UK Interview Success

This lecture covers:

• An employers perspective: why employers conduct interviews and what they are looking for from candidates.

• An introduction to the main different types of interview formats you can expect in the UK.

• The importance of knowing your USP as an international candidate and how this will help you in interviews.

This lecture covers the basics of preparing for interviews, including advice on:

• How to reflect on your experience, skills, and strengths to give you confidence about what you have to offer as a candidate. (There is a mind mapping exercise for this in the resource section).

• Examples of questions about yourself you can expect in an interview, i.e. 'Tell us about yourself?' and how to approach answering them.

• Advice on how to impress the interviewer by using information you have found about the organisation to provide personalised and authentic answers to questions such as, 'Why do you want to work for us?'

• Breaking down the job advert and distinguishing between different parts of the advert and how to use the content in your answers.

This lecture provides a strong example answer for the question, 'Why are you interested in working for this company?' to give you an insight into how to structure your answer to ensure you provide an authentic and original response.

This lecture recaps on what is covered in this section.

• How to reflect on your career narrative and identify your USP.

• How to impress the employer with the research you have done about their organisation.

• Understanding how to break down the job advert and use the relevant information in your answers.

• How to provide personalised, authentic and original answers.

This lecture introduces different types of interview questions you can expect in the UK and categorises them into the below four types:

1. Situational/competency/behavioural

2. Strengths based

3. Motivational

4. Hypothetical

In this lecture, I explain what a hypothetical interview question is and provide an example of a strong answer to give you insight into how to approach these types of questions.

In this lecture, I cover the very popular question, Where do you see yourself in five years time?, which is a very common question asked in UK interviews. You will develop an understanding of why this question is asked, and by the end of the lecture, you will know how to approach the question confidently.

This lecture focuses on how to answer one of the most dreaded questions, 'What's your biggest weakness?'

In this lecture, I talk through examples of how to answer this, providing a good example and a bad one. The key to providing a strong answer for this question is to put a positive spin on it and turn it into an area for development rather than a weakness. Remember, you are trying to sell yourself in an interview situation, so don´t fall into the trap of admitting to your downfalls or focusing on the negatives.

This lecture focuses on the competency based interview question, 'Tell us a time when you dealt with conflict in a team?'

I talk through what skills/competencies are being assessed in this question and how to provide an answer with the structure the interviewer is looking for.

Introduction to STAR

• STAR is the expected technique for answering competency based interview questions in the UK. The interviewer will be assessing you on your ability to structure your answer according to STAR. STAR stands for:

S- Situation

T- Task

A- Action

R- Result

Competency based interviews are essentially score based, so it is pertinent that you follow the STAR structure when asked a competency based question.

To recognise a competency question, they always start with:

• Tell us about a time when..

• Give an example of a time when...

In this lecture I emphasise the importance of being very specific with your STAR answers. The more detail the better. The attached resource is a guideline document to help you start creating your own impressive STARR examples.

In this lecture, I talk through the action and result part of the answer, providing more guidance on how to apply the STAR technique with success. I also introduce my suggestion for an extra R, which stands for reflective statement and why this is crucial for providing a succinct and concise answer.

Providing a reflective statement will ensure your answer is succinct and polished, and means you are unlikely to be probed for more information.

A reflective statement should start with, in hindsight, or, looking back... and show that you have reflected on the situation and demonstrate some self awareness. 

This lecture covers the importance of making your STARR examples relevant to the role. This is one thing that a lot of people fall down on in interviews.

The key is to look at the skills/competencies listed in the job advert and use these to formulate competency questions to practice. The more examples you practice, the better as some skills can overlap. For example, a STARR example for team work, could also be used for a question on communication or problem solving skills.  So the more examples you have, the better.

This lecture recaps on what was covered in section four, including:

• The STAR technique, what it is, how to use it and how to make your answer even stronger by adding an extra R for reflective statement

• How to make sure your examples are relevant and tailored to the job

• The importance of staying positive and diplomatic with your answers at all times.

The questions you ask in an interview are vital to the impression you give the interviewer about your motivation for applying for the job, understanding of the role and interest in working for the company. It is therefore vital that you use your opportunity to ask questions wisely.

This lecture provides insight into what types of questions to avoid asking in a UK interview and why these would be inappropriate.

Following on from lecture 17, in this lecture, I outline what types of questions are good to ask in a UK interview and I offer some examples of questions which are good to ask and ones which demonstrate your genuine interest in the role and the company.

In this lecture, I recap on everything covered in this part of the course regarding:

• What kind of formats you can expect for UK interviews.

• Question types and how to approach them.

• How to formulate strong answers to questions such as, 'Tell us about yourself?' Or 'Why do you want to work for this company?'

• An introduction into using the STAR technique to answer competency based questions.

