WELCOME ! Preparing for the Interview Career Services Workshop Series
Workshop Goals • The purpose of an interview • Before the Interview: Preparation • Different types of interviews • Sample interview questions • During the Interview: Presentation • Practice : You “Elevator Pitch” • After the Interview: Follow-up
Employers Advertise for Technical Skills and Interview for Behavioral Fit Technical Employer’s Your Skills Skills Required Skills Resume & Cover MATCH Letter Job Description Job Application Job Posting Interview Behavioral FIT
Purpose of an Interview Does the COMPANY Do YOU want to want to hire you? accept the position? • CAN you do the job? • Does it meet your NEEDS ? • WILL you do the job? • Is it in line with your VALUES ? • Do you FIT in? • Does it feel like a good FIT ?
Before the Interview: Know the Company • Research the Company • Identify Key Leaders in the Organization • Search for current News and Events • Be familiar with the Industry • Know the Job Description • Know the Exact Location & Travel Time
Before the Interview: Know Yourself • Review your Resume • Identify your Key Skills and Behaviors • Know Your Values • Memorize your “ Elevator Pitch ”
Values Before the Interview: Know Yourself
Before the Interview: Interview Questions Identifying Your Accomplishments: “STAR Stories” Identifying an accomplishment is similar to telling a story. It emphasizes your achievements and successes by using quantifiable, or measurable , information. The best way to demonstrate your skills, abilities and valuable experience is being able to concisely explain your accomplishments. Your best stories will be your “accomplishment stories”. Use STAR Stories to: • Answer those Behavioral Interview You can make your accomplishments stand out by using Questions the STAR Format. • Develop Resume Action Statements Situation Briefly give an overview of what needed to be done. What you were being asked to do? or What did you take the initiative to do? STAR Story Task Example: What challenges made this task difficult? “Employee of the month for three Action Briefly describe (using good action words) the steps, or consecutive months actions, you took to complete the assignment. (May, June, July Result What happened because of what you did? Can you 2009) at The Gap” quantify, or measure , the results?
Before the Interview: Types of Interviews • Behavioral* • Phone • Traditional • Group • Panel • Stress • Video/Web Conference * Behavioral questions can be asked within any interview format (Phone, Panel, etc.)
Before the Interview: Interview Questions • Q’s to Get to know you • Qualifications Q’s • Behavioral Q’s • Salary Q’s • Illegal Q’s • Q’s you should ask
Sample Interview Questions Tell me about yourself… What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job? Why should we hire you? • What interests you about this job? Why are you leaving your present job? – Or – Why did you leave your last job? Why do you want to work here? How would you describe your leadership/management/work style? What are some things you particularly liked about your last job?
More…Sample Interview Questions Behavioral interview questions will be more focused than traditional interview questions and you’ll need to respond with specific examples of how you handled situations in the workplace. This is where your STAR stories play the biggest role in your success at the interview. Behavior based questions usually begin with: “Give me an example of a time in which you…” “Tell me about a time when circumstances required you to…” “Describe the most significant challenge…” “Recall the most rewarding…” Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it. Tell me about a time when you had a tough customer service situation to deal with. What was the situation? What did you do? What was the result? Give an example of a time when you had to use problem solving to handle a tough situation. Tell me about a time when you had to work on multiple projects at the same time. How did you prioritize your work?
Sample Responses for The Subject of Salary Salary Negotiation At any part of the job search and interviewing “Are you making me an offer?” process, expect to be asked your salary history, your most recent salary or your salary “What is the budgeted salary range for the position?” expectations. While you should try to avoid discussing salary until an offer is made, there will “I’ve researched the local market salary ranges for this be times when you will need to respond. position in our area and am comfortable within that When asked: What was your salary/pay history? range.” Usually asked on job applications or in ads. “I’m sure [Company Name] has a fair compensation You need to be honest, because your scale, and if we decided that this match is a good one, salary can be verified by a prospective I’m confident that we will be able to agree on a salary.” employer. “Could we come back to discuss that after I am able to When asked: State your salary/pay provide a better picture of what I have to offer ?” requirements. “I’m most interested in learning about the opportunity Leave it blank if you can, or fill in required first. When I more fully understand the scope of fields with “Flexible”. responsibility, I’ll be able to give you an idea of the This is also usually asked on job applications compensation I would expect.” or in ads or by the Human Resources representative. It gives the employer a way to phase you out or in and provides a starting point on which to base their offer.
Illegal Questions In a perfect world, interview questions should be related only to the position and your ability to do the job. Occasionally, an interviewer asks questions that could potentially be used in a discriminatory way. Practicing how you would handle these kinds of questions will help you respond calmly and professionally. Remember: Many interviewers are not trained in interviewing – they may not know which questions to avoid or which questions are illegal Inappropriate questions are often unintentional Often questions are based more on perceived relevance rather than legality – with no harm intended What to do if asked potentially discriminatory questions: Use your common sense and react objectively – not defensively Maintain eye contact and remain calm and professional Be aware of your body language and remain as neutral as possible Ask for clarification on how the question relates to the responsibilities of the job Stick to only discussions about business – getting personal may open up the conversation to sensitive or inappropriate topics
Questions You Should Ask As the interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is “What questions can I answer for you?” Not only will having questions ready to ask the interviewer make you look prepared and interested in the position, it will help you assess if the company and/or job will be a good FIT for you! The following are some questions for you to consider asking: How would you describe the responsibilities of the position? What does a typical day/week look like in this job? Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do? What skills and qualities does the ideal candidate for this position possess? What projects must be completed in the next two to three months? What are some of the long-term goals of this position? How many people work in the office/department? How much travel is expected? How would you describe your (the department manager’s) management style? What are the next steps in the hiring process? What is the desired start date?
Before the Interview: Dress for Success • Clean • Pressed • Polished • Professional
During the Interview: Confidence and Lasting Impressions • Smile • Eye Contact • Confident Handshake • Body Language • Attitude is Everything
Recommend
More recommend