Hi,
I'm having a telephone interview for the Royal Brisbane Womens Hospital tonight :scared:. Getting a little worried now. Does anybody have any advice or tips they could give me.
It's going to be very strange. They are ringing me up half an hour earlier to tell me the questions they are going to ask but that probably wont help much as I'll be nervous as hell by then!
Tracey.

just try and chill and speak sllllooooooowwwllllllllyyyyy with yer answers...u will be cool good luck

Thanks. Good point about speaking slowly. I do speak quite quickly so it would probably be hard to understand with my accent. Mind you not being able to understand everything I say may not be such a bad thing

Can't help Tracey but wish you the very best of luck and Karma on its way. Let us know how it goes!
Carolyn

Hi Tracey

Wishing you the best of luck for tonights interview, I'm sure you'll be fine.

K on its way

Tracy

I have sent Karma. Having never done an interview by phone it will be interesting to hear how you get on.

Thanks everyone. Will let you know how it went tomorrow.

Tracyd, hi got a bit baffled when I first noticed a post by you. Thought I was cracking up cos I couldn't remember doing it. Then I noticed the spelling
Tracey.

Good luck... sending you our good vibes from todays house sale...


Julie

Main thing is stay calm. Remember they want to find the right person just as much as you want the right job!

20 minutes preparation can make all the difference!

People don’t interview everyday! Lets face it, its not always easy. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help you prepare fully for your interview.

“Lets make sure you have all the help you need, so you can claim what’s rightfully yours!”

The most important thing to remember about an interview is that it is a two-way relationship. You want the job and the interviewer wants to fill the position. Remember, you are both individuals, even though the interviewer is backed by a large organisation – he/she is not there to embarrass you, but to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, skills and qualifications and ability to do the job.

You’re both individuals – Stay relaxed!
Interview Tips

Secure that job!

Typical Interview Questions

1. What do you know about us?

Normally one of the first questions that an interviewer will ask. Important - do your homework. Look on their website and pick out 5 or 6 points you think are relevant to the company.

· How long have they been established?
· How many staff do they have?
· In which therapeutic areas do they specialise?
· R & D pipeline and study phases?
· Where are they based? How many sites? Do they have an international presence?

By answering this question ‘well’ you show a keen interest in the company. (Remember companies want to recruit people who truly want to work for them.)

2. What do you know about the position for which you have applied

Make sure you have a full understanding of the role; it’s you who will be doing the job after all.

(If you don’t know you’ve lost it already)


3. Run me through your career to date

Practice running through your CV at home with a friend or a partner. Focus on the relevant skills that you feel can be transferred to this role.

Reasons for leaving? Never be detrimental about previous jobs, always be positive about everything you’ve done. (No-one likes a moaner).

4. Strengths/Weaknesses

Watch out! These questions can raise their heads in a number of ways… don’t get caught out!

4.1 Strengths

A few examples

· Why do you think you’d be good at this job?
· Why should we choose you?
· What makes you a good candidate?

All these questions are simply asking ‘What are your strengths?’
(If these come up more than once in the interview, don’t be scared to recap your answer)!

Think! What skills do you need for the job? Strengths have got to be relevant!

Examples

· Planning and prioritisation skills
· Communication skills
· Organisational skills

Don’t just say them… Expand! Where did you use them in your previous employment… why were they important? How did they affect the outcome of your work!

4.2 Weaknesses

Always have some weaknesses prepared, everyone has them and some interviewers will push for answers.

The best weaknesses are ones that can also be strengths

Examples

· I’m a perfectionist
· I can’t delegate

(Remember always sandwich a weakness between two strengths! Leave the interviewer feeling that it’s nothing to be concerned about).





5. Do you have any questions for me?

It’s a good idea to have a few questions to ask, so prepare some beforehand. Maybe the interviewer has sparked some questions through the interview.

Example

I have a good all-round knowledge about the role and what it entails. However, how could I expect a normal day to pan out?
(By asking this sort of question, it shows the interviewer that you are actually already picturing yourself in that position).

6. The Close

There are a few options to close an interview:

If you’re feeling confident:

· Thank you for your time, before I go may I ask if you have any reservations about my application at present?

(This allows the interviewer to let you know any concerns about your skills / experience which, in turn, gives you the opportunity to put their mind at ease before you leave the interview).

· Thank you for your time, having this interview has confirmed that this is the position that I am really interested in pursuing. Can you let me know what the next stage is? When can I expect to hear whether or not my application has been successful?

(Confirms your interest in the position).

Or simply:

· Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.


Other Questions to think about!

· Tell me about yourself?
· What sort of job would you really like? Why?
· What motivates you?
· How long do you see yourself in this position?
· What are your short-term goals?
· What are you looking for in the perfect job?
· Do you work well under pressure?
· Why do you want to work for us?
· How would your friends describe you?
· How did you get on with your last manager?
· Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I've done that a couple of times too, then noticed the 'e'!

Let us know how you get on, good luck again

Tracy

Telephone interviews are great! I've done 2 off them in the past and got the job both times, so I love them.

The best thing about them is, THEY CANT SEE YOU! Use this to your advantage. Have everything you could possibly be asked in pages of paper in front of you. Have a glass of wine or two beside you, or whatever is your poison. And wear your most comfortable hideous clothing.

As was said before, talk slowly, but also expressively, throw your arms around , and do the facial gestures and all that, it comes across in your voice. However, if they are being annoying, you can safely do any number of hand gestures, and it WONT come across in your voice.

Seriously I did my last telephone interview in my underwear (well it was late at night), with a can of beer by my side, and three days stubble. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have got the job if I'd turned up for the interview like that!

Good luck!

JTL

Good luck
Its a great place but too far for us as we plan to settle on Bayside
anyway it will seem wierd but just be yourself
The acoustics can be hard if there are a few of them as they will be on speaker phone I had 3 people on my panel and it was difficult not being able to see them but it was the most informal relaxed interview I have ever had (helped by the fact I was in my PJ's).

The questions were all based on the key selection criteria and m irrored exactly what i hasd already completed for the application all my midwife friends said that is commonplace
the only thing not on the KSc was inevitably "why do you want to work for us"
I managed not to say "because we havnt sold the house and need something to live on "
hope it goes well fingers crossed
love Mary

Good Luck Tracey you will be fine.
Just have a glass of wine handy and be yourself
Rich had his interview in his dressing gown heehee (he'll kill me for telling you)

Hope it goes well for you
Ang

Hi all,
Well I had the interview. What a disaster Despite having the questions before hand I just lost the plot and couldn't think what to say after about question 3 and there was only 5 questions Just have zero confidence at the moment (no, that's just a crap excuse) I'm just useless at interviews.
Anyway, they said that they will let me know at the end of the fortnight! Long time I know but my friend said that it'll take them that long to stop laughing
I think it's back to the drawing board for me.
Tracey

Sorry to hear about that tracey
Don't be too down on yourself though - it may have gone better than you thought.
Also, they will have taken into account that it's probably a weird experience for you and that you may have found it difficult over the phone.
And don't forget, you impressed them enough on your CV to convince them to give you a telephone interview, which I would imagine is not the most common occurrence for them, so they were obviously keen on you in the first place.
And if nothing comes of it, at least you've had the experience of a phone interview so you'll probably find the next one much easier.
Good luck