Interviews

1
Interviews Offersin a not-hot
MarketBusiness Forum Class October 27, 2004

• Presented by
• Thomas J. Hopkins, Director
• Career Development Center

2
The Employers Perspective

• In 1994, the NACE reported that the average cost
  of hiring a new employee was just above
  6,000.00
  
• Worst Case
• New HIRE becomes the New FIRE !!!

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BIGGEST MISTAKE

• Most students look at the Interview process as
  something that
  
  happens to them
• They do minimal preparation hoping that this
  will be enough OR that they will somehow get
  through the process successfully
  

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What Well Cover . . .

• What to do before, during, and after your
  interview(s)
  
• How to handle different types of questions
• How to follow-up professionally
• How to negotiate offers and determine which
  position is right for YOU !!!!

5
Interviews Arent the Time to Make a Fashion
Statement About Your Individuality.-Wall Street
Journal, Business Weekly 2000

• Wear conservative suits, black or navy blue
  preferably, with matching shoes
  
• Women, stockings should match skin tone
• Women, hair pulled back if long, no perfume,
  heavy makeup, or jewelry
  
• Men, shave, and have neatly groomed hair
• Men, shine your shoes, iron your white button
  down shirt, and wear a (silk) tie
  

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Heres REAL Reality !

• Apply to those positions for which you possess
  the major qualifications
  
• THE ONES THAT MATCH YOUR SKILLS YOUR
  CREDENTIALS
  
• Apply for positions which are compatible with
  your INTERESTS AND VALUES, as well as your
  credentials and skills

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Before Your Interviewgain an understanding of...

• The position
• The employer (products services, business
  methods, history, philosophy, reputation,
  locations, standing in industry, organizational
  structure, prospects for growth and change )
• The industry
• The trends
• Your resume

• Practice how you will articulate the match or
  fit between YOU and the items to the right
  

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RESOURCES

• Annual Reports and Press Releases
• N.Y. Times Business Index
• Wall Street Journal
• Business Periodical Index
• Business Directories at the CDC
• Trade and Professional Associations
• Business Magazines
• Professional (Group) Newsletters
• TV Business News (PBS)
• The World Wide Web

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Prepare for Interview Story-Telling

• Develop rehearse brief scenarios about how
  you used your skills,each illustrating a specific
  activity or task required by the job

• Analyze the position you are interviewing for
• Determine the Skill Sets needed
• Evaluate your own background to identify specific
  skills and experience that relate

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WHAT R YOUR

• Three (3) to five (5) top selling points
  attributes that set you apart from other
  candidates
  
• AND be sure to get the chance to point them out
  during the course of your Interview

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You MUST Be Prepared

• to provide examples of occasions when results
  were different than expected. Your skill in
  handling failure as well as success will be
  probed.
• for questions asking for MORE detail than you
  may have already given.

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But I dont have any direct experience !

• Be ready to talk-up transferable skills
• People skills interpersonal
• Communication skills verbal and written
• Analytical abilities problem ID and
  resolution
  
• Technical knowledge computer applications
  additional languages
  
• Initiative self-motivation ambition

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The 1st Interview

• Be on time Know how to get there and arrive
  10-15 minutes early
  
• Be friendly, courteous, and professional to
  everyone
  
• Be positive and never criticize others
• Be aware of your body language - tone of voice,
  posture, facial expressions, re-actions - clues
  to your true feelings and attitudes
  
• Express yourself well, speak clearly and
  audibly. Use complete sentences and avoid
  slang.
  
• Be yourself - Dont try to be someone you are
  not Sincerity goes a long way
  
• Be a good listener and be alert to non-verbal
  cues indicating when you should stop/start
  talking. Dont think about your response while
  the interviewer is still talking

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Types of Interviews

• BBI (Behavioral Based Interviewing)
• Unstructured Were so Impressed
• Stress ( Confrontational )
• which will include Brain Teasers

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Behavioral-Based Interviewing

• We will behave tomorrow much like we behaved
  today -in similar circumstances
  
• Best way to predict how a candidate will perform
  on the job and how they will fit in to the
  organization (culture).
  
