How do I best handle a PR Job Interview?
In our previous article, we talked about how to do all you can ‘win’ the interview before you even get in the room. This time it’s all about how to win it when you’re in it. In fact, we want you to ‘win’ so badly that it’s all we can do to stop ourselves from stowing away in your bag and coming to the interview with you, to whisper tips as you go. But we can’t, really, unless you have a really big bag.
Presuming you don’t, however, here are some top tips to take with you in your head:
1. Be specific
Incompetency-based interviews (which we find are more and more frequent, as opposed to a more generic ‘chat’), you’ll be asked questions relating to competencies (natch) that will make you successful in the role you’re applying for.
So if you want to prove your absolute appropriateness, make sure you talk about specific past experiences, rather than your general way of working. Also be selfish – blow your own trumpet about how brilliantly you did something in particular (though with a self-aware form of delivery, of course).
2. Don’t feel disheartened
Competency-based Interviews are very structured, with every candidate being asked the same predetermined questions. Your interviewer will also doubtless be doing that unsettling thing of scribbling notes throughout the interview – but don’t worry, they’re just making sure they have an accurate record of everything you’ve said.
The combination of the two may make the interview feel a little impersonal, but they’re just trying to be completely fair and objective – like procurement people, but with personalities.
But there should time at the beginning and the end for you to ask questions and be your astounding self, which can be a good chance to build rapport and leave the interview on a much more personal note.
3. Don’t panic
Bear in mind that these questions are not designed to trip you up; in fact, they’re supposed to get the best out of you. After all, they’re asking you about things you’ve actually done rather than your abstract reflections on the long-term effect on Christianity of the 1378 Papal Schism.
This is your chance to show what you’re really made of and to parade your incredible achievements. So practice those answers, sit up straight, look people in the eye, speak slowly, concisely and confidently and you’ll ace it like anything.
4. Ask wisely
One of the most daunting parts of an interview is when you’re asked the dreaded “do you have any questions for us?” It’s tricky, because you don’t want to appear like you haven’t listened to or understood what you’ve just been told, but you do want to show an avid interest in all things them. So just how do you do that?
We’ve gathered some suggestions below – but remember to use them flexibly, depending on how much is revealed throughout the interview itself. It’s good to go in with a pre-prepared list, but as with anything in life, use your judgement and think on your feet. So here we go – some questions to ask and how to ask them
Also Read: How do I best prepare for a PR interview?
a) Filling in the background
Firstly, of course you’ll have done your pre-interview research, so there may well be things about the company or team on which you’d like some clarification and expansion. So, you could ask questions such as:
Can you tell me how the role fits into the team?
What are the team’s wider objectives, and how does this role fit into that larger picture?
These are good for gathering background information and helping you get more of an honest picture of what it would really be like to work there. Remember, the interview is for your benefit just as much as the employer’s; like in a Marriage, you both have to get on with each other and feel like you’re making the right decision if it’s going to work. Unlike a marriage, you don’t have to buy them an expensive present every year.
b) Nitty gritty
For more practical questions on what you’ll actually be doing or what’s going to be expected of you, ask something like:
What are the main relationships I would have to build?
What would my KPIs be over the first three months?
Can you give me an idea of a typical day?
Questions like this help you determine if the day-to-day of the job would be right for you, as well as showing the interviewer that you’re keen to hit the ground running like a terrifyingly efficient machine.
c) Because we’re all human…
However formal the setting might appear, just remember your interviewers are human like you (probably), so taking a little bit of personal interest in them is no bad thing. Try something like:
How did you get into this organisation?
What do you wish you’d known before you started?
What makes you proud to work there?
d) And finally…
You don’t want to get to the end of the interview and felt like you haven’t sold yourself well, or that you’ve missed any opportunities to talk about some great relevant experience, so why not ask something like:
Are there any criteria you think I haven’t fulfilled?
Would you like me to expand on anything further?
Remember: the questions you ask will likely form your last chance to make a good impression (unless you’re planning to leave them with a jiffy bag full of used notes), so do follow the tips above as far as you can and ask wisely!
These shouldn’t be the only questions you ask, but it’s usually a good idea to show that you take an interest in the people around you. Plus, most people do love to talk about themselves
