Employment & Career Services Committee THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...

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Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee

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THE JOB INTERVIEW

Part I - PreparationPart II - The Interview

Train the TrainerCliff Wilcox – Atlanta, GA

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THE JOB INTERVIEW

Two Part Series

Part I – Preparation

www.ieeeusa.org/careers/help/

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Seminar Overview

• Interview types

• Preparation

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Interview Types• Structured

– Prepared list of Questions (Interview Guide)

– Implications:• Interviewer is prepared and serious

• All interviews may be structured

• All applicants are asked the same questions

• Unstructured– Random questions (no list)

– Interviewers personal style and priorities

– Goal to get a good “feel” for the interviewee

• CAD Example

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Question Types• Job Skills

– What are your major responsibilities?

– Tell me about a time when you had to control errors in your work?

– Describe a situation in which you saw a problem and took action to correct it, rather than wait for someone else to do it?

• Personality Traits & Fit– Which classes did you like , and why?

– When were you most satisfied and dissatisfied in your work?

– How did you feel about a time when you had to work at a fast pace?

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Interview Formats

• Interview Formats– One-on-One interview– Group interview– Technical seminar– Simulations

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Interview Preparation

• Interviews “by instance” (Behavioral)

• Self assessment

• One-Minute Professional Autobiography

• Company & Salary Research

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Interview Preparation

• Interviews “by instance” (Behavioral)– Goal: Gather specific examples

– Premise: Past Behavior = Future Behavior

– Challenging to prepare for

– Asset and Weakness (negative) questions

Tell me about a time when you solved a conflict between members of your team?

Tell me about a time when you failed to solve a conflict between members of your team?

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Preparation through Self Assessment

• Typically done for Career Planning

• What can you do?

• What do you like to do?

• What are your core values?

• What type of person are you?

• In what kind of work environment are you at your best?

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Preparation • Gather Important Experiences

• Convert Experiences into Stories– A task or situation with a problem, and the

potential for conflict of some type– The actions taken by the main character (you)

to follow through or solve the problem– The resolution / result / Paul Harvey– Append a moral, or a “lesson learned”

• STAR Example

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Preparation

• One Minute Professional Auto-biography– Subset of your resume– Typically is asked for at the beginning of an

interview– Networking with a new contact

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Negative Questions

• Requests for negative information– Describe a time when you overlooked a small

detail?– Tell me about a time you sacrificed quality in

order to get work done on time?– Tell me about your biggest failure?

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Addressing Negative Questions

• Restate the question in your own words, and ask if your interpretation is correct

• Tactfully disagree OR admit to the flaw

• Answer the question and highlight what you did well

• Identify what you could have done differently and show how you learned from the experience

• Back it up with an instance of what you have done differently (try to stay away from what you “would” do)

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Illegal Questions

Sample topics:

Marital status, age, political and religious affiliations

Options:

• Answer the question?

• Don’t answer the questions?

• Get a lawyer?

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Company Research

• The Industry as a whole– Stock Points (www.stockpoint.com)

• The company– Yahoo financial (www.yahoo.com)

– Wall Street Journal Research Net (www.wsrn.com)

– Companies online (www.companiesonline.com)

– Hoovers (www.hoovers.com)

– Biz Web (www.bizweb.com)

• The specific position

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Salary Comparisons

• What are you worth?

• How much do you need?

• IEEE-USA Salary Servicehttp://www.ieeeusa.org/careers/salary/

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Additional Tips

• Make a practice trip to the interview site

• The interviewer’s preparation is usually very casual

Thorough preparation on your part will enable you to relax and make a better

impression!

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Preparation Sources• “Get Hired!” by Paul Green - Bard Books, Inc.

ISBN 1-885167-14-8• “Engineer’s Guide to Lifelong Employability” -

IEEE Press ISBN 0-87942-314-5• “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard

Bolles - Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-633-5• “Winning Through Intimidation” by Robert

Ringer - Fawcett Books ISBN 0449207862• The Career Planning Guide & Beyond Job

Satisfaction Fieldbook

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THE JOB INTERVIEW

Two Part Series

Part II – The Interview

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Summary of Part I - Interview Preparation

• Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews

• Interview Formats

• Interviews “by instance”

• Self assessment

• One-Minute Professional Autobiography

• Company & Salary Research

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Seminar Overview

• The interview• What really matters• Appearance• Behavior, good and

bad

• Topics to avoid• Questions to ask• Salary negotiations• Afterwards

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Impact of Your Presence

• Impact of one’s presence:– 55% body language– 38% voice tone– 7% word content

• Cardinal Rule = Never distract the interviewer

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Appearance

• Dress to blend• Good grooming is

important• Don’t be late

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Behavior

• Lean forward to show interest

• Keep your hands away from face and head

• Do not fold your arms across your chest

• Make eye contact, but don’t stare

• Try to smile occasionally

• Try to sound enthusiastic

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Behavior

• Do not over-talk

• Do not display arrogance

• Do not use profanity or risqué humor

• Restrain any distracting physical habits

• Do not complain about peripheral items

• Do not make negative references to others

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The First Few Minutes

• Try to establish rapport• Thank the interviewer for

their time• Ask where you should sit,

etc.• Ask the interviewer if he

needs another copy of your resume

• Shake hands

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Topics to Avoid

• Sex

• Race and ethnicity

• Religion

• Money

• Lunch

• Who you know in the organization

• Don’t compliment their appearance

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Questions You Should Ask(earlier, if possible)

• What is your interviewing and hiring process?• More of a detailed job description • What are you most hoping to find in the person

you hire?• What attributes are most needed to succeed in this

job?• What would be my first priorities on the job?• How is one evaluated in this role?

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Questions You Should Ask(during)

• Was I clear on that?

• Did I give you enough detail?

• Would you like me to elaborate?

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Questions You Should Ask(at the end)

• Based on what we talked about today, I feel good about the position. What concerns do you have about my ability to perform the job?

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Questions You Should Ask(at the end OR if offered the position, before you accept)

• What is it like to work for the group manager?• What is the corporate culture? The group culture?• The training and continuous education policy• The group structure & prospects for advancement• Turnover rate• Why did the previous person leave?

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Salary Negotiations

• Do not mention salary prematurely

• Know beforehand what you are worth and how much you need

http://www.ieeeusa.org/careers/salary/ and

http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/eBooks/default.asp

• Do not be the first one to mention a number• Salary is not everything (understand the package)

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Last Minute Traps

• “What a relief. It’s almost over!”

• Lunch

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The Last Few Minutes

• Verify the next step.

• Say “Thank you”, and smile

• Leave

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Follow Up!

• Send Thank-You letter• Debrief yourself

– What did you do well?

– Did you say anything, which could hurt your chances?

– What questions were challenging?

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Sources

• Slides - www.ieeeusa.org/careers/help/• eBooks - www.ieeeusa.org/communications/eBooks/default.asp

“What R U Worth” / “Resumes” / “School to Work”• “Get Hired”, by Paul Green, Bard Books, Inc. ISBN# 1-

885167-14-8

• “Engineer’s Guide to Lifelong Employability”, IEEE Press, ISBN# 0-87942-314-5

• “What Color Is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles, Ten Speed Press. ISBN# 0-89815-633-5

Employment & Career Services Committee THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...

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Transcript of Employment & Career Services Committee THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...

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Transcript of ________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...

Employment & Career Services Committee THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...

Transcript of Employment & Career Services Committee THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I -...