Preparing for Interviews

1
(No Transcript)
2
Topics Well Cover

• Self-assessment
• Company research
• The importance of advance planning
• Preparing for interviews
• Strategies and tips

3
Why Advance Planning is Important

• Shows youre taking your job search (and the
  organizations with which youre interviewing)
  seriously
• Helps you be more comfortable and confident in
  interviews
• Helps you stand out from other applicants

4
Preparing for Interviews

• Knowing yourself through self-assessment
• Knowing the company via company research

5
What is Self-Assessment?

• A process through which you become aware of your
• strengths and weaknesses
• skills and abilities
• interests and values
• goals and aspirations

6
Why Self-Assessment is Important

• Helps you identify strengths to emphasize in
  interviews
• Gives you practice in articulating your
  background in a persuasive, coherent way
• Builds your confidence
• Helps you articulate a match between you and the
  organization

7
Why Self-Assessment is Important

• Helps determine whats important to you in your
  job
• Skills in which you excel
• Kind of career environment you are seeking
• Whats important to you (e.g. security,
  corporate culture, making a contribution)

8
Questions to Consider

• What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
• Where do you want to be in five years? In ten?
• What is your major and why did you choose it?
• How did you choose to spend your summers in
  college?

9
Questions to Consider

• What do you think the interviewer is looking for
  when asking these questions?
• What is FIT?
• Match between the organizations needs and the
  candidates personal interests and capabilities
• How did you answer the questions?
• Importance of practice

10
Self-Assessment Help

• Make a list of the factors that are important for
  you to have in your job
• List can help you evaluate organizations as you
  research and interview with them

11
Behavior-Based Interviews

• About 70 of organizations use behavior-based
  interviewing
• About real-life incidents and how you react to
  them
• Based upon your past

12
Behavior-Based Interviews

• Helps the interviewer see how you would react in
  different situations
• No easy way to prepare for behavior-based
  interviews
• Self-assessment can help you anticipate and be
  ready for these questions

13
Typical B-B Questions

• Tell me about a time when you were involved in a
  team project.
• What was your role? What did you contribute?
• Describe a time when you had to work under
  pressure.
• What was your role? How did you react?
• How did you contribute to the situation?

14
How to Prepare for B-B Questions

• Analyze your own background
• List jobs, internships, volunteer experiences
• Choose 3-5 projects to analyze in detail

15
Look at Projects

• What was your role?
• What did you offer?
• How did you contribute?
• What skills did you develop/use?
• What did you learn about yourself?

• How did you react when problems arose?
• How did you interact with others?
• What are you most proud of?
• What would you do different next time?

16
Analyze

• What qualities do you bring to the table - in ANY
  project or work experience?
• What patterns are emerging?
• What are your primary skills?

• What positive attributes do you bring to any
  project or work experience?
• How do you react in work-related situations?
• What motivates you to do a good job?

17
Self-Assessment - Conclusion

• Answering these questions helps you understand
  yourself
• What do you have to offer to employers?
• How can you articulate this to employers?
• Know yourself

18
Company Research

• Enables you to be more knowledgeable
• Enables you to ask better questions

19
Information to Obtain on Companies

• Major products/services
• Structure - major businesses and functions
• Industry niche
• Future strategy/direction
• Ownership/alliances

• Locations
• Revenues
• History
• of employees
• Corporate culture
• Career opportunities available
• Contact information

20
Sources of Information

• The Career Center
• The Internet
• Print information
• People

21
The Career Center

• A wide variety of information on hiring
  organizations
• Coaching on how to utilize other resources such
  as the Internet, print info and people

22
The Internet

• Often, the most used source of company
  information (as self-reported by students and
  other job seekers)
• Its expected you will have looked at a companys
  Website before an interview

23
Print Information

• May be available at college career center or
  library
• May have to call or write company
• May have to search beyond the Web

24
Print Information

• Annual reports
• Recruiting literature
• Job descriptions
• Company profiles
• Alumni profiles

• Recent press clippings
• Industry newsletters and publications
• Class case studies
• Directories
• WetFeet
• Vault

25
Information from People

• Expand your research to include people
• Find people familiar with the industry or the
  company

26
People to Talk With

• Career center counselors and staff
• Faculty who have knowledge about or who have
  consulted for the company

• Classmates who have interned or worked for the
  organization
• Recent alumni from your school who are now
  employed by the organization

27
Information from People

• Things to remember
• Youre not interviewing for a job
• Youre networking with knowledgeable people,
  looking for information that will help you
  prepare for interviews
• Dont talk (yet) with anyone whos in a position
  to evaluate you as a candidate

28
Networking Questions to Ask

• Where does this company stand in the industry?
• Who are the organizations major competitors?
• What are the strong and weak points of this
  company?