• An accurate predictor yielding good hiring
  decisions

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Behavioral based questions

• Use the CAR approach
  Context, Action, Result
  
• Context What was the situation? Set-up the
  scene. Choose a related context
  
• Action What did you do? Say? And how did you do
  or say it? Describe transferable skills
  
• Result What happened? Only choose situations
  that have positive results

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Some Sample BBI questions

• Describe the biggest challenge in your last job
  and how you handled it.
  
• Tell me about a work/school situation where you
  had to do creative problem solving.
  
• Talk about a recent situation where you had to
  persuade someone to accept your idea or
  proposal.
  

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Open Ended Questions

• Ask yourself Why would this interviewer, for
  this particular employer, for this specific job,
  ask me this question ?
  
• Tailor your answer from here !

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Sample Open Endeds

• These questions lack structure from the
  questioner so it is up to you to structure them.
  
  
• Use your education, experience, extracurricular,
  etc. to determine your holistic answer.
  

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why should I hire you?
• How would you describe yourself?

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Personality Fit Questions

• When were you most satisfied /dissatisfied in
  your work? What was most satisfying
  /dissatisfying about that?
  
• What do you consider your strengths and/or
  weaknesses?
  
• Please explain why you choose the career for
  which you are preparing?

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The Classic Case Study

• Do not try to make-up the right answer
• Do show them HOW you go about finding the right
  answer by thinking out loud
  
• Listen to the question and take notes
• The interviewer wants to see if you can think
  logically, absorb all necessary information, and
  avoid getting side tracked by blind alleys, and
  above all stay calm - Business Employment
  Weekly, WSJ
• Use common sense, dont show off
• Practice so you are comfortable with the process
• Dont let how the question is asked affect your
  focus

22
Let me tell you about a project Ive been
working on . . . Our client makes foghobler units
for aircraft. Its been losing share recently
and management wants us to figure out why. What
do you think ?

• Who are the clients competitors and which ones
  are gaining market share from us? Is the client
  losing all customers or just one segment? Are
  customers choosing other gyros because they cost
  less or because they work better?

23
A Brain Teaser

• Most common in management consulting and
  financial analysis
  
• Refuse to be flustered PRACTICE
• HOW you think is more important than producing
  the right answers

24
Estimate the number of golf balls in the United
States.

• I would first estimate what proportion of the
  U.S. population plays golf and how many balls
  average golfers keep in their club bags. Then, I
  would determine about how many manufacturers
  exist in the U.S. . . .

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Team Games

• Consulting mostly
• Youre given a lot of data about a business
  situation, you are told to read it and then work
  as a team to answer 5 questions. Then you are
  told to write a report and present the
  information. You have 30 minutes
• It tests your ability to work as a team, if you
  can lead the group in a direction you believe is
  important, and if you can take direction from
  your peers.
• Avoid being domineering or a wall flower
• Display a sense of humor
• Listen to teammates and build discussion dont
  turn it your way
  
• There are no individual winners judged as a team

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Take Home Projects

• You are given an assignment to complete for your
  interview
  
• You are competing against the projects of other
  applicants
  
• Popular in positions that involve creating or
  writing something, reliance upon the candidate
  hired for direction, positions that require
  independent work behavior

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Your resume is superb !!! What would you like
to know about us?

• Its a test! You are being put at ease on
  purpose. You are being given control of a block
  of time and the interviewer wants to see how well
  you use it. Boring questions about the firms
  history or ambitions will not work.

