Questions
Below is a list of questions, supplied by one Researcher that you can be expected to be asked in an interview. You have been forewarned.I will always ask you what you're doing now and why (how do you fit in the company? Do you know how your role relates to the rest of the firm? Are you interested in the company you work for?). Apart from anything else, it acts like an ice-breaker and lets me frame some of my follow-ups.
I will ask about strengths, weaknesses, things you're proud of, things you wish you'd done differently. Don't hide the negatives. I will never believe a candidate who has no weaknesses or never made a mistake and if I start distrusting you on that, I will distrust you totally.
I will ask you why you want the job and why you want to get out of your existing one. If you have specific relevant skills beyond the more general (obviously this depends on the role) I'm bound to ask about them.
Think like an employer. I will not know what the PQR system or department is. If possible, don't put things on your CV that will just confuse me, but if you do, expect me to ask. Have a simple and concise explanation prepared.
Expect me to probe. I will not always take your first answer for granted.
Try not to make me feel ill at ease. If I ask you what you've been doing for six months (say you have a break in your CV) and the answer involves a death in the family, etc, do your best to tackle the subject in a matter of fact way. I have been taught to handle things if you get unexpectedly emotional, but that doesn't mean I feel comfortable with it. If you have something like that lurking in your CV, expect it to come up.
One caveat1 - when asked what your 'weaknesses' are, don't say 'I'm a bit of a perfectionist', 'I expect everyone to work as hard as I do' or any other self-aggrandizing, mock-deprecatory answers. Trust me on this - because people are still being trained to say this sort of thing - the only effect you will have on the interview panel is that they will laugh themselves sick after you've left the room. If any of these things are really faults of yours, explain why you think this is a problem for you rather than a problem for your colleagues.
Take time to think about the question before you start to answer. A pause of six or seven seconds (longer than it sounds) is definitely okay. If you lose track halfway through the answer, stop, ask the interviewer to repeat the question and make sure you stick to the point.
Make sure that you ask a question appropriate to the post. If you really must ask about promotion, ask whether people who have come into the company at this level have been promoted internally. That sounds less pushy and less as if you are going to leave if you don't get promoted in the next five minutes.