High Stakes Communication Interviews and Job Talks

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High Stakes CommunicationInterviews and Job Talks
The Cain Project in Engineering and Professional
Communication PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
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Successful Candidates

• Analyze situation and audience
• Organize knowledge and experience
• Convey confidence and professionalism
• Give great job talks
• Handle questions

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Research Your Employer

• Mission
• Organizational structure and culture
• Products, services, clients
• Research foci, facilities
• Financial standing
• Size and location

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Sources of Information

• Web sites
• Annual report
• Promotional materials
• Advisors, peers
• Conferences and meetings
• Journals

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Know Yourself

• Assess strengths and weaknesses
• List life and career goals
• Create table of key job satisfaction factors
• Stay aware of current events

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Know Your Work History

• Evidence from earlier résumés
• Technical skills
• Supervising or mentoring
• Service

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Get Organized

• Review notes on employers
• Match your qualifications to their needs
• Formulate questions to ask

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Show What You Know!

• Greeting
• Start with a confident, Can-Do statement
• Road Map
• Deliver topic sentences
• Provide concrete examples
• Organize for clarity
• Adapt to audiences interests
• Closing (memorize)
• Summarize qualifications
• Reinforce interest in position

Map the Stops on Your Talk
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Time to Practice
with the person next to you!
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Tell me a little bit about yourself.
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What are your strengths and weaknesses?
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Convey Confidence and Professionalism

• Posture
• Gestures
• Eye contact
• Voice quality
• Attire

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Listen Actively
Being professional means that you . . .

• Give full attention
• Eye contact
• Body position
• Focus on main points
• Paraphrase questions
• Filter emotions and distractions
• Ask questions

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If Interviewers Questions Suggest an Unstated
Agenda . . .

• Obtain additional information
• Request clarification
• Seek recommendation

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Time to Practice
with the person next to you!
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What are your most significant accomplishments?
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Where do you see yourself in five years?
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Success without Stress

• Breathe slowly
• Loosen up
• Eat
• Sleep
• Avoid caffeine
• Eliminate negativity

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Turn Negative Talk Positive Talk

• --- Im freaking out! Im going to blow this.
• Im prepared. This could lead to a great
  opportunity.
• --- He/she thinks Im an idiot.
• The interviewer is on my side. He/she needs
  me to fill important role in the organization.

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Practice!
Performance Quality

• Rehearse out loud
• Mock interview with different people
• Get videotaped
• Keep a journal

Thorough Practices
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Preparing a Job Talk
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High Impact Presenters

• Size up the situation
• Organize the argument
• Convey confidence
• Integrate visuals
• Handle questions

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Size up the Situation Audience

• Who is your audience?
• Why are they interested?
• How much do they know?
• What criteria do they use to make decisions?
• What do they value?

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Tailor Message to Audience
From Barrett, Deborah (2006). Leadership
Communication.
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Start Strong and End Strong

• Conclusion
• Send cue
• Restate summarize
• Spell out implications
• No new info
• No Thats it.
• No ?s slide

• Introduction
• Motivate interest
• State key points
• Preview topics
• Establish credibility
• No apologies
• No Today Im gonna talk about . . .

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Keep Audience with You

• Create coherence
• Make intuitive connections explicit
• Weak verbal cues
• And another thing
• So
• Next

• Strong verbal cues
• Sequence
• First
• Contrast
• However
• On the other hand
• Causality
• Therefore
• Consequently

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Handle Questions

• Anticipate questions
• LISTEN
• Repeat or rephrase
• Watch body language
• Dont bluff
• Wrap up well

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References

• Barrett, Deborah. Leadership Communication.
  McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006.
• DArcy, Jan. Technically Speaking. Columbus
  Battelle Press, 1998.

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Image References

• www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/ed/jobs.html
• http//http//www.toastofchicago.org/sc-image.gif
• http//www.uni-koblenz.de/vladimir/breviary/dilbe
  rt-powerpoint.gif
• www.owlnet.rice.edu/cainproj/ news/october99/octo
  ber.html
• http//www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.
  jpg
• www.nebhworker.org/images/organize.gif
• http//www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.
  jpg
• http//a.abcnews.com/media/US/images/pd_job_interv
  iew_030812_nv.jpg
• http//www.tesl.iastate.edu/projects/onlineunits/k
  awaler/img/listening.gif
• http//www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/06/tuesda
  y_photos.html
• http//www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/05/monday
  _photos.html
• math.rice.edu/lanius/ Algebra/stress.html
• http//www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/news/_archives/Apr
  il2003/Stacy15.gif

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Lead through Excellence in Engineering
Communication

• More resources are available for you
• under Engineering Communication at Connexions
  at http//cnx.org
• at the Cain Project site at http//www.owlnet.rice
  .edu/cainproj
• in your course Communication Folder in OWLSPACE.