Starting Out: Interview Techniques

Brief and firm and with eye contact: your handshake is the first contact you make in an interview, so it is vital to get it right. Project a limp wrist and the chance of work slips. There are many aspects of interviews that can daunt the uninitiated but for those graduating this summer there are some essential hurdles to overcome. Already CDN has outlined the best way to lay out your work (Starting Out: Portfolio Development), but now its time to make sure you come across well too. With this in mind, Car Design News contacted interviewers and recent interviewees in the industry to share experience and advice.

The procedure of an interview varies from place to place. It can happen over a lunchtime appointment for example, but because many opportunities arise through checking the job listings on Car Design News or other media, through an agent or by getting lucky during an auto show; interviews are generally conducted more formally.

When you get summoned don't be surprised if you first get sent a questionnaire. This is mainly for HR (Human Resources) to clarify details about education, work experience and salary expectations, so nothing to get worried about. You may also receive a brief schedule for a proposed interview date (don't be afraid to negotiate), which can range from a one hour session with a couple of designers and an HR guy, to something more comprehensive, including a one-on-one with HR, a general presentation to designers around a table and if you're lucky a tour of some facilities. Often companies will ask for a second interview too, while some will even sit you down for a sketching 'exam', though this is more unusual.

If you've already got an appointment - congratulations, they like your work. Whilst you should still bring your folio (complete with updated work since your application), interviews are more about meeting the applicant and judging how well they might fit the team. As a young guy coming from college you won't be expected to know everything, but demonstrating the capacity to do so is requisite.

One of the biggest investors in design, General Motors, has a particularly organised means of identifying suitable candidates in what they call a 'Targeted Interview Process'. This confirms basic competencies deemed necessary for employment, including ability to learn, diversity, customer focus, objectivity, and decision-making. Just as Toyota has PASS (Proportion, Architecture, Surfaces, 'Something special') to evaluate their cars, so GM has STARs when it comes to interviews - Situation, Task, Action and Result - so that they can tick the necessary boxes. Preparation for this is vital, and we recommend writing down key points you want to make about your work and experience before all interviews.

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By CDN Staff