Blue Bubbles Template

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Interviewing Skills
HRSM 301 Class, USC February 5 6,
2008 Lorraine Faulds, Training Development
Director I SC Employment Security Commission
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YAY! I got an interview!!
You have passed the first major step in your job
search Your resume has caught someones
attention! Now you have an interview What do
you do?
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Types of Interviews

• Phone
• One-on-one
• Panel or group
• Meal
• On campus

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The Interview Format (More details later!)

• Greeting
• Warm up
• Getting down to business
• Questions from the interviewer
• Questions for Interviewer
• Closing

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Preparation for an Interview

• Research the company
• Review your resume
• Question preparation
• Logistics
• How to deal with nervousness

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Research Company or Agency

• Sources for information
• Google
• Wall Street Journal
• Dun Bradstreet
• Standard Poors
• Trade magazines
• Annual reports

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What you need to know about the company

• Mission of the company
• Products/Services
• Company size, locations, and earnings
• Company leadership
• Position within the industry
• New products or services
• Competition

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Review your resume

• Know it by heart!
• Education
• Work experience
• Activities/Interests
• Grades
• Goals

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Question Preparation

• Two kinds of questions
• The ones the interviewer asks you
• The ones you ask the interviewer

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Questions the interviewer asks youStandard
Questions

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What did you like most about your last/current
  job? Least?
• What are your short- and long-term career
  goals? (Where do you see yourself in two, five
  or ten years?)
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What books are you reading? What movies have
  you seen recently?

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Questions the interviewer asks youCritical
Incident Questions
We are struggling with an employee who is tardy
most dayswhat would you do?
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Questions the interviewer asks youHypothetical
Questions
Suppose you were supervising a team who had lost
their creative sparkWhat would you do?
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Questions the interviewer asks youPast
Performance Questions

• How did you deal with deadlines in your last
  job?
• What do you do when a team member is not
  pulling their weight?
• Tell me about a goal or project that was not
  successful.
• Why are you leaving your current job?

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Questions the interviewer asks youTask-Oriented
Questions

• Sell me this ball-point pen.
• Here is the companys dress code. Write a
  memo explaining it to a new employee.
• I bought 4.37 worth of items and gave you a
  ten dollar billGive me change.

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Questions you ask the interviewer

• Questions demonstrate your interest in the
  position and the company.
• What are the top three priorities that should
  be accomplished by the person in this position?
• If you could change one thing about this
  department, what would it be?
• Why do you like working for this company?
• What types of people tend to excel at this
  company?

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Questions you should NOT ask the interviewer
Avoid questions or discussions about salary! You
should already know the salary range. Do not
discuss specifics until after a job offer has
been made.
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Logistics preparation

• Materials
• Extra copies of your resume (in folder)
• References (Give only if requested)
• Notepad or portfolio
• List of questions
• Breath mints!

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Logistics preparation

• Getting there
• Map it out and drive the route ahead of time.
  Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early.
• Find out about parking
• Eat

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Logistics preparation
Packaging A recent human resource trade
magazine reported that many hiring managers make
up their minds about an interviewee in as little
as five minutes. First impressions matter! All
things else being equal, your packaging might
make a difference between a new job and the
unemployment office!
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Packaging (continued)

• Take a shower!
• Have clean fingernails with clear or low-key
  color polish.
• Clothes Dress for the position you want, not for
  the position you have!
• Choose and prepare outfit ahead of time.

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Clothes (continued)
Men suit, jacket, conservative tie, pressed
shirt, careful with aftershave/cologne
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Clothes (continued)
Women Suit (not too tight or too short), simple
jewelry (that doesnt make noise), no perfume,
hair under control, pantyhose (yes even in the
summer), no tank tops, minimal make-up
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Clothes (continued)
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How to deal with nervousness

• The more you prepare, the less nervous you will
  be!
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Plan the whole process (from selecting clothes to
  writing the follow-up thank you letter) to be
  sure you arent rushed.
• Make sure your transportation is set.
• Arrive early to have a chance to catch your
  breath.
• Remember that the interview is a conversation,
  not an interrogation!

