Mastering the Art of Interviewing

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Mastering the Art of Interviewing

• Career Center

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Qualifications and the Interview

• Was I judged on my qualifications for the job or
  on how well I performed in the interview?
• Careful preparation and effective communication
  could give the applicant an edge over the
  competition and help the applicant get that job.

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Advantages to Being Prepared

• If you know what you want to say ahead of time,
  you can usually articulate it better.
• If you know something about the organization to
  which you are applying, you will have a better
  idea as to how to frame questions and answers.
• Being prepared will give you more confidence and
  boost your overall performance.

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How to Prepare

• Write out answers to sample questions
• Videotapes
• Give answers to friend, mirror, tape recorder
• Attend professional events
• Practice Interview
• Mock Interview
• Research the company or organization that is
  interviewing you
• Ask people you know questions about the
  organization you are applying to
• Next comes library and internet research

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What to look for

• Age of the organization
• Products or Services it offers
• Past and anticipated growth
• Current problems or needs
• Location of plants, offices, and stores
• Does it have a parent organization or
  subsidiaries?
• Identify information which coincides with your
  education, interests, or experiences.

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What to Look For (cont.)

• Key people in the organization
• Size in terms of sales and employees
• Organizational structure of the company
• Major competitors
• Reputation
• Assets and earnings
• Types of customers

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Keep In Mind

• Why do you want to work for this organization?
• What interests you about the products or services
  the organization provides?
• What do you know about the organization?
• Why do you think you would like this job?

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Find Out Ahead of Time

• Salary information range
• Nature of the position duties involved, and how
  the position fits into the overall structure of
  the organization
• Information about your interviewer
• -name, title, pronunciation, and position
• When you are finished with your research, draw
  up a list of questions on the organization or
  position

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Review Your Résumé and Portfolio

• Review your résumé
• -find what you want to highlight in your
  interview
• -pick most relevant experiences and note these
  on a separate piece of paper
• -note personal strengths or accomplishments not
  mentioned in your résumé
• -recall any positive work habits developed at
  work or in school
• Review your portfolio
• -leave only the most relevant examples of your
  work in it
• -add any pertinent information
• -determine how these might be presented during
  the interview

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Self-Confidence

• Mental preparation is just as important as
  library/internet research.
• A self-confident applicant communicates to the
  interviewer by demeanor as well as words.

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The Day Before the Interview

• Decide what you are going to wear and lay it out.
• Have all your materials organized and ready to
  go.
• Schedule sufficient travel time to allow you 5-10
  minutes in the waiting room.
• you may want to travel to the location the
  day before to be sure you know where youre
  going.

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Dress to Impress

• Men
• Clean, pressed business suit
• Light shirt
• Conservative tie
• Matching socks
• Shined shoes
• Clean, trimmed head and facial hair
• Fresh shave
• Minimal or no cologne
• No food, gum, or cigarettes
• Clean nails
• Empty pockets

• Women
• Clean, pressed suit or tailored dress
• Conservative hosiery without runs
• Polished pumps in good repair
• Carry either a purse or attache case
• Attractive, controlled hair style
• Minimal make-up and perfume
• Moderate jewelry
• Clean fingernails with no chipped polish
• No gum, food, or cigarettes
• Positive attitude

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What to Bring

• Portfolio
• Extra resumes
• Transcript
• List of references
• 3-5 key strengths
• List of questions
• Interview portfolio - if you have one

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Behavior-Based Interviewing (BBI)

• Behavior-based interviewing is based on the
  premise that an applicants past behavior will
  predict how he or she will respond in similar
  situations in the future.
• BBI focuses on determining how you, the
  interviewee, have actively applied your skills.
• The interviewer is looking for proof that you can
  demonstrate the desired capabilities in the real
  world.

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The BBI Process

• The interviewers questions will be designed to
  elicit detailed descriptions from you on how you
  handled yourself in certain situations.
• BBI challenges you to recall (in detail) what you
  did, thought, and felt in key situations as if
  you were reliving them.
• This helps the interviewer better understand your
  thought process, decision-making skills, and
  emotional state- as well as the results of your
  actions.

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How to Respond

• You will be expected to give detailed, but
  focused, descriptions of actual circumstances.
• Expect to think-often in painstaking detail-under
  pressure.
• Take your time in formulating your response.
• Be thorough, yet direct.

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Create a S.T.A.R. story

• Situation describe an overview of the situation
• Task talk about the task
• Action describe the action you took
• Result positive result

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Commonly Asked Questions in the BBI Interview

• Describe a creative/innovative idea that you
  produced which led to a significant contribution
  to the success of an activity or project.
• What was the most complex assignment you have
  had? What was your role?
• Tell me about a suggestion you made to improve
  the way job processes/operations worked. What was
  the result?
• What are three effective leadership qualities you
  think are important? How have you demonstrated
  these qualities in your past/current situation?
• Give me a specific example of a time when you did
  not meet a deadline. How did you handle the
  subsequent situation?

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Stages of the Interview

• Introductory Stage 2-5 minutes
• Qualification/Background Assessment Stage 15-20
  minutes
• Organizational Information Stage 10-20 min.
• Termination Stage 1-2 minutes

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Introductory Stage

• Shake hands
• Use interviewers name
• Assure interviewer has resume
• Project positive attitude-enthusiasm

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Qualification/Background Assessment Stage

• Questions regarding goals, objectives, education,
  experience, interests, activities
• Listen actively
• Watch for cues for feedback
• Pride in past performances
• Answer complete, clear, concise, true
• No yes or no answers

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Common Interview Questions

• Tell me a little about yourself
• Why are you interested in working for this
  organization?
• Why have you chosen this particular field?
• Describe your best/worst boss.
• What is your major strength/weakness?
• Give me an example of a problem you encountered
  either in school or at work, explain how you
  solved it.
• Where do you see yourself in three years?
• Describe an experience in which you worked as a
  part of a team.
• If you could be an animal, which would it be and
  why?
• What was the last book you read?
• Do you have any questions for me?
• More Questions

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Organizational Information Stage

• Listen.
• Clarify any questions about job-organization.
• What aspects of the job would you like to see
  improved?
• What are the key challenges and/or problems
  facing the person in the
  position?
• Is there room for professional growth and
  upward mobility?
• When, how, and by whom would I be evaluated?
  What are the performance criteria?
• What is the departments environment/culture
  like?
• Prepare 3 Thought-Provoking questions.

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Questions to Ask

• How do you like working for XYZ
  organization/company?
• How are new projects or jobs determined or
  evaluated?
• Tell me about your background and how working at
  XYZ has helped satisfy your career desires.

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Termination Stage

• Briefly summarize your strongest qualifications
• Express enthusiasm for the job
• Make certain you understand the next step
  (follow-up interview, etc.)
• Thank the interviewer
• Make sure you have the interviews name and
  address so you can send a thank you letter.

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Interviewing Rule of Three

• List three strengths
• List three weakness
• List three reasons why an employer should hire
  you
• List three reasons why you want the job

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Interview Checklist

• Research
• Practice
• Be prompt and prepared
• Act professionally
• Converse
• Be enthusiastic
• Thank the interviewer
• Follow-up
• Write a thank you letter to anyone you have
  spoken to
• Review the interview process and your performance
• Evaluate

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Thank You for Coming!

• Career Center
• 201 Behmler Hall
• 589-6065
• http//www.morris.umn.edu/services/career/