Best job interview advice?
Hi everyone! I'm finally looking to leave my much hated retail job very shortly and find a job that I love with my psych/counselling bachelor degree, as uni is about to wrap up (very exciting).
I have applied to one job so far and am looking to apply for more. What are your best interview tips, as I haven't had to do a job interview in almost 3 years... And if you know any great questions to ask the interviewer that would be useful too! Thanks guys! 😋
Comments
Hi @Green_Ghost
It is so exciting to hear you're nearly done with your degree! 😻
What type of jobs are you interested in applying for?
Job interviews can be so nerve-wracking, but remember to feel confident in yourself. With your previous work and studying experience, you have all the important skills to apply for your next job! I've been part of an interview panel before, and here are my tips:
My biggest advise would be to always use examples! For example, if they ask you what your greatest quality is and you say teamwork, give an example why. I've given examples about how I naturally take on a leader role in group assignments, and how I trained/supported new staff members in my retail job.
Also my another tip was to always ask them questions! It's so good to hear you've asked for some tips, here are my go to questions:
- What would the first week look like for the successful candiate for this job?
- What is the most challening aspect of this role?
- Is there any opportunity for supervison? (especially if this is a job in the mental health field, so important!)
And lastly, my last tip is to be yourself! Especially working in the mental health field, I personally think it's important to be yourself, as this is how you're going to connect with people. Let your personality shine through, because this is will make you appear more confident as you're being yourself 🙂
All the best for applying for jobs!! 💘
Hi @sweetstrawberry 💜
Mostly jobs to help others like peer work/education, psychosocial support, maybe child protection, etc... I'm so excited to leave retail.
Thank you for these suggestions!
Hi @Green_Ghost 🌻
Getting a job which involes helping people will be so rewarding - all the best with this! I know it can be disheartening at times due to being competitive, but you'll get there.
Disability support work also might be something you're interested in! There are some platforms available where you can find support work and work for yourself under an ABN instead of a company (Mable, HireUp). Or else I see a lot of jobs available online too
Also Child Protection offers an Employment Programs, so you can try it to see if you like it first - also an amazing way to get your foot in the door. Applications for 2025 have closed, but maybe an opportunity for the future if you're interested?
- @sweetstrawberry 🍓
Hi @Green_Ghost,
Congratulations on almost finishing your degree! That’s such an exciting milestone, and you should be proud of your hard work.
One of my favorite tips for interviews is to ask the interviewer questions about their role and industry trends. In many of my interviews, I ask about both their experience and current developments in the field.
For instance, you could ask: “With the rise of AI, how do you see its relevance in psychology and counseling?”
You can then follow up with questions like:
- “Is AI usage encouraged or discouraged in this company, and why?”
- “If encouraged, how do you use AI in your daily work?”
- “If not, do you foresee AI becoming relevant here in the future?”
Asking these kinds of questions shows you're informed about industry trends and eager to understand how they impact the company and your future role.
Let me know if you have any thoughts or further ideas on this. All the best for your interviews!
Best,
Watermelon_Stegosaurus
Congratulions @Green_Ghost on wrapping up Uni soon!!!
Interviews can be overwhelming espicially the professional ones in your own degree. I think a key to cracking interviews is being calm while answering and just be yourself. I have done retail part time jobs and their interviews are straightforward so it is pretty easy crack but professional one might focus a lot on personality and your stregths. If you can portray your best skills in the best possible way you will crack the interview in no time!
The most common advice would be to use the STAR technique while answering questions.
Also, you could show how passionate you are about the the subject and the role you apply for.
These are pretty basic things but might be a good reminder for you. I also suggest doing a little background research of the institution/ office/ center you are applying at.
All the best
You got this.😉🙂
Thank you @Figuring_out 💜
I'm so curious, what is the STAR technique? 🤓
So, the STAR techniques is basically about situation, task, action and result. Whenever somebody asks you a question about your stregth or weakness or maybe how you handled a situation you can use this technique. you start by giving a brief description of the situation then what was expected from you, then highlight what steps you took to meet the expected stadards of the work and finally what it resullted into.
you could also practice some interview questions based on this technique using AI.😄
