Pre interview
Do some research
Information on GM&T is contained on our website. You can also research local, national and international news media. Read through and ensure you are familiar with the job description.
Plan your route
Traffic is occasionally a problem, so if you’re travelling by car, leave plenty of time for your journey, and call in advance to reserve a parking space as these are limited. Please call our main reception on 0207 756 0000 if you’re going to be late.
Know your CV
Be prepared to discuss all aspects of your CV, including gaps, career breaks, reasons for leaving previous jobs and your motivation for taking subsequent roles.
Prepare some questions
At the end of the interview there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the role or the company as a whole. Preparing these in advance will ensure you get the maximum out of this time.
Dress code
We operate a smart business wear dress code. We would therefore appreciate if you could adhere to this at interview also.
During the interview
On arrival
Please report to reception and ask for the relevant member of HR or the Hiring Manager.
First stage interviews are with the immediate Hiring Manager and a member of HR and last approximately one hour. (If an assessment forms part of the first stage, this may be longer; you will be advised in advance to allow you to prepare).
Interviews are generally structured as follows:
We ask you what you know of the company and the role. The Hiring Manager will then give more detail on these aspects as well as the team/function.
Run through of your CV. We ask you to go into more depth on your skills, experiences and responsibilities in each of your previous roles.
Technical questions. The hiring manager may ask some technical questions relevant to the role.
Competency-based questions to assess your suitability for the job. This technique uses questions based on the competencies required to perform the job as the best indicator for the future performance of an applicant. Competencies are skills required for the role and that link to the values of the company, ie communication, leadership, problem solving, relationship building, etc. The job description will help you to identify what the key competencies are.
The best approach to answer a competency based question is to use the STAR technique:
S – Situation: Describe the background of a particular situation;
T – Task: Describe what you particular task was in relation to this;
A – Action: Describe exactly how you managed the tasks set and overcame any setbacks;
R – Result: Describe the end result.
It is important to be specific and refer to a specific work-related event rather than a more general – or personal – example.
Second interviews
These are conducted by a member of HR, but also involve another more senior member of the Hiring Managers team. Whilst they will have notes from the first stage interview, there may still be questions on issues you’ve covered previously. There will again be a brief review of your CV followed by more targeted questions on aspects not fully covered in the first interview, as well as your motivations, career aspirations, approach to working in a team, etc.
Post interview
We aim to get back to you within two weeks of the interview, depending on the timescale for hiring and how many other candidates there are. We will however, advise you at both stages of the interview process on more precise timings.