
• What are the current issues facing?

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Assessing your interpersonal skills/reactions
• What impression are you hoping to create?
• Dress code
• formal/informal
• company culture
• Body Language
• handshake
• eye contact
• mannerisms
• open/close posture
• Smile
• What approach are the interviewers adopting?
• style of questions
• pace of interview
• body language inc. note taking
• friendly/business like

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Assessment centres
• group discussions
• case studies
• in tray/email priority exercises
• role play
• presentations
• aptitude / psychometric tests, eg
• logical thinking
• verbal reasoning
• numerical
• spatial awareness
• personality preferred styles of behaviour
• panel interviews

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Interviews and assessment centres
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Interviews and assessment centres

• And finally
• Arrive early
• Know your application take a copy of your
  application form/CV
• Remember why you are there
• Stay calm everyone else is nervous as well!
• Plan, Prepare, Present

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Some sources of information on applicationsVideos
  /DVDs
• Can I have a few minutes of your time
• Your jobs on line
• Why ask me that?
• The assessment centre video
• Books
• Tony Vickers, From CV to Shortlist, Job Hunting
  for professionals Pub. Kogan Page
• Jan Perrett, Job Hunting after University or
  College Pub. Kogan Page
• Gerald Higgingbottom, CVs for Graduates Pub.
  Essentials
• Great answers to tough interview questions Pub.
  Kogan Page
• Mike Bryon, How to pass graduate recruitment
  tests Pub. Kogan Page
• Roy Van Den Brink, Critical thinking for students
  Pub. Howtobooks
• Alec Fisher, Critical thinking, Pub. Cambridge
  University Press
• Prospects Planner
• Route 5

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Interviews and assessment centres

• Some sources of Information for International
  students
• www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/hom
  epage/work_permits.html
• This is the organisation that administers the UK
  work permits system
• www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/hom
  epage/schemes_and_programmes/
• hsp/highly_skilled_migrant.html?
• This outlines details of the Highly skilled
  migrant programme for the UK
• www.dfes.gov.uk/international-students/wituk.shtml
  
• This outlines the eased restrictions for taking
  up part-time work in the UK while you are
• studying
• www.ukcosa.org.uk/
• This site has information on studying and working
  in the UK
• http//www.ukcosa.org.uk/images/workafter.pdf
• This additional link is a pdf file outline work
  regulation issues