Preparing for your Interview

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Preparing for your Interview
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What the Employer is Seeking

• Communication skills
• Focus attention to detail
• Ability to learn
• Honesty accountability
• Teamwork potential fit within their
  organization
• Adaptability
• An employee who will be an asset to the
  organization

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Prepare for the Interview

• Research the company Attend an employer
  presentation, read about the employer and the
  position, talk to faculty, past interns, or a
  company employee.
• Identify YOUR Key Strengths
• Practice
• Pack
• Appearance counts!

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Professional Presentation

• What does professionalism look likeor not?
• Arrive 5-10 minutes early
• A firm, but gentle, handshake not a monster
  grip!
• Eye contact
• Eagerness enthusiasm
• Neat clothing
• Personal cleanliness
• Eating
• Communication

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Why the Challenging Questions?

• Qualifications
• Fit
• Information - STAR - Past actions are the best
  prediction of future behavior.
• Technical ability

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QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT BE ASKED

• Some of the old favorites
• ?Tell me about yourself.
• ?What are your long-range goals?
• ?What are your greatest strengths?
• ?What are your greatest weaknesses?
• ?Why did you choose your major?
• ?Do you prefer to have a lot of supervision
  or do you work well on your own?

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Behavior-Based Questions

• Some of the new favorites
• ?Give me an example of a time when you set a
• goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
• ?Tell me about a time when you were extremely
• busy and had to prioritize your tasks.
• ?Describe an unpopular decision you had to
• make.
• ?Give me an example of a time when you
• motivated others.

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Additional Interview Tips

• Directions
• Ask questions
• Thank the interviewer
• Ask for a business card
• Offer another firm, but gentle, handshake
• Send a thank you note