Interviews take many different kinds of formats especially when you are applying for a role based in the Arabian Gulf. There are three main types of interview involved in the expatriate recruitment process:-
- Telephone interviews
- Video Conference interviews
- Face to face interviews
It is important to have your own questions ready to ask your prospective employer at each kind of interview. This will show your interest in the position, company and region and is an opportunity to demonstrate your suitability.
Telephone Interviews
After confirmation that an Employer wishes to proceed further with your application, the next step is generally a telephone interview (screening interview). Telephone Interviews can be difficult due to poor quality reception, interviewers not speaking English as their first language, and calls being arranged at unsocial hours due to the time differences. They will not normally be longer than 30 minutes.
These are prearranged and will involve a conference call/speakerphone call with a Human Resources representative and a relevant line manager completing the interview.
It is important that you present yourself in the best way possible, and we therefore suggest the following:
- Ensure you are prepared for your interview and are ready to take notes.
- Ensure you are in a totally quiet, private space for the interview (i.e.) no background noise.
- Research the company prior to interview so you understand as much as possible and can ask pertinent questions.
- Do the same with the job description.
- Prepare questions for any aspects of the role, reporting structure that you wish to clarify. • Write down the names of the interviewers and do not be embarrassed to ask them to spell their names.
- Many interviewers are inexperienced - be prepared to assist them by volunteering information that is relevant or valuable and display your interest by asking questions
- Speak clearly and slowly due to the different mix of first languages involved.
Video Conference Calls
Often a client will request a video conference interview (Skype) as the first stage of the short listing. The section on telephone interviews covers the basics of these interviews; however, there are a couple of additional points to keep in mind.
You must remember that this type of interview is just as important as if you were meeting the interviewer in his or her office.
Face to Face Interviews (In Country Interviews)
Many employers will fly their preferred candidate to the destination country for face-to- face interviews and familiarisation. In this case, Expat Careers International will assist you with travel arrangements and detailed briefing on employer expectations and how best to prepare yourself for this journey. This will include:
- Detailed travel schedule.
- Dress code and etiquette.
- Background information on the company and interviewers.
- Things you should and should not do during the visit.
The information below will give you some idea of how to prepare for the interview itself.
Behavioural Interviewing techniques
The core principle behind behavioural interviewing is this: the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation. It focuses on experiences, behaviours, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related. In a traditional interview, you will be asked a series of questions which typically have straight forward answers like "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" or "What major challenges and problems did you face? So instead of asking how you would behave, they will ask how you did behave.
In this new style of interviewing, an employer will predetermine which skills are most important to being successful in a particular role. The questions during the interview will then be very specific to those skills, giving you an opportunity to show your suitability.
To assess which skills an employer is seeking, use sources such as the job description, job advertisement, company website and literature, recruitment agency knowledge of the client etc. Your responses need to be very specific and detailed. We recommend the following STAR Method as an easy way to ensure you are answering the question fully.
Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome
Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation
Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situation’s task
Results: what results directly followed because of your actions
The best way to prepare for these types of interviews is:-
- Identify 4 or 5 of your top selling points and decide what examples you can give to get these points across (use STAR Method)
- Try and frame your answer as a story and be prepared for further probing questions from the interviewer around your story e.g. lead me through your decision process.
- Whenever you can, quantify your results.
- Be prepared to provide examples that didn’t have the result you planned
- Chose examples from a variety of places in your life
- Also prepare answers to more traditional interview questions as you may also have to respond to those questions
Examples of Behavioural Questions
- Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
- Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
- Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
- Describe a situation where you have had to manage a multicultural environment and the challenges you had?
- Tell me about a time when you have worked in a remote location or situation which is totally foreign?
- Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
- What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
- Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
- Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
- Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
- Follow-up questions will also be detailed.You may be asked what you did, what you said, how you reacted or how you felt.
Examples of Traditional Interviewing Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
- What have you done that shows initiative and willingness to work?
- How do you react to criticism?
- Why do you want to work for this organization?
- What do you know about our organization?
- Why do you want to seek a role overseas?
- What do you know about the destination you are going to
Please see some of the links below for more detail on these topics.
Websites
Interviews: Types
STAR method behavioural Interviewing
Interview advice, tips and techniques
