BC2: Job Hunting-- Interviews

Interviewing

Developing an interview strategy

Highlight strengths

2-5 achievements, character traits, or experiences.

Be specific!

Minimize weaknesses Age, gender, grades, lack of experience.

Interview the organization

Interviewing

Before the interview

Dress appropriately Dress one-position-up. Be well-groomed. Avoid flashy jewelry and cologne/perfume.

Be prepared Extra resumes. Something to write on and with. Examples of your work. Names, street addresses, and exact dates of

references, work history and education.

Interviewing

Before the interview (cont.)

Think Ahead

Do some research on the company. Think about how you’ll get to the interview. Prepare questions to ask. Pay attention to the office as you’re waiting. Be nice to everyone.

Interviewing

During the interview

Act appropriately Be your best-self.

Be confident, enthusiastic, attentive, and clear.

Be conservative (e.g. smoking/drinking).

Interviewing

During the interview (cont.) Parts of the interview

The Opening—2-5 minutes Easy questions about education/experience. Basic information about the company.

The Body—10-25 minutes Use questions from the interviewer to focus on

your strengths. Ask your own questions to show your interest,

enthusiasm, and knowledge of the industry/company/job.

The Close—2-5 minutes What comes next.

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions Tell me about yourself.

No biographies! Focus on two or three strengths and be specific!

What makes you think you are qualified to work for this company? (OR) I’m interviewing 120 people. Why should I hire you?

What two or three accomplishments have given you the greatest satisfaction?

Focus on process as much as end result.

Why do you want to work for us? What is your ideal job?

Match your answer to the job being interview for.

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions What college subjects did you like best and

least? Why? Don’t say… “___ because it was easy.” Be specific about knowledge you gained or skills you

improved.

What is your class rank? Your grade point average? Why are your grades so low?

Have an explanation for low grades.

Show me some examples of your writing.

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Demonstrate motivation.

What are your interests outside work? Focus on 1-3 that can be explained as strengths. Don’t do too many or it will seem like you’ll have little

time or energy for the job.

What have you done to learn about the company?

Show interest, enthusiasm, motivation.

What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Be positive and support them with specifics.

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions What is your greatest weakness?

Keep this work-related; not about your personal life.

Three methods:1. Discuss a weakness that is not related to the

job:

[for a creative job like advertising:] “I don’t like accounting. I know it’s important, but I don’t like it. I even hire someone to do my taxes. I’m much more interested in being creative and working with people, which is why I find this position interesting.”

Interviewing

Traditional interview questionsWhat is your greatest weakness? (cont.)

Three methods:

2. Discuss a weakness that you are working to improve:

“In the past I wasn’t a good writer. But last term I took a course in business writing and that taught me how to organize my ideas and how to revise. I may never win a Pulitzer Prize, but now I’m a lot more confident that I can write effective reports and memos.”

3. Match a weakness with a strength:

“I tend procrastinate. Fortunately, I work well under pressure.”

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions What is your greatest strength?

“I can really sell things”; “I learn quickly”; “I’m really good at working with people”; “I’m good at solving problems”; etc.

Why are you looking for another job? Stress what you’re looking for in a new job, not why

you want to get away from your old one.

Interviewing

Traditional interview questions What questions do you have?

What would I be doing on a day-to-day basis?

What kind of employee development do you provide?

How do you evaluate employees? How often? Where would you expect an new trainee to be in 3 years?

Interviewing

Behavioral and situational interviews Behavioral interviews

Based on actual behavior in past experiences: “Tell me what happened the last time you wanted

to get other people to do something.” “What exactly did you do to handle the situation?” “How did you feel about the results?” “How did your superior feel about the results?”

Situational interviews Puts you in a real-life situation and evaluates your

response. “What would you do if you were on a project team

and one of your co-workers never fulfilled their responsibilities?”

Interviewing

Stress interviews Rephrase aggressive questions and then

focus on a strength. Q: Why did you major in physical

education? That sounds like a pretty Mickey Mouse major.

A: You’re asking whether I have the academic preparation to do this job. I started out in physical education because I’ve always loved sports. I learned that I couldn’t graduate in four years if I officially switched my major to business administration. But I do have 21 hours in business administration and 9 hours in accounting. And my sports experience gives me practical training in teamwork, motivating people, and management.

Interviewing

After the interview Follow up phone calls and letters:

Ask if there is any further information you can provide.

Remind the interviewer of what he or she liked about you.

Counter any negative impressions that may have come up during the interview.

Use the jargon of the company and refer to specific things you learned during your interview or saw during your visit.

Be enthusiastic. Refer to the next move, whether you’ll wait to hear

from the employer or whether you want to call to learn about the status of your application.

Interviewing

After the interview (cont.) Negotiating for salary and benefits

Wait until after you have a job offer.

Find out what the going rate is for the kind of work you hope to do.

Negotiate the package, not just the salary! Benefits: insurance, vacation, etc. Salary vs. Wage (with possible overtime) Commission and Tips Bonuses, Profit sharing, and Stock options Per diems and Expense Accounts Company Car vs. Mileage Travel Allowance and Parking

Interviewing

After the interview (cont.) Deciding which offer to accept

Analyze your own needs, honestly:

What do you value?: money?, time?, prestige?

What kind of working conditions do you desire?: alone or in a group? Specific instructions or freedom? High pressure or relaxed?

Where do you want to live?

What do you want out of the job?: just to make a living? A social-life? Self-actualization?

Will you want to do this for 40+ hours a week?