The professional interview is mandatory if you have worked for a company for more than 2 years. This interview is a privileged moment of exchange between employer and employee. It allows you to take stock of the employee’s goals and align them with the needs of the business. We give you the best advice to prepare for this interview and reap all the benefits!
The professional individual interview, what is it?
For the employer, the professional individual interview is an opportunity to find out about your plans for the future and see how you could evolve within the company to meet its needs even better.
For you, this interview offers a moment to review your professional situation , to reflect on your objectives and to consider your evolution within the company . During this exchange, you and your employer will therefore think about the construction of joint medium and long-term projects.
Do not confuse the individual professional interview with the annual assessment interview.
Indeed, the assessment interview looks at your skills and achieving your goals. The professional individual interview is an exchange during which you and your employer reflect on your future together.
The course of the professional individual interview
For good preparation, it is important to know the points that will be discussed during the exchange, in order to know what to say during the interview.
5 points that could be mentioned during your professional individual interview:
- Your strengths and skills acquired on the job
- Your weaknesses and the skills you want to explore and develop
- Your development objectives within the company or outside
- Your impression of your position (do you feel overqualified? Do you still have difficulties?)
- Future projects in the company that could correspond to your development wishes
Structure of the professional interview
In general, the individual interview professional takes place in 2 parts : first, you make an assessment of your professional situation . You come back to the skills acquired in the job and those to be developed, as well as the missions that stimulate you the most.
Secondly, you discuss your possible projects for the suite and your training expectations . Finally, it is likely that you and your manager will develop a training plan in order to materialize the ideas discussed during the exchange and to meet your needs and those of the company.
Professional interview: mandatory or not?
Since 2014, professional interview is mandatory for all employees with two years of seniority in the company.
Your employer should set aside time for you every two years to take stock of your professional situation. The interview generally lasts 1 to 2 hours .
The professional interview is mandatory for you regardless of:
- The nature of your employment contract
- The weekly duration of your work
- The size of the company for which you work
This interview is therefore a right for you: you can request it if your employer Don’t automatically think about it.
Preparation for the professional interview
The professional individual interview is a real opportunity. Your manager may be particularly busy and in charge of many employees: it does not take two hours every day to take stock of your professional situation in particular!
So prepare well to optimize this exchange time and make the most of it . Here are some steps for good preparation.
1. Gather the useful documentation for your interview
Coming with some support for your professional interview shows your involvement and your seriousness. Moreover, certain documents could be useful to you and allow you to make your exchange more fruitful. Here are some documents to keep in mind during this interview:
- Your job description which can be a basis for your discussion
- The notes possibly taken during your previous interviews
- The list of training sessions carried out during the last two years
2. Think about your professional goals
Thinking about your professional goals ahead of the interview allows you to present them clearly to the employer. Thus, your manager can better understand them and consider development prospects that really suit you.
Here are some questions that you can ask yourself in order to reflect on your professional path:
- How do you see your professional situation in five years?
- What are the most stimulating missions for you among those that Are you doing today?
- Do you excel in a particular area or mission?
- Do you see yourself as a good manager? Could you coach larger teams?
- Are you targeting a specific position? If so, which one?
3. Find out about projects and development opportunities within the company
Depending on the size of your company, its culture and the level of satisfaction of your hierarchy, you will naturally not have the same opportunities devolution. To prepare well for your professional interview, you must therefore find out about the development prospects offered by your company. To do this, keep the organization chart of your company in mind and find out about development opportunities with human resources.
What if your skills could be put to the service of a company project in particular ? The professional interview will be the time to find out. You will inevitably discuss the future directions of the company during this interview. It may therefore be a good idea to find out in advance about possible projects in which you might “fit”. This shows that you have already looked into the question and that you are interested in the future of the company.
For this, аind out more subtly from your colleagues and supervisor before the interview.
Finally, this interview is often an opportunity to discuss your future training. Take a look at the training that could be offered to you and remember to note the ones that interest you. Your employer will surely suggest others in line with your areas for improvement. Try to listen to them!
During the professional interview: what attitude to adopt?
Relax
The professional interview is an exchange that must both you and your manager benefit. To keep the conversation as smooth as possible, relax and remember that you are here on an equal footing. The idea is that you formulate an evolution project together!
Be dynamic
The professional individual interview is an opportunity for you to show your desire to evolve within the company and to renew your enthusiasm in the face of the projects developed within the structure. So remember to keep a positive and willful attitude . By showing that you are attached to the structure and that you like your position, you will make your superior want to give you more responsibilities!
Take notes!
Note all the proposals from your manager. He may ask you to think about projects or he may ask you what you would prefer between one course and another. Be sure to bring a notebook and a pen so that you can think about it more in-depth on your own afterwards and come back to him later.
You now have all the keys in hand to prepare for your annual professional interview and get the most out of it. Do not neglect this special moment with your employer.
