So how well do you know yourself?

If only we had been told, at the start of our careers, to keep a diary of all those incidents that take place in the working environment. I'm talking about the successes, the failures, the disputes, the people we worked for and with, the lessons we learnt and all the things we've been involved in to get where we are now.

Interviewers look to delve into these experiences. For instance, a common question is 'Tell me about a conflict you had with a member of staff and how it was resolved'. If you've never actually had a dispute with a colleague then you would have to discuss how you would have overcome a problem had one occurred. On the other hand, if the only problem you'd had was when you told your boss to keep his job and you'd resigned on the spot, then explaining these circumstances is hardly going to be beneficial towards you finding a new job. It's best to avoid mentioning such an event.

Unless you're actually given a set of questions beforehand, you really have no idea what the interviewer is trying to learn about you. Generally speaking they will be looking at your teamwork and communication skills, your potential, and whether there's a 'fit' between you and their organisation. Thus it's important to look back on your working life and think of events where you made a valid contribution, which involved working with and perhaps influencing others, and analysing whether you might have done things differently the second time around.

More important is your ability to articulate this. Self-awareness can also improve your self-confidence, your belief in yourself and certainly contributes to conveying the right impression to the interviewer.