• What kind of people succeed at this organization?
• Who else should I be talking to?
• What other sources of information should I
  consult?

29
Company Research - Conclusion

• Researching organizations before you interview is
  expected
• Go beyond the expected by being thorough in your
  research

30
Preparing for Interviews - Conclusion

• Self-assessment and company research are the
  hallmarks of a solid interview preparation
  strategy

31
Check-in

• Some of your best stories probably take time to
  detail, but your initial interview answers should
  be brief. Check in with the interviewer after two
  minutes and prompt an invitation to go on. Say
  something like, "Now that I've described the
  outcome of my work on that project, would you
  like to hear about my role in detail?"

32
Answer Briefly

• When it comes to talking during an interview,
  sometimes less is more. As a general rule, you
  should speak one-third of the time and definitely
  no more than half of the time. The best
  interviews have a give-and-take atmosphere. To do
  this, you need to ask questions and try to draw
  out your interviewer rather than talking about
  yourself nonstop. When it's your turn to speak,
  don't hesitate to tout yourself -- just remember
  to stop talking after you do.

33
It's OK to Be Nervous

• Not only is it OK to be nervous about an
  interview, but it is essential for you to accept
  how you feel. Telling yourself you should feel
  differently than you do is unrealistic and just
  makes you feel bad about yourself. What's the
  worst that can happen at an interview? For many,
  it would be not getting an offer. Did you ever
  think that maybe the job wasn't right for you?
  Try to look at the process as a learning
  experience.

34
Emotional Prep

• Not only is it OK to be nervous about an
  interview, but it is essential for you to accept
  how you feel. Telling yourself you should feel
  differently than you do is unrealistic and just
  makes you feel bad about yourself. What's the
  worst that can happen at an interview? For many,
  it would be not getting an offer. Did you ever
  think that maybe the job wasn't right for you?
  Try to look at the process as a learning
  experience.

35
Emotional Prep

• Preparing emotionally for the interview is as
  important as researching the company. The right
  mood helps you perform at your best. Try these
  suggestions for preparing emotionally get moving
  -- go for a walk, run, exercise, meditate, do
  yoga, stretch, dance, something -- activity gets
  blood flowing to your brain sing your favorite
  song while driving to the interview repeat an
  inspirational phrase aloud that's meaningful for
  you or simply remember a time when you felt
  terrific.

36
Explain Why You Left

• Follow these guidelines when interviewers ask,
  "Why did you leave (or are you seeking to leave)
  your company?" Succinctly describe the reason for
  your departure, and don't go into details unless
  asked. Provide references to support your reasons
  for leaving and job performance. Stay with the
  facts of what happened, what you did, how you
  felt and what you learned. Then describe how you
  will handle things differently in the future.

37
Answering Illegal Questions

• Responding professionally is much more effective
  than telling the interviewer he's breaking the
  law. Even illegal questions pose an opportunity
  for you to present information about your
  talents. If you're asked an illegal question,
  don't directly answer it. Deal with the
  underlying concern, and express your commitment
  to your career. For example, if an employer asks,
  How does your spouse feel about your business
  travel? respond with, I'm fully committed to
  performing my job well. My career is important to
  me, and I have a strong support system at home."

38
Bring Up a Weakness

• In an interview, bring up a weakness before
  you're asked for one. For example, "The truth is,
  I really need to work on my leadership skills.
  I'm a good worker and totally competent, but
  sometimes I lack the confidence to stand up and
  take a leadership position." That candor builds
  chemistry, helps ensure you're likely to succeed
  on the job and differentiates you from typical
  candidates who hype themselves. It can even land
  you the job.

39
Put Up with Rejection?

• When rejection comes, it may trigger old wounds
  from past experiences. You may feel hurt, angry
  or fed up. Instead of being stuck in feeling
  rejected, take back the power by staying
  proactive. If you really wanted to work for that
  particular company, sit down and write a letter,
  stating how disappointed you were. Remind them of
  all the positive traits you could bring to the
  organization. Let them know you are still
  interested in working for the company if
  something should change or open up.