• How to formulate relevant STARR examples based on the job spec.

• How to break down the job advert and use the content in your answers.

• Appropriate questions to ask and ones to avoid.

The next part of this course will cover cross cultural communication for UK interviews and you will learn about how you can adapt your communication style to fit a UK context. This part will be delivered by Cheryl Obal, an experienced and expert cross cultural trainer.

There is a PDF resource available to provide you with a list of follow up resources and websites to aid your UK job search and develop your knowledge of UK interviews.

Whenever you go for job interviews in other countries, expect differences. You will notice these differences from the first moment you arrive. This lecture opens your mind about what could possibly be different about your UK interview experience and beyond, including:

• Body language

• Questions & answers

• Communication style

• Formality

• Punctuality

• Notion of politeness

• Attitude and behavior

• Work ethic

By the end of this lecture, you will understand how drastically different interviews can be from culture to culture, and you will be ready to learn specifics about what to expect in UK interviews.

What is culture, actually? Culture is a set of values, principles, and ways of thinking shared by a large group of people. Culture is not only about where you come from, though. There are so many groups we belong to throughout our lives, and so many influences. Yet everyone is also an individual with their own unique preferences.

UK culture is "linear active" according to the Lewis Model of Culture, designed by UK-born cultural anthropologist, expert, author, and teacher Richard Lewis. What does this mean? What does the Lewis Model teach us?

You will learn in this lecture how British people tend to:

• Plan in advance and do things in a methodical way

• Not express their feelings in a completely transparent or direct way

• Prefer a logical approach

• Be sometimes impatient

• Be job-oriented

• Rarely interrupt

• Pay attention to detail

• Stick to the facts instead of emotions

• Follow rules and laws

• Don’t use much body language

• Separate work and family life

• Place great importance on punctuality

• Be driven by results

By the end of this lecture, you will understand key British cultural values and behavioural tendencies. You will also have the chance to think about strategies for adapting your style. You know what they say: "When in Rome, do as the Romans!"

Although there may be a common thread of accepted cultural norms in every society, of course there are many variations. Cultural behavior, values and principles are never black and white. There are many shades of gray in-between, as cultures are composed of individuals with many differences as well as regional differences. This lecture covers:

1. Regional differences in British culture

2. British manners and tips for proper etiquette in interviews

3. The language skill of asking indirect questions

The indirect question structure is a grammatical concept referring to a different way to ask questions that is common in the UK. These questions are formulated in a way that's more polite and professional, and typically start with phrases like:

• Do you mind....

• Could I ask if....

• Would you please...

• May I ask....

  Etc....

Whenever you are in a UK-based interview, it would be good to transform your questions into the indirect form.

Example:

Direct: Where is your office located?

Indirect: Could you please tell me where your office is located?

This lecture will give you plenty of practice with this grammatical form of questions. Be sure to do the short exercises after the lecture.

This short lecture will go into detail about how you can develop your answers when you get closed-ended questions in an interview. You may get questions starting with "Do, Did, Are, Is, Can, Will, Should, Have," etc. for which the answer would be just yes or no. However, in an interview, you should take this opportunity to develop such answers. This lecture shows you how to do this effectively.

The British culture typically falls into the linear-active category according to the Lewis Model of Culture, and linear-actives are usually direct communicators. Some regional communication styles in the UK are, in fact, direct. However, many people in the UK also use indirect communication. Though their approach may be direct in nature, certain individual phrases will be structured with an indirect style. This mostly happens for the purpose of politeness-another important British cultural value.

This lecture explains how the listener (you!) can "decode" what British people are saying, when there are hidden messages. Please try the exercises and read the information in the link following the lecture for more practice.

Before your UK interview, preparation is key. Keep in mind that UK interviewers expect a certain level of preparedness. This lecture reinforces some of the points discussed previously by Bianca, in preparing yourself in the following ways:

• Read up on the company's history, news, accomplishments, publications and social media posts.

• Read and re-read the job description, making sure your qualifications match (don't worry if you don't match 100%, but there should be a 70-80% match if you apply).

• Be sure your cover letter highlights your qualifications which are relevant for the job.

As well as knowing what you should do, it's important to know also what not to do. This lecture will go into UK cultural aspects which you need to observe and be aware of when adapting your communication style:

• The British tend to be reserved, so keep your opinions understated and diplomatic.

• Refrain from asking too much information too soon-for example about holidays, pay or sponsorship.

• Don't ask for results of your interview in the interview.

• Keep negativity, excuses and strong opinions to yourself.

Did you know interviewers normally make up their minds in the first 120 seconds of the interview? This is why first impressions are so important. This lecture focuses on how to:

• Make a good impression early on.

• Have an optimal appearance for your UK interview.

• Know what to ask in the interview.

• Be prepared to answer all types of questions-even those about small projects on your CV.

