Interviewing

1
Interviewing

• Career Network Center
• Metropolitan Community College

2
Interview research findings

• Interviews count. The decision to hire is often
  made during the interview.
• The decision gets made early in the interview
  (usually in the first few minutes)
• The driving force behind the interviewers
  assessment is a subjective perception of your
  personality and capabilities.

3
Why employers select certain candidates

• Oral communication
• Initiative
• Enthusiasm
• Energy
• Flexibility
• Intelligence
• Ethics
• Interpersonal skills

• Drive
• Motivation
• Assertiveness
• Confidence
• Leadership
• Self-knowledge
• Goals

4
Before the Interview

• Get inside the employers shoes
• Research the job and the organization
• Anticipate the questions and practice

5
During the Interview

• Be on time and look sharp
• Start strong
• Send the right behavioral signals
• Relax and be yourself
• Be attentive
• Establish eye contact

6
During the interview (contd)

• Communicate carefully
• Take your time
• If needed, ask for clarification
• Appear enthusiastic
• Smile and vary the tone of voice
• Participate, dont dominate
• Expect to do about half of the talking

7
During the interview

• Ask questions
• Be prepared to ask questions
• Should reflect your research of the company
• DO NOT ask about salary
• Use the closing
• Summarize what you what the employer to know
• Ask for a business card if you werent offered one

8
After the interview

• Keep notes of the interview
• Write a Thank you note
• Makes you more memorable
• Send within 24 hours
• Dont wait too long
• If you were told you would hear in a certain time
  period and dont follow up

9
After the Interview

• Life is 10 what happens to you
  and 90 how you react to it!

10
Types of Interviews

• Telephone Screening Interview
• often occur unexpectedly
• In-person Screening Interview
• verify qualifications
• preliminary impression of attitude, interest, and
  professionalism
• Selection Interview
• conducted by the decision maker

11
Types of Interviews

• Work Sample Interview
• Peer Group Interview
• Group Interview
• Luncheon Interview
• Stress Interview
• Video Conference Interview

12
Interviewing Tips

• Dress appropriately
• Know where you are going
• Arrive on time
• Fill out applications neatly in black ink
• Bring extra copies of your resume
• Bring letters of recommendation, reference list,
  copies of licenses

13
Send Good Signals

• 50 of your communication is non verbal
• Use a natural greeting, shake hands firmly
• Show reserved confidence
• Let interviewer start the dialogue
• Listen carefully
• Ask thoughtful questions

14
Communicate Attitudes

• Willing to work. Give examples of productivity
• Tell the employer about your skills.
• Emphasize what you can do for the company
• Flexibility
• Commitment to learning

15
Answering Questions

• Be Prepared - write out your answers to possible
  questions
• Illustrate
• Your strengths
• Your leadership
• Your ability to learn new things
• Your contributions to the organization
• Your creativity in solving problems and handling
  people

16
Answering Questions

• Practice
• have two to four stories about yourself
• dont merely say you get along well with people,
  tell a story
• SMILE

17
Key Interview Questions

• Tell me about yourself - keep job related
• Why are you interested in working for this
  company?
• Tell me about your education.
• Why have you chosen this particular field?
• Describe your best/worst boss.
• In a job, what interests you most/least?

18
Key Interview Questions

• What are your major weaknesses?
• Give an example of how you solved a problem in
  the past.
• What are your strengths?
• How do others describe you?
• What do you consider the most important idea you
  contributed in your last job?

19
Key Interview Questions

• Where do you see yourself in three years?
• Think about something you consider a failure in
  your life, and tell me why you think it happened.
• How do you think you will fit into this
  operation?
• Give an example of where you showed leadership
  and initiative.

20
Key Interview Questions

• Give an example of when you were able to
  contribute to a team project.
• What have you done to develop or change in the
  last few years?
• Do you have any questions for me?

21
Handle Difficult Questions

• Welcome all questions with a smile
• Give direct, honest answers
• Take your time
• Ask questions in return
• Be prepared - Sandwich model

22
Questions to Ask

• What are the responsibilities of this position?
• Would you describe an average day on this job?
• What is the history of the position? Why is it
  vacant?
• What are the key challenges or problems of this
  position?

23
Questions to Ask

• How would you describe the ideal candidate?
• What are the companys short and long range
  objectives?
• What are some outside influences that affect
  company growth?
• When and how will I be evaluated? What are the
  performance standards?

24
Questions to Ask

• With whom would I be working? Whom would be my
  supervisor?
• When will you make the hiring decision?

25
Reasons People Dont Get Hired

• Poor personal appearance
• Overly aggressive
• Poor communication
• Lack of interest/enthusiasm
• Lack of career planning - no purpose/goal
• Lack of confidence and poise
• Over emphasis on money

26
Dont Get Hired

• Unwillingness to start at the bottom
• Lack of tact and courtesy
• Lack of maturity
• Negative attitude about past employers
• No genuine interest
• No eye contact with interviewer
• Sloppy or incomplete application

27
Dont Get Hired

• No sense of humor
• Late for interview
• Failure to express appreciation for interviewers
  time
• Failure to ask questions about the job
• Gives vague responses to questions
• Does not follow up with thank you note