Top 5 Interview Mistakes When preparing ... - SPCH 230 … · Top 5 Interview Mistakes (Forbes,...

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Top 5 Interview Mistakes (Forbes, September 2012) Based on a survey by recruiting firm Adecco: •Wear inappropriate interview attire • Have posted questionable social media content • Have not done their research • Do not ask enough questions • Overconfident in themselves When preparing for an employment interview you should research: 1) Trends in the field Current issues Basic jargon and terminology Key figures and organizations Typical jobs and assignments in the field 2) Details about specific organization History, locations Mission Organizational culture and values Products and services Stock values The key to a successful interview is to give better answers than anyone else. To do this, you must: (1) Anticipate likely questions (2) Develop excellent answers (3) Practice! Be enthusiastic and confident Don't rush but don't ramble Try to avoid using unnecessary words (fillers) and repeating yourself Tell me about yourself. Strategies for answering : Focus on both your personal and professional values Talk about best traits only, especially those relevant to position Highlight experiences and accomplishments you are most proud of Tailor response to specific job *Consider this your own personal commercial - if the interview consisted of only this one chance to sell yourself, what would you say?*

Transcript of Top 5 Interview Mistakes When preparing ... - SPCH 230 … · Top 5 Interview Mistakes (Forbes,...

Top 5 Interview Mistakes

(Forbes, September 2012)

Based on a survey by recruiting firm Adecco:

• Wear inappropriate interview attire

• Have posted questionable social media content

• Have not done their research

• Do not ask enough questions

• Overconfident in themselves

When preparing for an employment interview you should research: 1) Trends in the field

• Current issues• Basic jargon and terminology• Key figures and organizations• Typical jobs and assignments in the field

2) Details about specific organization • History, locations• Mission• Organizational culture and values• Products and services• Stock values

The key to a successful interview is to give better answers than anyone else. To do this, you must:

(1) Anticipate likely questions

(2) Develop excellent answers

(3) Practice!

• Be enthusiastic and confident

• Don't rush but don't ramble

• Try to avoid using unnecessary words (fillers) and repeating yourself

Tell me about yourself.

Strategies for answering:

• Focus on both your personal and professional values

• Talk about best traits only, especially those relevant to position

• Highlight experiences and accomplishments you are most proud of

• Tailor response to specific job

*Consider this your own personal commercial - if the interview consisted of only this one chance to sell yourself, what would you say?*

Creating Your Elevator Speech

A 30-second “commercial” selling you. It should cover:

• Who you are - your education/experience/career background

• What you have to offer - skills/qualities, accomplishments

• What you are looking for - job target

What is an Elevator Speech?

An Elevator Speech is a 30-second com

mercial that you can use in a variety of situations to

introduce yourself and what you have to offer, and to let others know

what you are looking for.

While you should prepare your speech ahead of tim

e, it should sound very natural. Use the

chart below to help you begin creating your Elevator Speech.

Ideal Job Target: A

job target may include your industry/career field of interest, possible career titles, and/or

location (i.e. Entertainment, Event Planner, A

ustin, TX)

Directions: Fill out the chart w

ith any relevant examples describing w

hen you used the skills on the left hand side in any of the areas across the top of the chart. U

se those examples to craft your

Elevator Speech to use when selling yourself to a potential em

ployer and/or networking contact.

Education

Professional Personal

Com

munication Skills

Team W

ork

Leadership Skills

Relevant

Accom

plishments

Strengths

Example: “H

i, my nam

e is Mary Jones. I am

currently a sophomore student attending ABC

College. M

y major is in

business with a m

inor in art. I have volunteered with the student credit union throughout m

y first and sophomore

year at college. Last summ

er I completed an internship w

ith The Museum

of Modern Art, and I’m

hoping to find an internship in finance this sum

mer in the Boston area. I have alw

ays had an interest in art and I’m also finding that I

have a knack for business. In the future I’m hoping to com

bine these two very different disciplines and find m

yself a career that includes them

both.”

