Interview Tips

Sub-Title

How to Ace Your Interview

Interviews can be daunting to some but second nature to others. At Mark Warner it is really important that we employ the right people to work in our overseas resort hotels so showcasing your skills and bringing out your personality are really important to us.

To help you with the day we have put together some helpful tips and advice to ensure that you don’t find yourself hot under the collar on the day. Some of the things below may seem obvious but you would be amazed with the amount of people that don’t do the basics.

Be aware of your surroundings

You need to create a good setting for your interview, even though this is taking place digitally you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Choose a setting that is quiet and where you won’t be disturbed, be aware of your surroundings removing any unwanted distractions and choose a suitable background or plain wall as your back drop.
Ensure that your screen is at a good height and directly in front of you, this will ensure that you look engaged and interested, through out the interview maintain good eye contact and body language. Show that you are engaged and listening carefully to your interviewer.

Prepare for the Interview

Prepare for the interview by reading our careers pages and matching your skills with the positions requirements. Knowing what the interviewer is looking for means that you will be able to tailor your answers and provide relevant examples from previous experience to showcase your skill set. If this is your first job talk about your studies, any practical placements and any informal work you may have done. Prepare well thought out answers to commonly asked questions and practise these with a friend so that you feel confident and relaxed.

Prepare Questions

At the end of your interview your interviewer will make time to answer any questions that you have. It is advisable to have some prepared questions ready to ask in case they haven’t been answered during the interview process. These may be specific to the job role you are interviewing for, about the company or general questions about the next steps. Asking questions not only demonstrates your interest in the role and the company but means that you can leave the interview with all your questions answered should you get nervous. 

Bring a note pad and pen

Although we are going old school with this one, not only it is extremely useful to note down important information or questions that may arise during the interview. It will show your interviewer that you are keen to learn about the role and dedicated to retaining all the information your interviewer gives you. It is useful to look over these notes once the interview has finished.

Do a bit of research

Spend a bit of time researching Mark Warner to build up your knowledge, our interviewers we will ask you” what you know about Mark Warner” whilst we are not expecting you to be experts, showing that you are able to give an accurate description reaffirms your interest in the position and joining the company. So spend a bit of time looking at our  website, researching our destinations and social media pages.


Be punctual

It is important to make sure that your technology is charged and working, including having a strong internet connection at least 20 minutes before your interview starts. Join the meeting a few minutes before it is due to start, ensure the camera and microphone are on. Being late for an interview implies that you will arrive late for work, so it is important to get this right. Should you encounter any problems or need to rearrange your interview,  it is better to contact the interviewer who may be able to help you or reschedule the interview for a different time.


Dress smart

Change the whole thing due to punctuation to: Dressing for an interview is the best way to make a good first impression, even if you are attending a virtual interview. Making a great first impression by looking smart is important when being interviewed as we will be looking to assess how much professional pride you will take when looking after our guests. Depending on the role you are interviewing for, your attire should  be smart casual or more formal for senior positions.


Documents

You will be asked to send us a few documents and maybe complete a questionnaire ahead of your interview. This will be outlined in your “invite to interview email”. Please make sure you have completed these tasks ahead of your interview, we like to see people who can come to our interviews prepared and this will also help speed up the recruitment process if you are hired.


Answer the questions

We are sure you have a lot of great things about yourself that you want to get across, but remember to answer the question you have been asked and not stray far from the point. Once you have been asked a question, take a couple of seconds to process the question before you answer. As great as it is telling us what your strengths are, if we’ve asked you about your customer service experience, this is what we’re after.



Final Top tips

  • Remember not to talk too fast
  • Have a glass of water available
  • Speak clearly and confidently
  • Remove things that will be a distraction
  • Make sure your laptop is at eye level
  • Showcase your personality and bring out your true self