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The Interview Format

• Greeting
• Warm up
• Getting down to business
• Questions from the interviewer
• Questions for Interviewer
• Closing

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Greeting

• First impression (both with receptionist/ other
  employees and the interviewer)
• SMILE!
• Handshake Strong, firm (but dont break any
  bones!)
• Eye contact
• Body language
• --7 of information is conveyed through
  actual words
• --38 through tone of voice
• --55 through body language

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Warm Up
Tell me a little about yourself. They do
not mean how many brothers and sisters you have
or where you went on vacation, but where you are
right now career wise.
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Getting down to business
Remember the questions we talked about earlier?
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Getting down to business (continued)
What questions CANT be asked Questions about
your race or your spouses race What is your
race? What is your skin color? (telephone
interview) (no exceptions) Questions about
national origin Where were you born? You
sound like you have an accentwhere are you
from? (Employers can ask whether you are
eligible to work in the US) Questions about
religion Do you go to church? Are you
religious? (Companies that have a specific
religious orientation might ask.)
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Getting down to business (continued)
Questions about family situation Do you have
small children? What is your marital status?
(Employers can ask if you have worked under a
different name of if you have personal
responsibilities that could interfere with the
job requirements (like travel or
overtime).) Questions about sexual orientation or
political affiliation Are you straight or gay?
Who did you vote for in the last election?
(Mostly for federal civilian workers) Questions
about age How old are you? When did you
graduate from high school? (Not illegal unless
used to discriminate on the grounds of age fine
if age directly affects the job (actors, models,
etc.))
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Do you have any questions?
Remember the questions to ask the interviewer
that we talked about earlier?
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Closing

• Ask about the schedule for a decision
• Get business card (for thank you note)
• Shake hands

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Follow-up

• Thank you letter (shows interest in the position
  and attention to detail)
• Within 24 hours of interview
• E-mail is okay but also send snail-mail
• Include expression of gratitude, reinforce your
  interest in the job, recap two of your strongest
  qualifications for the job

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Follow-up (continued)
Status of Decision Since you probably know when a
decision will be made (because you asked at the
close of the interview), wait 3-4 days after that
date to contact the interviewer about the
decision. If a decision has not been made yet,
follow-up in one week. If you are told you were
not selected, ask why.
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10 Job Interview Bloopers

• Arriving late to the interview
• Poor dress attire and grooming
• Failure to do research about a company
• Failure to give specific examples of your
  experience
• Not taking the opportunity to ask intelligent
  questions about the company or position
• Failure to practice
• Talking too much or not at all
• Bad-mouthing previous managers or companies
• Failing to explain why you are a good fit for
  the company
• Not stating that you want the job

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How important is the interview to a college
student?
It is the second criteria employers look at. 1
Students major 2 Students interviewing
skills 3 Students internships or experience
4 Miscellaneous qualifications 5 Students
computer skills 6 Students personal
appearance 7 Students GPA 8 College the
student is attending or will graduate from
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(No Transcript)
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REALLY bad behavior during interviews

• Applicant stretched out on the floor to fill out
  the job application.
• Applicant brought her large dog to the interview.
  
• Applicant chewed bubble gum and constantly blew
  bubbles.
• Applicant wore a Walkman, claiming she could
  listen to the interviewer and the music at the
  same time.
• Balding applicant abruptly excused himself and
  returned to the office a few minutes later,
  wearing a hairpiece.
• Applicant challenged the interviewer to arm
  wrestle.
• When asked about his hobbies, applicant stood up
  and started tap dancing around the interviewer's
  office.
• Applicant announced she hadn't had lunch and
  proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries
  during the interview.
• During the interview, an alarm clock went off in
  the applicant's briefcase. He took it out, shut
  it off, apologized, and said he had to leave for
  another interview.

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Questions?
For more information, contact Lorraine Faulds SC
Employment Security Commission Labor Market
Information Department 803-737-2714 lfaulds_at_sces.o
rg