Elevator S

peech

ww

w.hiretulanegrads.com

| 504-865-5107 | [email protected]

ELEVA

TOR

SPEECH

OU

TLINE

WH

O A

RE Y

OU

? 1. Sm

ile! Shake hands. 2. Tell w

ho you are: describe you and your educational/career background. 3. Tell w

hat you do and show enthusiasm

. W

HA

T DO

YO

U O

FFER?

4. Tell what problem

s have solved or contributions you have made, or w

hat special service, product or solutions you can offer him

or her. 5. W

hat are the advantages of working w

ith you? 6. O

ffer a vivid example.

WH

AT D

O Y

OU

WA

NT?

7. Tell why you are interested in your listener.

8. What do you w

ant to do or where do you see yourself in the future?

SAM

PLE H

ello. My nam

e is Justin Green and I w

ill be receiving my M

BA degree in May. O

ne of the things I’ve enjoyed m

ost is putting my courses to w

ork in real world school projects. For

example, as director of sales for a student-led sem

inar, I was able to increase attendance at the annual conference by 35%

over the prior year by creating and implem

enting a detailed m

arketing strategy. Does your com

pany have marketing opportunities for M

BA’s and if so, can you tell m

e more about the opportunities?

YO

UR

TUR

N:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Elevator S

peech

ww

w.hiretulanegrads.com

| 504-865-5107 | [email protected]

What is your greatest strength?

Strategies for answering:

• Emphasize leadership, team-building / interpersonal skills, and organizational skills if possible

• Discuss strengths that best fit position you are applying for

What is your greatest weakness?

Strategies for answering:

• To stand out and be more original, state a true weakness

• Try to frame it in positive terms

Example: Instead of “I’ve never been good at handling conflict” say “Like most people, I am always trying to be better at managing conflict”

• Emphasize what you've done to overcome it

*Be sure weakness you talk about is not a key element of position!*

Why do you want this position?

Strategies for answering:

• Use this to highlight your knowledge of the organization

• Find something specific about organization that you can tie in with your answer

• Give specific examples showing how your qualifications and goals complement organization's mission, vision and values

Why are you the best person for this job?

Strategies for answering:

• As with all other questions, be confident and enthusiastic

• Do not say you are the best qualified person

• Emphasize several reasons why you should be hired

Interviewee Questions: Do’s & Don’ts

Do have questions ready in advance

Don’t ask any questions that show you have not done research on the company

Don’t ask “selfish” questions related to you

Don’t bring up money

Examples of “Good” Interviewee Questions(From Campus Recruiting: What Local and Regional Accounting Firms Look for in New Hires, The CPA Journal, December 2008)

What sets your organization apart from others?

What does it take to succeed at your organization?

What kind of work will I be doing?

What kind of training and mentoring do you provide?

How would you describe this organization’s culture?

Situation - the specific situation or event in detail

Task - the specific task you needed to accomplish

Action - what specifically did you do?

Result - what was the outcome and what did you learn?

(sometimes referred to as SAR technique, with situation and task combined)

What do you feel has been your greatest school or work related accomplishment?

Strategies for answering:

• Choose example that is important to you and relevant to your future professional life

• Give specific details - what you did, how you did it, and what the results were

• Emphasize an accomplishment that solved problem(s)

What is the toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you overcome it?

Strategies for answering:

• Discuss only work or school related problems, not personal ones

• The bigger the problem the better

• Give specific examples of skills and techniques used

• Emphasize the successful results

• Acknowledge if it was a team effort, but be sure to highlight your specific role

How do you handle stressful situations?

Strategies for answering:

• Give specific example(s) of situations you've dealt with

• Show how you use(d) time management, problem-solving and/or decision-making skills

• Do not hesitate to admit that you ask for assistance

• If true, say you actually work better under pressure