If you deal with a recruiter for your UK job search, this person is your link to opportunities! This lecture focuses on proper etiquette for working with UK recruiters:

• Get to know them, but don't stalk

• Allow for ample time and be patient

• Control your submissions and know which companies the recruiter submitted your CV to

• Make calculated applications (follow the 70-80% rule)

• Learn about trends and seasonal tendencies in your market

• Mould your behaviour so you're easy to work with

  
  

Geert Hofstede coined the terms individualism and collectivism to describe a cultural dimension which can be very different from one culture to the next.

In individualist societies:

• Self-sufficiency is expected and dependence on others is frowned upon.

• More emphasis is placed on "I" and individual recognition is common.

• Being unique and different is praised and desired.

In collectivist societies:

• People tend to mould themselves more to the group than to their own unique preferences.

• There is a strong sense of community and people tend to depend on the group(s) they belong to for survival.

• It's not so positive to be too unique and different.

Of course, cultures are not one extreme or the other, they may rank somewhere in the middle of the two dimensions. Also keep in mind that individuals may always have a preference which is different from their culture of origin.

UK falls more on the individualist side. What does that mean for me? How do these values show themselves in UK society?

Watch this lecture to find out!

At the end, take a fun self-assessment quiz to determine if you are more individualist or collectivist.

How does individualism play out in job search? What do you need to be aware of when aspiring to work in the UK?

This lecture starts out by helping you score your individualism/collectivism quiz, and understanding more about what your results mean. Then we go into detail of how this cultural dimension manifests in the UK job search, and a little bit more on the variations within cultures.

When you understand your own personal tendencies in terms of individualism and collectivism, you will understand where you may need to adapt in order to blend in with UK society. One of these areas which is important to observe is the way you might be expected to work with recruiters.

The UK job search, in general, is a place where you see evidence of the individualist culture. You will be expected to:

• Do a lot of the legwork on your own, like reformatting your CV.

• Be extremely proactive in your pursuit of a UK job.

• Respect the self-driven process of job search.

Now that we've talked so much about preparing yourself for getting a job in the UK, this lecture will talk about what it may be like when you get your dream job offer and make the transition overseas.

Companies who hire staff from abroad often give relocation assistance. However, keep in mind that companies may or may not offer these benefits, and even if they do, there is no standard. Relocation assistance may include things like:

• Lump sum of money to help you with your expenses

• Flight cost (or reimbursement of the flight cost)

• Hotel for the first 14 days, for example

• Assistance upon arrival, like a tour of the city, help in grocery shopping, advice on apartment search, etc.

Is it appropriate to ask about these benefits in the interview? No. If you will be the recipient of relocation assistance, it will be clearly stated in the job offer.

Also, when considering costs, keep in mind that life in the UK can be more expensive compared to other places in the world. It's a good idea to have a look online before making the big move so you have an idea of typical costs.

Living abroad enriches your life in countless ways, and leaves you a changed person- for the better. However, there are also difficult aspects of moving your life to another country. Some people experience what's known as "culture shock," the physical and psychological effects of being in a completely new and different environment. This lecture will prepare you for the typical trends which happen for most people who start a new life in a foreign country, and what to expect in the first 6 months.

By discussing culture shock, the intention is not to scare you but to prepare you for the possibility that you may have some discomfort in the initial stages. This feeling is normal, it's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's completely natural to feel ups and downs in the beginning of any new experience abroad.

Keeping in mind the last lecture's points about possible culture shock, how can we deal with it? What kind of mindset do you need, in order to adapt successfully? This video starts out with tips such as:

• Prepare yourself for adjustment

• Take every day as a learning experience

• Understand that it takes time to develop a sense of comfort

One important part of adapting and building a successful life in any new place, is creating a network. This lecture will also give you ideas, insights and inspiration on how to develop relationships in the UK, as well as adaptation strategies for a fruitful social life:

• Tips for living in shared accomodation

• Find activities you enjoy

• Participate in social gatherings

Then, I list my personal favorite websites which you can use to find people with similar interests, and participate in activities you enjoy, including internations.org, Meetup.com, and Eventbrite.com.

Follow these tips and suggestions, and you will successfully integrate into UK society.

Finally, I leave you with a note on positive thinking, perseverance, and focusing on your goal to reach the UK. Wishing you all the best of luck!

In this video, you will see an interview with Omair Baig, who has achieved the dream that many wish for: he moved to the UK under the HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme - now called Skilled Worker Visa), spent many years in the UK, and and then obtained UK citizenship. The interview covers:

• The procedure he followed for applying to the HSMP

• The interview process

• Why he chose to apply to the UK and not Canada or Australia

• Advice for people applying for jobs in the UK

• The path to citizenship

• The importance of cross-cultural training for adapting successfully to the UK