Careers in Bermuda

Preparing for Interviews

Congratulations – your superstar Resume/CV/Bio made it to the ‘YES’ pile – what next?

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Know who YOU are:

• Assess your strengths and skills – ask your colleagues, friends or family to give you honest feedback

• Look at your work history to find your strengths

• Make a list of your successes

• Take time to review any failures

• Think about what you really want

• AND also think about what you never want to do again!
   

Know who THEY are:
 

Research the company via their Website, Google, Social Media platforms, etc. – find everything you can to bring yourself up to speed with their business in Bermuda, and Internationally. This is probably something you did prior to applying, but as the world can change daily, its good to make sure you stay up to speed on any changes to their business ahead of your interview.
 

Research your interviewer(s) – find out anything you can about their work history, connections on the island, community involvement - look for key information which you can use as a relationship builder – perhaps you both volunteered at a recent fundraiser?  Or your children attend the same school?  This exercise isn’t about becoming a ‘stalker’ but it pays to be informed in advance incase you can leverage this knowledge to help you build a great first impression!
 

Revisit the employment advert / job description:

• Highlight the key requirements and skills being sought

• Look up any terms you don't know

• Brush up on key skills you may be lacking in
   

Review the Resume/CV/Bio you applied with:

Make notes about key elements – especially any experiences that relate to the new job you're hoping to get.  Make sure you are prepared to answer questions and give great examples about anything listed on there.  If you have received some help in writing your documents, that’s great – but make sure you are familiar with the final content incase an interviewer decides to ask you about it!

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Practice interviewing:

Take time to ask yourself some typical interview style questions and write down your answers before the interview.  This will help calm your nerves on the day and help you feel more prepared and feel comfortable talking in-depth about yourself.  You can even ask friends or family to role play as ‘interviewer’ – perhaps record yourself/your answers and listen back to see if you get your key points across. 

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Here are some questions to ask them:

• What do new employees typically find surprising after they start?

• Can you share a story where you supported an employee's personal or professional growth?

• How does the company handle feedback from employees?

• How are successes and milestones celebrated within the company?

• What does your onboarding process look like?

• How does the company ensure continuous learning and development for it's employees?

• What strategies does the company employ to ensure open and transparent communication at all levels?

• Could you share an instance where the company's core values directly influenced a business decision?

• How has the company changed since you joined?

• What resources or books would you recommend to help me have a shared understanding with the people who work here?

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Here are some questions they may ask you:

• Tell me why you have applied for this position?

• Can you share some of your strengths and weaknesses?

• What do you know about our Company?

• If I spoke to your colleagues, how would they describe you?

• What has been your biggest achievement in your career so far?

• Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

• Why are you right for this job?

• Why did you leave your last job / or why would you leave your current employer?

• How do you like to be managed?

• How do you cope with stress in the work environment?

• Have you ever failed at anything?

• Do you have any questions for me / us?

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Thank you notes:

If you’ve enjoyed your interview and you are keen on pursuing the position – don’t be afraid of letting the employer know this.  They may have several candidates to consider, so sending a timely ‘Thank you’ note/email can be the stand out difference they seek.  Your ‘Thank You’ should be directed to whoever you have benefited from interacting with so far.  Perhaps it’s the HR contact who acknowledged your application and replied to your emails timely.  It should definitely be to the interviewer(s) you met, thanking them for sharing more details about the role and taking time out of their schedules to meet with you. It should also reinforce your interest in pursuing the position and offering to provide any further information so that your candidacy can be considered further. 

 

But don’t panic if you don’t get a reply, but if you do, then it is definitely a positive ‘tick’ that they also enjoyed meeting with you – and it is also important for you to get a sense for how they value feedback - Another key to considering overall whether they are a company you want to work for if given the opportunity…

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Final tip:  Don’t get too bogged down with the perfect answers – a lot of employers will hire based on things they can’t train you in such as loyalty, integrity, and honesty so make sure you can articulate yourself well enough to showcase these traits – let them see the ‘real you’ because its important to them (and you) that you’ll be happy working there, and that your personality will be a good match for their current employees and clients.  Don’t be afraid to ‘toot your own horn’ 😊

 

Remember: Good first impressions never have a second chance!