Interview preparation for job interviews in Trinidad and Tobago

How to prepare for an interview in Trinidad and Tobago

First find out what kind of interview it is: a panel in an office, a video call, a public service examination followed by a panel, or a quick screening call. Each one needs slightly different preparation. Then do the three things every interview needs: know the job, have your examples ready and said out loud, and have your documents in one folder.

Most of the interview tips below come from the Ministry of Labour's National Employment Service (NES), whose Interview Tips page covers what to do before, during and after an interview, including virtual ones. We have added what we see trip people up in practice.

Interview preparation starts with the format

Read the invitation email or letter twice. It usually tells you where, when, who you will meet and what to bring. If it does not, it is fine to reply and ask.

The in-person panel

Common for banks, insurance companies, state enterprises and the public service. You may face three or more people, each with their own set of questions. Prepare to look at the person asking, then include the others when you finish your answer. Plan your route: the NES advice is to arrive at least thirty minutes ahead of time, and anyone who has driven into Port of Spain in the morning knows why.

The virtual interview

Common for first rounds, and for regional companies whose managers sit in another island. The NES tips for virtual interviews: confirm the time and time zone, get familiar with the platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet), test your technology, and have another internet source ready in case of disruptions, for example your mobile as a hotspot. Add a clean, quiet background and a charged laptop. If the power goes, you want to be able to rejoin from the phone quickly, so have the meeting link on it too.

The public service examination, then the panel

Many public offices start with a written examination. The Service Commissions Department publishes examination dates and notices for them. Prepare for the exam like an exam: past topics, the subject knowledge in the job description, time management. Interview preparation comes after you pass.

The screening call

A recruiter or HR officer calls to check the basics: are you still interested, what do you earn, when could you start, can you get to the site. Have your answers ready before you apply, because this call often comes without warning.

Know the job, the organisation and yourself

The NES puts self-assessment first: your goals, interests, qualifications, experience, skills, strengths and weaknesses. Then research the position, the organisation's structure and its processes. In practice:

• Print the advert and mark it up. Underline every skill and duty. Next to each, write one thing from your own work that proves you can do it.
• Learn what the organisation does now, not ten years ago. Read its website, recent news and its annual report if it publishes one. A bank's new digital service or an energy company's latest project gives you something specific to say.
• Know where the job sits. Who would you report to? Is it a head office or a branch, a plant or an office? It changes what they ask.
• Decide your numbers. Your salary range in TT dollars (monthly or yearly, decided in advance), your notice period, and the date you could start.

Your answers, said out loud

The NES advice is to prepare answers to the questions likely in your field and rehearse them aloud, minding your voice, posture and eye contact. Saying an answer out loud is different from knowing it. You find the long pauses, the "you know" and the story with no ending.

1. Write short answers to the common questions. Our list of job interview questions for Trinidad and Tobago has the twelve the NES publishes, with sample answers.
2. Prepare four or five STAR stories: Situation, Task, Action, Result. One for teamwork, one for a problem you solved, one for a difficult customer or colleague, one for a deadline, one for something you are proud of.
3. Rehearse with a timer. Most answers should take one to two minutes. If you are past two, cut the Situation part.
4. Do one full mock interview. Ask a friend or relative to play the panel, ideally on a video call if your real interview is virtual.

Applying for an engineering, IT or data role? There will likely be a technical round as well. Our guide to the technical interview in Trinidad and Tobago covers how to prepare for that part.

If you are not sure where to start, the NES says its services are at no cost to job seekers, and its World of Work seminars have covered career guidance, CV writing and interview techniques.

The document folder

The NES list of documents to have on hand: academic documents, extra copies of your CV and cover letter, your birth certificate and a form of national identification. Put them in one folder the night before, in the order you would hand them over.

• Originals and a copy of each certificate, in case they want to keep one.
• Two or three printed copies of your CV, the same version you sent.
• Your referees' names, positions and numbers on one page. The NES advice is to let your referees know they may be contacted, so call them before the interview.
• For a virtual interview: scans of all of it in one folder on your laptop, ready to email if they ask.
• A pen and a few lines of notes: three things you want them to know, and two questions for the end.

Job interview tips for the day itself

These interview tips follow the NES list for the day, with a few practical notes.

• Dress for the role, a step smarter than the people already doing it. For a site role, smart and practical; for a bank or head office, business wear.
• Be polite to everyone, security, receptionist and the person in the lift included. People talk.
• Phone off and headphones away before you go in.
• Wait to be seated. The NES advice is to introduce yourself and wait for instructions before sitting.
• Listen to the whole question. Do not rush to answer what you think you heard. Ask for it to be repeated if needed. A short pause before answering is normal.
• Be honest and show interest. If you do not know something, say so and say how you would find out.
• Have questions ready for the end, about the first months in the role, the team and the next step.

For a video interview on your laptop, the ClapAssist AI interview assistant can show a short prompt from your own CV when a question catches you off guard. It understands English and many other languages and works with Zoom, Teams and Meet. It cannot hear a call taken only on a mobile phone.

After the interview

Thank the panel as you leave. Later that day, send a short thank-you email to the person who invited you: one line of thanks, one line on why you want the job, one line saying you look forward to hearing from them.

The NES suggests a question for the end of the interview: if you do not hear from them within a certain time, will it be okay to call? Ask it, note the answer, and call when that time passes. Then write down every question you were asked while you still remember. That list is your preparation for the next interview.