Getting called for an interview is an experience that is both flattering and scary all at the same time. An interview is the final step to getting a job offer and it\u2019s normal to feel a little nervous. Our resident career coach Ann Ryan has successfully coached hundreds of Innopharma students for interviews in the pharmaceutical, food science and MedTech industries. Here she reveals her top tips for nailing the interview success.
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1. Being Prepared for an Interview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to alleviate nerves and ensure you stand out from the competition is to be extremely prepared. \u201cYou can have a lot of academic knowledge but you might not be able to articulate it in an interview and really shine \u2014 that takes practice,\u201d Ann notes. Make sure you\u2019re covering the basics, \u201cYou have to know the job description very well and you have to know your CV thoroughly too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the career development module at Innopharma, students get the chance to really hone their interview skills. \u201cEvery student has a mock interview based on a job that they want to apply for,\u201d Ann notes. \u201cWe don\u2019t make it intimidating. We do it in small groups in front of the class so you get peer support and feedback.\u201d Our career development module is focused on preparing students for the particular interview style they can expect from the pharma, MedTech and food science industries. A lot of the time, this means a competency-based interview. \u201cWe spend quite a bit of time preparing for competency-based interviews,\u201d Ann notes. \u201cThis consists of understanding your competency and how you can articulate it against particular areas like problem-solving and process improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another interview approach is an assessment centre where candidates take part in group tasks and tests. \u201cThat can be very daunting if you\u2019ve never heard of or experienced it,\u201d Ann says. \u201cWe run an assessment centre type scenario and then do some aptitude tests as well to prepare the student.\u201d 3. Know What Questions to Expect in a Job Interview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are certain questions that are almost guaranteed to come up in an interview. Ann recommends having your answers to these questions well prepared. For example, in most interviews, you\u2019ll be asked to tell the panel about yourself. Ann explains, \u201cThat\u2019s where they want you to talk you through your CV and talk about your skills and expertise. It\u2019s a brief explanation of your career to date, so you should be able to summarise that concisely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another favourite question is to tell them what you know about the role. \u201cThat\u2019s your opportunity to wow them and tell them all the things you know about what they\u2019re looking for and solve their problem by telling them \u2018I know what you\u2019re looking for and I\u2019ve done it, or here\u2019s what I can do,\u2019\u201d Ann says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou need to really join the dots for the hiring manager or HR person, that\u2019s your job,\u201d she notes. If you can do that and you\u2019ve done the preparation for that it can really help with your nerves. 4. Follow The STAR Method<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When we\u2019re nervous we often ramble or lose our train of thought. Ann recommends using the STAR technique to stay on track. \u201cWe use the STAR model i.e., Situation, Task, Action, Result,\u201d she explains. \u201cIf you prepare your answers in that format it can keep you guided, concise and to the point when you\u2019re answering the questions.\u201d And pay attention to the speed at which you\u2019re talking. \u201cIt always helps to slow down a little bit,\u201d Ann recommends. 5. Let Your Passion Shine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, don\u2019t forget to show how much you want the job. \u201cOne thing about an interview is that you\u2019ve really got to be passionate because it could be the one thing that will push you over the line,\u201d Ann notes. \u201cCompanies will hire for attitude and they can train for skills. So, when you come to the interview, let your attitude and passion shine through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interested in finding out more about Innopharma? Why not browse our range of specialist courses<\/a>. Getting called for an interview is an experience that is both flattering and scary all at the same time. An interview is the final step to getting a job offer and it\u2019s normal to feel a little nervous. Our resident career coach Ann Ryan has successfully coached hundreds of Innopharma students for interviews in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-job-hunting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1787,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions\/1787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innopharmaeducation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. <\/strong>Watch Out for Competency Based Interviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Have an interview coming up? Get in touch<\/a> to see how we can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"