Eastbourne Jobs Hub : Job Search & Career Advice

Preparing for your interview

Interviews can be scary and it's OK to feel anxious! You can calm your nerves by preparing well and knowing what to expect.

Before the interview:

• Research the company by looking at their website and searching for any recent news stories
• Research the industry and identify any recent trends or challenges
• Practice common interview questions with your family and friends
• Make a list of questions you can ask at your interview
• Read through your CV and cover letter

What to expect from a face-to-face interview

First impressions are incredibly important. Dress in smart clothes even if you are not asked to do so. When you meet the interviewer, make eye contact, smile and have a firm handshake.

Spend a couple of minutes building a rapport with the interviewer. This will settle your nerves and give the interviewer a chance to see if you will fit into their team.

Be aware of your body language. Sit up straight, maintain eye contact when listening to questions and answering them and remember to smile.

Expect to answer questions about your previous work experience and the job you have applied for. Take a moment to think about your answer before responding clearly and confidently.

Be prepared to ask questions at the end of the interview. This will show the interviewer that you have done your research and you are genuinely interested in working for their organisation.

Watch this video on preparing for an interview from East Sussex County Council (aimed at apprentices but useful for all).

Competency Interviews

This type of interview is becoming more and more popular and requires you to provide specific examples or evidence in your answer.

‘Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as part of a team’.

‘Tell me a time when you had to deal with a difficult situation’.

The types of questions may well be linked to the person specification of the job (if you were provided with one). If you were not, think about what type of work you will be doing, what challenges you may face or what experience you may need; and make sure you have examples of when you have been in these situations, showed your skills or have examples of your experiences. 

Other questions may include:

• This job requires flexibility, could you tell us about a time when you have had to stand in for another member of staff?
• Tell us a time when you have had to work to a strict deadline.
• Tell us a time when you have had to develop a new system or project from scratch.

To help you structure your answer, you can use the STAR method as many people tell the interviewers lots about the situation and the task, but not enough about they did and what the result was.
S – situation, background, setting the scene
T – task or target, specifics about what was required, when, where and who
A – action that you took, skills and behaviour used
R – result-what happened as a result of your action (if this was not positive, it’s OK. Just make sure you say what you would do differently next time. It shows learning!)

Using this method will help you shine at interview as it will be clear what action you took and the results that you achieved. This does not have to be war and peace, but told with enthusiasm and energy about a real situation. These examples do not just have to be about work, you can use other examples too, e.g. volunteering, organising a sports team etc. 

If you need any more help, please feel free to come in to the hub for some more help or support.

What to expect from a telephone interview

Some employers will conduct a telephone interview to test how you conduct yourself on the phone.

Make sure you sound outgoing and enthusiastic from the moment you pick up the phone. Speak slowly and clearly and make sure you are in a quiet room with no distractions.

Keep a copy of your CV to refer to and make a list of your strengths, experience and a few questions to ask the interviewer.

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Once you know what to expect from your interview, you can start to think about the questions you may be asked.

Tell me about yourself?

This is usually the opening question. This is likely to be a warm-up question so answer briefly and focus on your education, work history and recent career experience.

What do you know about our organisation?

As you have done your research, you should be able to answer this question.

You can talk about products or services, reputation, image, history and philosophy.

Let your answer show that you have done your research but also that you want to learn more about the organisation.

Why do you want to work for us?

Start by saying what you like about the company from your research. Mention the company's reputation and talk about the opportunities for learning from the company's success.

Talk about how you believe you can contribute to the company. You may have identified challenges they are facing in your research and have thought about a potential way of addressing those challenges.

Organisations may promote an ethos through their products, services and marketing. State that you share their ethos and believe you would fit into the company easily.

What can you do for us that someone else cannot? / Why should we hire you?

Mention specific accomplishments listed on your CV. Talk about how your skills and interests and these accomplishments make you valuable.

Mention your ability to prioritise, identify problems and use your experience to solve them.

Your CV suggests you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position?

Suggest that, as you are so well qualified, your employer will get a fast return on their investment. Mention that experienced executives are always at a premium.

Say that a strong company needs a strong staff and can never have too much talent.

What important trends do you see in your industry?

Mention any trends or challenges to the industry you found in your research.

You can talk about technological challenges, economic conditions or regulation.

Why are you leaving you present job? / Why did you leave your last job?

Be brief and honest. If you were made redundant, say so. Otherwise, let them know that the move was your decision, the result of your action.

Do not mention personality conflicts and remember that your references will be checked.

In your current or last position, what did you like the most/least?

Be positive by describing more features you liked than disliked. Do not mention personality conflicts.

When talking about what you disliked, try to mention things that new job will offer. For example, you may have found your last/current job stopped challenging you and that the new job will take you out of your comfort zone.

How do you cope with pressure?

Describe the pressures in previous jobs using a recent example, e.g. how you coped with a changed deadline, completed a rush order and dealt with staff shortages.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

The interviewer will already know your strengths from your CV or application form. Briefly repeat them to show.

When talking about your weaknesses, explain how you have overcome them in the past. Employers value people who can admit their mistakes instead of blaming their failings on others.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Explain that you would ideally like to be working for the same company but to have developed within it.

What are your salary expectations?

Avoid stating a number straight away. You might say: “I understand the range for this job is between £x and £x and I think that's appropriate for this position”.

If the interviewer presses, you might say: “I'm making £x at present. Like everyone else, I'd like to improve on that figure but my main interest is with the job itself.”

If no salary range is given, you will have to respond with a number. Don't sell yourself short but say the job is the most important thing.

