a bit of advice on interview

[abo1]

Hi all, I just want to give a bit insight into interview because I had mine with my team member yesterday. My opinion on the interview is that we should have called it criminal interrogation. I am not trying to scare you but its real. Also I think its a bit different from past interview because the question is know getting expanded.
Therefore I would advice that you should go through all your records very well and know the figures by hand as you will not be allowed to look into your records to giver answer this time, even if you have your answers in front of you.
Study your final accounts as well because you will be asked for events that happened in the past CO expect you to know it without checking you correspondence. also Know your employees details even date of birth.
Keep and update all records e.g. time sheet, employee absence sheet, health and safety risk assessment for all employees. Holiday records. pay increments letters if you are paying min wage. How you breakdown your invest your DL or evidence of investment. Know you fact payments and corporation tax payment till date. the rights of employees. and is even worse if you are a team because they expect you to supply the same answer so it will be better if a tailored answer.
The rest can be found on this forum the interview question is a great guide pls search the forum.
I will not be surprise if compliance officer s check on this forum as well so pls members know the type of question you ask on this forum.
for those that will have interview in the future best of luck.
thanks

[moongesture]

What is your business area & field of expertise?

[kaps84]

My opinion on the interview is that we should have called it criminal interrogation. I am not trying to scare you but its real. Also I think its a bit different from past interview because the question is know getting expanded.

@abo1, Thanks for sharing your experience !

Next, maybe an irrelevant response to this specific topic.

The other day, I came across a whistle-blower story on BBC. Though it was focused on Asylum seekers. However, it gives a glimpse of how the decisions are being made at HO.

Ref: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-43555766

Alex is one of 140 decision-makers based in an office in Bootle, just outside Liverpool. Most were recruited last year to clear a backlog of 10,000 of asylum cases within 12 months - a project known as Next Generation Casework.

A leader board hangs on the wall displaying who is hitting their targets and who isn't, and performance managers pace the floor asking for updates on progress as often as once an hour.

But no matter how complex the case, Alex is expected to make five decisions to grant or refuse asylum seekers a week, justified by a letter that can be anything between 5,000 and 17,000 words long (that is, between two or seven times the length of this article).

Anyone consistently hitting three or less is put on an "improvement plan" - and will be sacked if they don't improve in four weeks, Alex says.

"People will often take decisions based on what the easiest result will be to get through the decision as quickly as possible," says Alex. Sometimes the easiest decision will be to grant asylum, sometimes it will be to refuse it.

[Awan619]

Hi all
I’m not agreed with you because on 8th May I have my interview at my premises, compliance officer didn’t ask this type of questions from me, and also regarding accounts and employees questions he allows me to check records from my files... my interview duration wast 2 hours... at the end of my interview co write on his comments section”very comperihansive record”.... so I think so every interview depends different Sanrios...

Best of luck every one....

[abo1]

You may be right but that is my owork experience.

[kaps84]

Hi all
I’m not agreed with you because on 8th May I have my interview at my premises, compliance officer didn’t ask this type of questions from me, and also regarding accounts and employees questions he allows me to check records from my files... my interview duration wast 2 hours... at the end of my interview co write on his comments section”very comperihansive record”.... so I think so every interview depends different Sanrios...

Best of luck every one....

It is good to know about such experiences.

[dev1313]

"by Awan619 » Thu May 10, 2018 10:43 pm
Hi all
I’m not agreed with you because on 8th May I have my interview at my premises, compliance officer didn’t ask this type of questions from me, and also regarding accounts and employees questions he allows me to check records from my files... my interview duration wast 2 hours... at the end of my interview co write on his comments section”very comperihansive record”.... so I think so every interview depends different Sanrios...

Best of luck every one...."



Hi Awan619


Glad to know that your Interview went very good, could you please provide any list of the Good record keeping practice like health safety monthly checklists, attendance sheet etc, that helps other on the forum waiting for Interview.

Thanks

[getlee100]

@Awan619 you will agree Interview experiences will always will be different (even in a normal job interview) Dependent on many factors. Experience of the compliance officer and knowledge base in starting and running a business etc. A Case workers draft questions after going through your application as a guide the compliance officer takes it and they must go through all question regardless. Each application and business circumstance might have raised questions that the case worker need clarification through interview via a compliance officer.

Having said that, my experience is similar to @abo1 and somewhat negative and not allowed to look at my books when asked for administrative cost over a year ago. Remember guys we are business men, company owners, we paid so much in time and resource to run a business and where we cant do all things ourselves delegate other area like accounting to an accountant etc. If you had your accountant seated during the interview and the question ''Can you tell me your administrative cost of 2016/2017 tax year?' was asked in March 2018, you will agree that your accountant will definitely open his book to confirm the exact figure?...

