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Once you’ve identified the type of role that suits you and crafted a tailored CV, it’s time to prepare for the next crucial step: the interview.
This stage is your opportunity to showcase your skills, experience, and personality while demonstrating that you’re the ideal candidate for the role.
Interviews allow employers to assess your abilities, motivation, and fit within their team in the work environment. However, to really excel in an interview requires careful preparation.
Let’s explore common mistakes and proven strategies for success.
Here are some common pitfalls that can derail even the best candidates:
1. Arriving late or at the wrong location
2. Failing to read the job description thoroughly
3. Forgetting what’s on your CV
4. Doing insufficient research about the company
5. “Winging it” instead of preparing for likely job interview questions
6. Repeating the same example for several answers
7. Not preparing high quality questions you want to ask at the end of the interview.
Preparing for an interview goes beyond rehearsing answers. Follow these interviewing skills tips to stand out:
Ensure you know who you’re meeting, where, and when.
Give yourself time to settle and focus.
Read the job description and advert thoroughly to understand the role and what the company is looking for.
Think about how you can demonstrate your strengths to the interviewer to show what you can offer and persuade them that you’re a great match for the role
Be familiar with your achievements and experiences.
Understand the company’s culture, values, and the role’s requirements.
Have a think about the type of questions you may be asked.
Craft strong answers. Use structured examples to highlight your achievements.
Have a variety of well-thought through examples to illustrate your achievements, style and skills.
Prepare your own questions. Show curiosity and enthusiasm for the role.
Your Belbin Team Role report is a valuable resource for interview preparation. It offers insights into your strengths, weaknesses, and behavioural attributes, helping you confidently answer key job interview questions.
Here’s an example of how Belbin insights can elevate your responses:
Before Belbin: “I’m a good team member, communicate well, and can lead effectively.”
After Belbin: “My core strengths lie in three areas: I’m a natural leader with strong influencing skills, thrive in dynamic environments, and have the drive to deliver results under challenging circumstances.”
This tailored response demonstrates your self-awareness and ability to contribute to a team.
The question “What are your weaknesses?” often trips candidates up.
However, with preparation and your Belbin report, you can turn this into an opportunity to highlight your self-awareness and growth.
Take this weakness from Jo’s report: “Risks alienating others due to a drive to get things done.”
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Here’s how Jo can reframe this for her interview:
This four-step process transforms a weakness into a strength, demonstrating personal growth and a commitment to improvement.
Jo’s Belbin report also highlights leadership and collaboration strengths. Jo uses this to answer the question: “What do you bring to a team?”
Answer:
“I excel in fostering collaboration by encouraging open dialogue and guiding teams to consensus. I’m comfortable taking a more directive approach to ensure progress when necessary. This balance of collaboration and decisive action enables me to lead teams effectively, even under challenging circumstances.”
Use Belbin insights to discuss your soft skills, such as being a completer finisher, creative or analytical.
Prepare examples that align with Belbin’s team roles, such as improving team cohesion or driving results.
Tailor your answers to reflect both technical expertise and your personality traits, showcasing your behavioural fit for the role.
The STAR method is a powerful tool for structuring responses clearly and effectively when answering behavioural or competency-based questions.
Employers often ask questions designed to assess how you’ve handled situations in the past, as these can predict future performance.
Here’s how the STAR method works:
Start by describing the context or challenge you faced.
Example: “In my previous role, our team faced declining customer satisfaction scores.”
Explain your specific responsibility in addressing the challenge.
Example: “It was my task to identify the issues and implement changes to improve client satisfaction.”
Detail your steps to resolve the situation, focusing on your contribution.
Example: “I conducted customer surveys, analysed the feedback, and collaborated with the team to develop a new customer service strategy.”
Conclude with the outcome, highlighting measurable achievements.
Example: “As a result, customer satisfaction scores increased by 25% over three months.”
Using the STAR method ensures your answers are concise and relevant and demonstrates your problem-solving abilities.
Pairing this with insights from your Belbin Team Roles report can further enhance your responses, showcasing how your behavioural strengths contributed to the success.
Combining strong interviewing skills with insights from Belbin Team Roles allows you to prepare answers that showcase your achievements, strengths, and personality. This approach boosts your confidence and demonstrates your unique value to prospective employers.
Ready to excel in your next interview? Start by discovering your Belbin Team Roles and let them guide your preparation.
Visit our FAQ section, for a wide range of Belbin questions and answers. If you can’t find an answer, contact us, and we will respond as soon as we can
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