________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
THE JOB INTERVIEW
Part I - PreparationPart II - The Interview
Train the TrainerCliff Wilcox – Atlanta, GA
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
THE JOB INTERVIEW
Two Part Series
Part I – Preparation
www.ieeeusa.org/careers/help/
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Seminar Overview
• Interview types
• Preparation
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Interview Formats
• Interview Formats– One-on-One interview– Group interview– Technical seminar– Simulations
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Interview Preparation
• Interviews “by instance” (Behavioral)
• Self assessment
• One-Minute Professional Autobiography
• Company & Salary Research
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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)
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Illegal Questions
Sample topics:
Marital status, age, political and religious affiliations
Options:
• Answer the question?
• Don’t answer the questions?
• Get a lawyer?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Salary Comparisons
• What are you worth?
• How much do you need?
• IEEE-USA Salary Servicehttp://www.ieeeusa.org/careers/salary/
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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!
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
THE JOB INTERVIEW
Two Part Series
Part II – The Interview
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Summary of Part I - Interview Preparation
• Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews
• Interview Formats
• Interviews “by instance”
• Self assessment
• One-Minute Professional Autobiography
• Company & Salary Research
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Seminar Overview
• The interview• What really matters• Appearance• Behavior, good and
bad
• Topics to avoid• Questions to ask• Salary negotiations• Afterwards
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Impact of Your Presence
• Impact of one’s presence:– 55% body language– 38% voice tone– 7% word content
• Cardinal Rule = Never distract the interviewer
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Appearance
• Dress to blend• Good grooming is
important• Don’t be late
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Topics to Avoid
• Sex
• Race and ethnicity
• Religion
• Money
• Lunch
• Who you know in the organization
• Don’t compliment their appearance
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Questions You Should Ask(during)
• Was I clear on that?
• Did I give you enough detail?
• Would you like me to elaborate?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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)
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
Last Minute Traps
• “What a relief. It’s almost over!”
• Lunch
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
The Last Few Minutes
• Verify the next step.
• Say “Thank you”, and smile
• Leave
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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?
________________
Employment & Career Services CommitteeEmployment & Career Services Committee
________________
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