When I was given the case worker questions just before i signed and went through responses written by the Compliance officer I saw that the case worker said '' Applicant should be able to answer to say exact figure without looking at the books'' to which I pointed out to the compliance officer that such is unfair when a year has passed since I submitted my data to them,she responded saying it really does not matter... I doubt it. The point is such line of questioning is unfair. We are business men/women who are already put undue and unfair situation. In another, I was asked to clarify a payment from my Franchiser...in the questioning booklet. I found that the caseworker wanted to know the relationship between my company and Franchisor is...( Remember I have submitted documents to explain the relationship between my company and Franchisor while the Franchisor website and contact number for clarification is fully displayed, also remember we signed given them permission to contact or make needed inquiry ). And I have notified them in my initial application of my intention via a business plan.

I run two Franchisee under my business name. Which is in line with the business plan I submitted in my initial application. I pointed this out to the compliance officer. That am playing out my business plan. my guess is that really do not matter. Did I mention my interview lasted 4 hrs? Yes, 10.00hrs to 14.00hrs.

We are entrepreneurs, with one, two or three business portfolio. The question asked in no different from what has been posted on this forum. Be prepared and You are running a business not a visa.

[getlee100]

@Kaps84
I did come across the news article. It goes to show what kind of organisation process they run in their to determine peoples fate. Gutted.

Wonder what they would say when they discover same process is adopted to determine application for business entrepreneurs that are meant to boost the economy...

[kaps84]

We can only hope that the situation (for entrepreneurs) is not the same as for asylum seekers.

Keeping in mind that not most or all of the cases report on this forum, lets focus on the brighter side of the picture (while being conscious of the other side).

[Awan619]

Some details regarding record keeping. Which I follows like that...
1.daily sales (z-report)
2. Time sheet
3. Public liability and employers insurance record
4. Health&Safty policy and certificate
5. Fire Risk Assessment policy and certificate
6. Payslips all employees all years
7. P45,P60,P32,RTI etc all yers
8. Tax returns
9. Company certificate and current report
10. Leases documents
11. Accounts
12. Home office complete file
13. All purchases
14. Utilities
15. Rent invoices
16. Rates
17. Marketing invoices
18. Advertise invoices
19. Facebook, Twitter and google photos and invoices
20. Inventories
21. All compulsory signs display in office, tolit, Spam and in shop.

And many more

[hina_pirzada]

They don't refuse you on the basis that you don't know the figures. You are a not a machine and being a human being we need to look at the record. So don't worry about this site. Only thing is you must know the basic things like your business and regular expenses like wages.

They know we have no right of appeal so it is easy for them to refuse the applicant on the basis of these bull shits.

Also when they sent the request for interview they didn't mention in the letter what question they will ask or they advise us to memories all those things in our mind.

Also note that the words normally they use "doubt / assumptions" don't work under the court of law.

Those people who attended their hearings at the of first application they knew that in the court room Judge only look at the documentary evidences and decide the case base on oral hearing.

So from my point of view, if you meet the requirement you can argue those things in AR saying that the HO has not clear any guidance in term of test.

[tier1sun]

Hi all, I just want to give a bit insight into interview because I had mine with my team member yesterday. My opinion on the interview is that we should have called it criminal interrogation. I am not trying to scare you but its real. Also I think its a bit different from past interview because the question is know getting expanded.
Therefore I would advice that you should go through all your records very well and know the figures by hand as you will not be allowed to look into your records to giver answer this time, even if you have your answers in front of you.
Study your final accounts as well because you will be asked for events that happened in the past CO expect you to know it without checking you correspondence. also Know your employees details even date of birth.
Keep and update all records e.g. time sheet, employee absence sheet, health and safety risk assessment for all employees. Holiday records. pay increments letters if you are paying min wage. How you breakdown your invest your DL or evidence of investment. Know you fact payments and corporation tax payment till date. the rights of employees. and is even worse if you are a team because they expect you to supply the same answer so it will be better if a tailored answer.
The rest can be found on this forum the interview question is a great guide pls search the forum.
I will not be surprise if compliance officer s check on this forum as well so pls members know the type of question you ask on this forum.
for those that will have interview in the future best of luck.
thanks

Hi Abo1,
Do you have any update from Home office after interview?
I'm on the same boat, had interview on June 5 2018.
No reply until now.

Please update your status, will be helpful for all.

Thanks
kishore

[abo1]

Have not heard from home office since then. We are just on the limbo.