Preparing for the interview

If there are a lot of candidates, companies tend to organise pre-selections or tests. For key posi­tions or management jobs, assessment centres are often used.

Employers are looking for candidates who match the profile described as closely as pos­sible. They expect applicants to show how their qualifications and experiences fit with this pro­file, talk about their professional and personal strengths and weaknesses, and answer ques­tions about their motivation, social skills and prospects as an employee. You also have to be prepared for questions about your CV (e.g. if you have changed jobs a lot).

You can generally expect employers to be look­ing for a dialogue in which they can learn more about you, your qualifications and your expec­tations of the job. There will also be room for your questions about working hours and days, activities and job content. The atmosphere is friendly, but objective and impartial.

Candidates should be well-informed about the company: what it does or produces, its size, whether it is centralised or decentralised and whether it is based abroad, as well as about its image and philosophy.

Verbal communication is important, notably articulation and presentation in line with the job applied for (clear motivation for the job, social skills, teamwork skills, authority and leadership skills, stress resistance, flexibility). Pay atten­tion too to non-verbal communication: punctu­ality, attitude, eye contact, gestures and facial expressions.