Once you reach the 'final' stage of the interview process, you will know the company is interested in employing. Here, you can discuss your salary in more detail.

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In most interviews you will be asked whether you have any questions for the interviewer. By asking good questions you are assessing whether the company and the position would be a good fit for you.

Here are some questions you could ask:

• How would you describe a typical week / day in this position?
• What are the top three objectives the successful candidate would be expected to meet, and in what timeframe?
• How is success in this position measured?
• What are the prospects for growth, training and progression?
• Where do you see the successful candidate within the company in five years' time?
• How do you evaluate success in your company?
• How does the company see itself changing in the future?

Do not ask about holiday entitlement, flexible working hours or payment schedules. You will have the opportunity to talk about this in more detail at the end of the interview process.

Unfortunately, redundancy is something that people may experience. It is important to remember that redundancy is not a personal decision against you made by an employer. The key is to stay motivated and remember that now is the time to really focus on your skills and experience as you have plenty to offer.

The Legalities:

Notice Periods

If your employer has selected you for redundancy you must be given a notice period before your employment ends. The notice period you are entitled is to be the higher of what is contained in your contract or statutory notice set in law. The statutory notice periods are:

• At least one week’s notice if you have been employed between one month and two years.
• One week’s notice for each year if employed between two and 12 years.
• 12 weeks’ notice if employed for 12 years or more.

If you are not required by your employer to work out your notice period, then you are entitled to receive a payment in lieu for it.

You should also check your contract of employment because your employer could have set out longer notice periods.

Redundancy Pay

If you are made redundant you may be entitled to statutory redundancy pay if you have worked for your employer for at least two years. The amount you are entitled to will be based on your weekly pay, age and continuous employment with your employer.

You do not have to claim statutory redundancy pay from your employer, they should automatically pay it to you. If your employer does not give you statutory redundancy pay when you are entitled to it you should write to them asking for payment. If your employer still refuses to pay you or cannot make the payment you could make an appeal to an Employment Tribunal.

Redundancy pay is calculated by how long you have been continuously employed, your age and your weekly pay up to a certain limit.

Payment in lieu of notice

In some cases your employer may have included a payment in lieu of notice clause in your employment contract. This means that your employer can end your employment contract with no notice; however they must give you payment for all of the pay you would have received during the notice period. This covers basic pay and may include other matters such as the equivalent amount of pension contribution or private health care insurance.

Voluntary Redundancy

Sometimes an employer may ask employees if they want to be made redundant to avoid having to choose which person is made redundant. Voluntary redundancy is equivalent to a dismissal and all the same rules apply as a normal redundancy.

*Legal information from Gov.uk

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Work experience in Eastbourne is a great way to make yourself more employable offering you insight into a working environment whilst you study.

Now more than ever it’s important to start gaining work-related experience. It will help make your CV stand out in the crowd, help test your career choices, allow you to network with potential future employers and put your knowledge into practice.

Work experience can be paid or unpaid. Some employers may contribute towards expenses, to cover your travel and possibly lunch. The majority of placements are done on a volunteer basis, but think of this as an investment into your future.

By taking part in work experience, you will get hands-on experience of a variety of tasks. 

You will understand more about the skills needed for:

• Different jobs in order to make a more informed choice about your career options.
• You will gain a greater understanding of how businesses operate.
• You will develop self-confidence.
• Doing work experience looks great on your CV.

You may decide that a specific employment sector is not for you, meaning you can focus on other areas and possibly do another placement.

Employability skills you will learn include:

• How to communicate and interact with various groups of people.
• How to work as part of a team.
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Literacy and numeracy skills.
• Time-management and organisational skills.
• Business and customer awareness.
• Confidence and independence.

Either contact the employer directly, highlighting your skills and what you will bring to the employer - remember you are asking them for work, so they will want to see how this can benefit their business.

Or visit your local Jobcentre Plus - St. Anne's House, 2 St. Anne's Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3XX

Job Seeker information on Work Experience

Aged 18-24 and been claiming benefits for six months or more?

Treat applying for work experience exactly the same as applying for a permanent job in the East Sussex area. You will need to send your CV and a covering letter.

Some work experience placements can be organised with your education programme.

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Whatever the size of your organisation, you could reap the benefits from taking on work experience candidates. They can offer fresh new ideas or develop projects that the company just hasn't had time to carry out. Overall work experience is a cost-effective flexible solution to your recruitment needs.

You will be influencing the quality of future employees, influencing career choices in Eastbourne, raising your community profile and will be part of the development of recruitment channels within the town.

If you would like to advertise work experience placements with LoveLocalJobs.com please post the opportunity in the same way as posting a job.

Or alternatively the Jobcentre Plus can help...

Work Trials - Give you the time to decide. Do you have a vacancy to fill?

Trial someone for free to see if they are the right person for your job! Work Trials offer you the chance to see what an applicant for your job can do before you decide whether to employ them. So why don’t you let an unemployed person show you they are the right person for your job. Check their skills, time keeping, attendance and if they fit in with your current team.

Work Experience - Get Britain Working
Is your business interested in supporting young people who are looking for work? Jobcentre Plus are looking for “community spirited” employers who are able to offer unemployed 18 – 24 year olds Work Experience, at no cost to your business.

Work Experience can:

• Provide them an insight into the world of work
• Provide them with a reference for future job applications
• Support your business and the local community
• Enable your business to find new staff

For more information on these Jobcentre Plus initiatives, please call:

Lee Hawkins - lee.hawkins@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Jackie Akehurst - jackie.akehurst@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk 

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