40
Face the Feedback

• If you ask for feedback from an interviewer, be
  prepared to hear things that could be upsetting.
  You should listen carefully, and take notes to
  refer to -- and react to -- later. Be gracious
  about what you're told. Don't argue or defend
  yourself -- this is not a chance for a rebuttal.
  Be sure to thank the interviewer. Then, take the
  advice and think about changing some techniques
  to improve on your next interview.

41
First Comes the Phone

• Telephone screening is becoming very common as
  the first step in the interview process so you
  need to be prepared for the phone to ring at any
  time. These screenings usually last 10 to 15
  minutes, depending on your answers and fit for
  the job. It's helpful if you've thought about
  questions likely to be asked during the screening
  (Why did you/are you leaving your job? What makes
  you qualified for this position?) and prepared
  your answers.

42
Be Quiet and Focus

• One common mistake candidates make when
  interviewing is talking too much. It's important
  to listen to the question asked and answer that
  question. Keep your answers to two to three
  minutes at the most. When you limit your time,
  you tend to stay more focused. It is very easy to
  stray off the subject and ramble about things
  irrelevant to the job if your answer is too long.
  Watch the interviewer's eyes -- if they glaze
  over, you've lost them.

43
Look Them in the Eyes

• Eye contact is one of the most important aspects
  of nonverbal communication and can make a
  significant difference in how you present
  yourself. If you look away when speaking to
  someone, you're viewed as lacking confidence or
  interest. If you have a problem looking into your
  interviewer's eyes, try looking at the third
  eye right above and between the eyes.

44
Get the Info

• Informational interviews are a great way to get
  leads and information regarding an industry,
  company or position. It is important that the
  person you contact understands you're seeking
  information -- not a job. Be prepared when you
  ask for an appointment to say what you're looking
  for and why you want to talk to this person. At
  the informational interview, have a prepared list
  of questions. At the end, ask if the person has
  any recommendations of others you could speak
  with.

45
Virtual Thanks

• You can send follow-up letters through email if
  this is the way you and the potential employer
  have been communicating all along. But before
  sending an email thank-you, consider the
  downsides Email is overused in some companies --
  it doesn't all get read, there won't be a hard
  copy unless the recipient prints it out, and you
  need to beware of sending viruses to your
  interviewers -- it happens.

46
Thank You

• When writing an interview thank-you note, do you
  find yourself stuck on whether to use a formal
  ("Dear Ms. Jones") or informal ("Dear Lisa")
  salutation? If the work environment is
  ultra-corporate or the hiring manager is in a
  high position of authority, use a formal
  salutation. If the environment is casual and/or
  the hiring manager would be more of a peer, use
  an informal salutation. Follow any stated
  preferences, such as if the hiring manager
  suggests using her first name. When in doubt, use
  a formal salutation.

47
Know What You Offer

• Prepare answers for open-ended questions, like,
  "Tell me about yourself," by making a list of
  your skills and traits that match the employer's
  requirements. The closer your skills and traits
  are to the job description, the better chance you
  have of landing the job. You should leave the
  interviewer with a clear picture of what you have
  to offer.

48
Your References

• For your reference list, you want three to five
  people and their contact information. Don't
  forget to get permission to use your references'
  names, and while you're at it, ask how they
  prefer to be contacted. You should also send them
  a copy of your resume so they'll be aware of what
  you're saying about yourself.

49
Sell Yourself

• Interviewing is about selling.
• The product you are selling is you. Give them
  reasons to buy.
• Tell them what you can do for them. Emphasize
  what you can bring to the company, department and
  position.
• Convince them that your product is better than
  the competition's.

50
Talking Salary

• Timing is everything in the interview. Let them
  bring up the subject of money. If you are asked
  what your salary expectations are too early in
  the process, just say you would rather postpone
  that discussion until you have more information
  about the position. Ask, "Could you tell me the
  range budgeted for the position?"

51
What You Could Do Today

• You can often get the straight scoop about a job
  by asking the right questions. For example, in
  the job interview, ask, "What attributes are most
  needed to succeed in this job?" If the boss says,
  "We need a real self-starter," that's a clue you
  won't get much support.
• After you're offered a job but before accepting
  it, ask a few more questions or even ask
  permission to talk with your future coworkers.
  Ask questions like these What it's like to work
  here? What can I expect in pay raises? What kind
  of training is offered? How's the boss? Are the
  products good? How many people have held this
  position in the past few years? Why did they
  leave? You may not always get straight answers,
  but you'll probably get enough to help you decide
  if you should take the job.