Id like to spend about ten minutes each on
three topics. First, your companys training pr
ograms-what they are, how seriously
they are taken and what are they designed to
teach. Second, perhaps we could review why Im c
onfident that the skills and experiences on
my resume fit well with ----------. Third, Id
like to hear why you chose this company, how your
own career has evolved and whether it has been
what you expected. Shall we start with training
first?
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After Each Interview

• Remind the interviewer of the position for which
  you interviewed, the date, and location
  
• Affirm your interest in the position, provide
  evidence that you have reflected on what was
  discussed, and offer any new thoughts on how you
  would fit in or contribute
• Close the letter with an action desire for a
  second interview or intention to call to
  follow-up on their decision

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Dont Forget To. . .

• Ask questions and clarify
• Ask for business card and about using e-Mail
• Ask about the next step in the process
• Thank them for their time

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Advanced Interviewing, 2nd or 3rd Round

• They may be structured or unstructured
• It may be confrontational Stress Interview
• It will definitely be behavioral based to further
  learn how you work
  
• It may last several hours to 1/2 or whole day
• It may involve several people (together or
  separately) at all levels (staff accountant,
  partner, recruiter, new hire)
  
• It may involve lunch or dinner (socials)

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Questions To Expect

• Some of the same questions to confirm or further
  define what was learned from the first round
  consistency
  
• Technical questions (managers, partners)
  pertaining to your major, very specific questions
  regarding your knowledge and ability to perform
  the tasks required of the position. Know what
  they are looking for by doing your homework.
• Situational questions, What would you do if
  (behavioral based) How you react under pressure,
  assess your judgement and experience (management
  and higher)

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Lunch and/or Dinner Dos / Donts

• No alcohol
• You are what you eat
• Proper Etiquette use your napkin, dont use
  your fingers
  
• Be comfortable but always remember where you are!

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How social should I be at a social?

• You are what you eat !!!
• Dont drink alcohol

• Use proper etiquette when eating (napkin on
  lap, dont use your fingers)
  

• Dont monopolize the conversation yet dont
  be a wall flower either
  
• Tell them that you like hiking too, but not
  that you enjoy pounding a few beers when you go
  be comfortable but remember where you are !
  

35
Follow-up 2nd or 3rd Interview

• Re-affirm interest / reiterate ability to do the
  jobin your thank you letter
  
• Clarify anything from the 2nd interview that
  requires such in the same letter
  
• Send a thank you letter to ALL that will, or may
  have input on the decision within 24-48 hours.
  Close it with
  
• I am looking forward to the next step in the
  process.
  
• I look forward to your final decision.

36
Handle All Offers Professionally
Like the domino effect, once you establish a
reputation in an industry it follows you.
Follow-up both verbally and in writing to all
employers who have extended offers to you -
otherwise you may be left with no more dominos
to play with
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alary Negotiations

• Entry-Level vs. Experienced
• Possess any relevant experience
• Bonuses and/or Commissions
• Performance Reviews

• Do your homework, know typical salary ranges for
  someone with your degree and experience - for the
  position involved

41
Also Consider

• Contributory vs. Employer Paid
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Pension
• Investment Options

VACATION TIME
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Ask Yourself

• Will this Intern or Career position ?
• Further build important skills-sets
• Provide relevant and/or missing experience
• Provide name recognition of the original
  
  employer size and reputation ?
  
• Be compatible with my lifestyle, hours, location,
  travel ?
  
• Be stable (provide reasonable job security) ?

43
Advancement Potential

• What is the policy on promotions from within ?
• Where have others advanced to from the same type
  position ?

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People Environment

• PEOPLE
• Values
• Skill Level
• Independent/Team Oriented
• Interests

• ENVIRONMENT
• Air Quality / Temp.
• Sociability
• Noise Level
• Space Availability

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Do you want to be a small fish in a big sea? Or
a big fish in a small sea?
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YOUR Career Development Center

• http//cdc.newark.rutgers.edu

Phone [phone]

• OFFICE HOURS
• Monday 830-430
• Tuesday 830-630
• Wednesday 830-630
• Thursday 830-430
• Friday 830-430

SAVE THESE DATES !!! Fall Career Fair 11/3/200
4 Internship Fair 1/26/2005 Spring Career Fair
4/15