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COMMUNICATING TO WIN THE JOB Being able to communicate is the number one skill all employers seek in each and every candidate they con-sider. It is critical in an interview to communicate to the perspective employer how your skills and abilities will best benefit their organization. Read on to discover how you can communicate these things to employer and win the job!

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Preparation, practice, and promotion are the keys to successful interviewing. To land the job, each key must be thor-oughly prepared for and implemented in an attempt to answer the hiring man-ager’s primary question: “Why should I hire you?” The interview is an unavoid-able aspect of the job search and first impressions can make or break your candidacy. Many hiring managers will confirm that the decision about a candi-date can be made within the first five minutes of an interview—be prepared. The interview is also a two-way custom. Not only will the organization be evalu-ating you, but you will also have a chance to evaluate the organization.

PREPARATION

Self-Assessment A large part of the interview will be you answering questions about yourself and your background. In order to effectively communicate your qualifications to an employer, you must have a clear under-standing of what you have to offer and what you are seeking in a position. • Inventory your strengths and weak-

nesses. Include transferable skills, personal qualities, and job-specific skills in this inventory.

• Review your abilities, interests, and values through completing the FOCUS career guidance program online. Re-late these to the position for which you are inter-viewing.

• Are there any discrepancies between the ex-pectations for this position and what you do well, what you like to do, and what is important to you? Before the interview, know how you will settle these disagreements and be prepared to communicate such.

• Know your short

(immediate) and long-term (5-10 year) career goals. How will this posi-tion help you reach your long-term goal?

Company Research Perhaps the greatest complaint of hiring managers is that the candidates have not researched their organization. Be-fore you go into an interview, you should learn what you reasonably can about the nature of the job and the organization. Spe-cific information to look for in your research should include: • Mission, goals,

and values • Primary competi-

tors • Primary services/products • How company is viewed by competi-

tors • Size (profits, employees, locations) • Clues to the culture or atmosphere

employees experience

Dress for Success The first impression in an interview is crucial. Many employers can make their decision in the first five minutes of an interview. Don’t let a decision be made

on you in the first five seconds by fol-lowing these grooming tips: • Wear a conserva-tive suit/dress (the darker the clothes, the more conserva-tive they are) that is clean and pressed. Women should avoid low-cut blouses and high-cut skirts. The focus of the inter-viewer should be kept to your profes-sional qualifications for the position. • Polish your shoes

and assure they match your suit. Men’s belt should match their shoes as well (black shoes—black belt, brown shoes—brown belt). Women should avoid high heels, especially if you are not used to walking in them.

• Ties (men) and scarves (women) should be conservative. Use calm de-

signs that promote your professional-ism. • Hair should be neatly groomed and out of the face. Men’s hair should be off the collar. Women should use simple hair accesso-ries. Use your re-search to determine if you should pull your hair back or allow it to be down over your shoulders.

• Avoid perfume or cologne when inter-viewing.

• Men should wear dark socks that co-ordinate with their suit. Women should always wear coordinating stockings when interviewing—never attend an interview bare-legged. Pack an extra pair of nylons, runners always appear at the worst times!

• Accessories should be held to a mini-mum. Rings should be limited to one ring per hand (one ring total for men). Women should limit necklaces and bracelets both in number and style. Avoid anything that jangles, clanks, dazzles, shimmers, or attracts more attention than your skills and qualifications for the job.

• Fingernails should be trimmed. Polish should be limited to neutral tones.

• Make-up should be simple, natural, and professional.

PRACTICE

Their Questions Oftentimes, candidates can predict po-tential interview questions simply by reviewing their resume and the job de-scription. Chances are extremely likely that the interviewers will ask you to

Information Interviewing Corporate Website Trade Publications/Professional As-sociations Business Journals (www.bizjournals.com) Third Party Websites (www.wetfeet.com; www.hoovers.com; www.vault.com) Annual reports

INFORMATION SOURCES

1. Communication (verbal and writ-ten) skills

2. Honesty/integrity

3. Interpersonal skills

4. Strong work ethic

5. Teamwork skills

6. Analytical skills

7. Motivation/initiative

8. Flexibility/adaptability

9. Computer skills

10. Detail-oriented

10. Leadership skills

SKILLS OF THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

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COMMUNICATING TO WIN THE JOB

Preparing for an interview involves researching what the organization does, how well it is doing and it’s standing within the industry. Look for information about how well the company is doing, new projects/products/services, news and press releases. Use the company website, links on Career Services Website (www.urbana.edu/careers.htm) or Vault.com.

Evaluate the company’s mission statement or philosophy to determine three personal qualities the organization might value in prospective employees. Think about experiences or situations in which you displayed some of those personal qualities.

Assess how individuals pictured on the website are dressed. Do they tend to be in business suits, business casual, or khakis and polo shirts? Other appearance items to consider are the hair (off-collar, well-kept, pulled back, etc), amount of jewelry (for men and women, including piercings), and amount of make-up.

