Interview Tips

When it comes to interviews, preparation is key – we want you to do your best. It’s well worth spending some time before the interview learning more about our organisation, reviewing your CV and the job description, and thinking about how you might answer some typical questions.

Preparing for Your Interview It might all seem very obvious, but we know from experience that sometimes people forget the basics.

Simply put, it’s never a mistake to do the following:

Research the location for the interview. Know where it is and how long it will take you to get there, allowing for traffic and parking.
Arrive about ten minutes early. It’s helpful to have time to settle and prepare yourself.
Review your CV in advance and ensure you are very clear on your own academic/work history, dates on your CV, and key achievements.
Be proactive about filling in gaps in your CV when speaking to us.
Research our organisation to try and understand what we do so you can tell us how you can fit in and contribute.
Ensure you have read the role description in detail and can demonstrate your skills in line with the key accountabilities of the specific role.
Present yourself smartly. Your appearance should be neat and professional with suitable business attire.
Greet the interview panel with a smile and a firm handshake at both the start and end of the interview.
Remember to make eye contact – at introduction and throughout your interview.
Know how to answer competency-based questions. Think through your own experiences, in work or otherwise. Prepare real examples of situations where you had to show leadership, overcome challenges, demonstrate initiative, balance competing priorities, demonstrate analytical thinking, provide stakeholder support and so on.
Take your time with your answers. It’s ok to take a moment to gather your thoughts.
Ask some well thought-out questions at the end of the interview.
Smile and relax. It’s you we want to get to know, so try to be yourself.

Competency-based Interviews We use a competency-based interview model. To assist you in your preparation, have a look at the key behaviours and associated competencies, which we expect employees of the Central Bank of Ireland to be able to demonstrate.

Challenge Constructively
– Information Seeking
– Analytical Thinking
– Act with Integrity and Conviction
Deliver on Commitments
– Decision Making
– Stakeholder Focus
– Take Responsibility and Ensure Accountability
Lead the Way Forward
– Leadership
Collaborate and Share
– Teamwork and Collaboration
– Impact and Influence
Develop Self and Others
– Invest in Personal Growth
– Invest in the Development of Colleagues
Initiate Improvements
– Strive to Improve
– Drive for Performance

Remember, it’s ok if you don’t have a specific example for some of the competencies – if this is the case, you should think about how you would go about developing such competencies in the role you are applying for.

Calm Your Nerves Everyone can be nervous at interviews, and there are some simple things you can do to calm your nerves and make sure you present yourself to your full potential.

These simple tips may help you reduce stress and feel calm before an interview.

Breathing

The simplest and most direct way to calm anxiety is by controlling something we do every day – our breathing. The problem is that when we are anxious, we breathe in a way that can actually make our anxiety worse. Shallow, rapid breathing reduces the amount of oxygen that is getting into our systems and causes us to feel lightheaded and anxious.

By practicing a deeper, slower form of breathing, we can enable oxygen saturation, which tells our bodies and our brains that everything is ok and we are not in danger. When our brain gets that message, it stops releasing stress hormones and slows our heart rate back down, relieving our anxiety.

To practice this breathing technique:

Sit comfortably, with back straight and shoulders relaxed.
Put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.
Breathe slowly and deeply so that the hand on your stomach rises, not the one on your chest.

It takes practice, so try to find one or two minutes several times a day to hone this technique. If you wait until you are really anxious, you won’t have the best results. Practice when you aren’t anxious so that it will work when you need it.

Change Your “Self-talk”

When we are anxious, we tend to talk to ourselves, or think to ourselves, in very negative ways. These negative messages fuel our anxiety.

The simple act of changing our thoughts can lead to a calmer body state. “I can’t think straight and I’m going to make a mess of this meeting” can be changed to “I am very capable and it’s going to be a really productive meeting.” One message would make anyone feel nervous, the other is a more reality-based message that creates a calm and coping response.

Remember

We have a position we want to fill, so we want you to do a great interview. We’re looking for the best in you and we understand that a bit of nervousness is natural. So relax and have confidence in yourself.