Preparing for the Interview

Learning Objectives

• Effective planning and preparation
  • Know yourself, Know the company
  • How to create your “elevator speech”
• Answering questions effectively
  • Practice makes… better
• What to do after the interview
  • How to write a thank you letter

Before the Interview

Know Yourself

• Know your strengths and weaknesses and be able to articulate them.
• Know where you might fit in to the organization.
  • Don’t expect the interviewer to know. You know yourself better than anyone.
• Identify your skills, abilities and experience.
  
  • Be able to talk about them.

 

Know the Company

• Take time to research the company.
• Their website, Facebook page, Twitter feed and LinkedIn profile are all good resources.

“Elevator” Speech

Develop a 60 second “commercial” about yourself, practice it.

In it you will cover…

1. Background - Education and/or how you began in the world   of work.
2. Skills, strengths and accomplishments
3. Job focus and future career plans.

Professional Appearance

Dress Appropriately

General guidelines

• Men: A suit is usually best.  Wear a long sleeve white shirt, conservative tie and dark socks.  If you don't own a suit, wear a dark sport coat and dress slacks.
• Women: A suit is also best.  If you don't own one, a business-like dress or skirt and blouse is recommended.  Wear flesh colored hose, no tights or patterns.
• If in doubt what to wear, call the company and ask

Arrive On Time

• How early?
  • 10 minutes is good. 30 minutes is too early. You could be inconveniencing the interviewer.
• Where is the interview?
  • Consider doing a “dry run” if you’re going somewhere you’re not familiar with.  Use a map or GPS
• What time is the interview?
  
  • How long does it take to get there?
  • What is traffic like that time of day?
• Who is interviewing you?
  • Know their name, how to pronounce it and their title.

What to Bring With You

• Professional portfolio folder
  • Extra copies of your resume (one for each person if interviewed by committee).
  • A notepad and black or blue pen.
  • List of questions for the interviewer.
• Anything the interviewer has asked you to bring.

2 Main Types of Interviews

• Situational
• Behavioral

Situational Interview

• Questions deal with hypothetical situations.
  • “What would you do if… “
• Discuss past work experience.
  • Go over your resume. Again, know what’s in it.
• Ask traditional resume questions.
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  • What are your 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses?

Behavioral Interview

• Uses your answers to make predictions of future performance based on past behaviors.
  
  • Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. Be specific.
  • Task: What goal were you working toward?
  • Action: What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution?
  • Result: What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Make sure your answer contains multiple positive results.
• It’s important to practice how you would respond to both types of questions so you won’t feel caught off guard.

Other types

• Panel:
• Technical:
• Telephone:

During the Interview

Question: When does the interview start?

Your interview could start when you park your car.

First Impression

• Check yourself in a mirror.
• Smile warmly and make good eye contact with everyone you meet.
  • The receptionist DOES have influence over the hiring decision so don’t blow it by being rude.
• Give a firm handshake.
  • Don’t be a “cold fish”. Practice if necessary.

Answering Questions

• Powerful Responses
  • Use the Short Story Technique of answering questions. Don't simply say yes or no. WOW the interviewer with your experience!
• Be Positive
  • When answering questions, dwell on the positive even when asked a negative question, phrase your answer in a positive way.
• Sell Yourself - Non-verbally
  • Be aware of your non-verbal communication! Watch your actions when you're talking.  Nervous gestures can distract the interviewer.  Sit up straight!  This will help you appear (and feel) more poised and confident.

Asking Questions

• Prepare at least 5-10 to ask, (write them down) it is probable the interviewer will answer some of them during the interview. 
• You will only ask 1-3 of the questions you have written down.

Note...

• Be sure to get a business card from each person with whom you speak. These will come in handy when you write those all-important thank you notes. 
• If they are not offered to you by the interviewer, ask for one.
• Thank everyone in the room for their time.

After the Interview

Follow Up

• Following up on a job interview is crucial.  It gives you the opportunity to sell yourself again.
• In a perfect world, all your interviews will go smoothly. Send a thank you note after each one.
• Even if you blow the interview, it pays to get in touch after the fact.

Thank You letters

• Objective: To inform the employer of your interest in the position and to summarize your chief credentials.
  • Thank the interviewer for their time.
  • Show enthusiasm for the position.
  • Explain how you can help them with challenges mentioned during the interview.
• Express your desire to be included in the next step of the hiring process.

Rejection

* If you receive a letter informing you that you did not get the job, you still need to follow-up with a note to the person who interviewed you.

Move On

Brush yourself and get back on your feet. For every rejection you receive you are one step closer to a job offer. 

Practice

• Get into pairs and practice. Switch roles
• Get into another pair and practice again
• Get into yet another pair and practice
• Debrief
  • What went well?
  • What did you learn?
  • What do you need to practice more?