Review the job description for required (or desired) knowledge, skills and abilities the employer is seeking. Compare your qualifications to their requirements. Write PROVE-IT STATEMENTS that summarize your experience or knowl-edge. Target the unique selling points you should highlight during the interview.

Think of specific examples that will help illustrate the selling points listed in your Prove-It Statements. Using the STAR technique, prepare stories to convey these examples during the interview. Review practice questions and schedule an appointment for a mock interview with Career Services at 937-484-1417.

Fact 1: Fact 2: Fact 3:

Quality 1 Quality 2 Quality 3

Notes:

Company Requirement My Prove-It Statement

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

PRE-INTERVIEW WORKSHEET

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provide greater detail about a state-ment or project mentioned on your re-sume from prior work experience. There are also some standard questions you can be prepared for simply by going through a thorough self-assessment and knowing what you want in an organiza-tion or position.

• What are your strengths? Weaknesses? • Why are you interested in working

with this organization? • How did you come to major in

________? • Why did you choose to attend Urbana

University? • Tell me about your short and/or long

term goals. When answering their questions, be yourself and be honest. Always try to present yourself in the best possible light. If they ask a question that forces you to divulge potentially negative in-formation, be sure to include informa-tion about what you have learned or taken away from that experience, put-ting the negative experience in a posi-tive light..

Behavior Based Interviewing Behavior Based Interviewing is a cur-rently popular interviewing technique. You can identify behavioral questions in that they ask you to “Describe a situa-tion in which. . .” The basis of this technique is that future behavior can best be predicted by past responses to similar situations. Therefore, the inter-viewer is attempting to learn how you have reacted to various situations simi-lar to those you may face in the new position. To answer behavioral interview ques-tions, use the following acronym: • Situation: describe the situation.

What was the assignment or request that had to be done?

• Task: what was the specific task or problem facing you?

• Action: What specific actions did you take to address the task? How did you handle this situation?

• Result: Describe what happened as a result of your actions.

Your goal in behavioral interviewing is to communicate detail. You want to back up your claims with specific evi-dence—quantify and qualify as much as possible. Tell the story to make the in-terviewer feel he/she was right there, watching you address this situation. Following is a strong example of an ap-propriate response: Interviewer: On your resume, you note that as Editor for the Lancer, you in-creased advertising revenue. Tell me more about that. Candidate: (Situation) The Lancer is Urbana University's student newspaper. When I accepted the responsibilities of Editor last summer, I noticed that we did not have good advertising revenue. (Task) I did some research and found that it had fallen significantly in previ-ous years. We also had several long-term advertisers who did not renew their contracts. (Action) To strengthen advertising reve-nues, I focused on two areas. First, we designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet based on survey results of students who read the Lancer versus those who read other local print

media. Second, we set up a special training session for the editorial staff with a Marketing professor who dis-cussed personal selling. (Result) As a result, we signed contracts with four former advertisers for weekly ads and five for special editions. We also increased new advertisers by 25% over the same period last year.

Achievement Based Interviewing A second format of interviewing is re-cently becoming popular. Achievement based interviewing is still quite new but gaining popularity. The basis of this type of interviewing is to search for verifiable facts from the candidate. Questions are based on the candidate providing evidence of their qualifica-tions. There are five basic questions in this form of interviewing, each looking for specific information from the candidate to support his or her candidacy. Tell me about your very first paid job. Powerful learning is always tied to strong emotions. Early experiences usu-ally evoke the strongest emotions of all, which is why this question is asked. A candidate’s first work experiences shape their expectations for future work. Which achievement at work, in school, or in your personal life makes you feel most proud? The achievements you value the most will reveal your strong-est character traits and strongest de-sires. On a scale from zero to ten how would you rate yourself? How you see yourself may not be how others see you. It’s how you expect others to see you which is most important to the interviewer. Let’s talk about your performance review. Here you will likely be asked similar questions to what they will ask your references—are you dependable? Do you go beyond what is expected? What would you like to ask me about out company? Read on.

Your Questions To show your motivation in obtaining the job for which you are interviewing, it is best to have questions prepared for

The simplest of questions can often be the worst to answer. Where do you begin? How much should you share? Follow this general guideline: Present Where are you now? Finish-ing your education—share about your major, extra-curricular activities, and other current involvement. Past How did you get here? Why did you choose Urbana University, your major, to become involved in these activities? What have been some in-fluential experiences in your life? Present Why are you looking for a job? Are you graduating, trying to augment your major with an intern-ship? Future Where do you hope this job will take you? What are your immedi-ate and long-term goals? How will this position help you achieve these?

SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

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the interviewer. As a general rule of thumb, your questions should not in-clude readily available information about the company—your research should have already uncovered that in-formation. Sample questions include: • What changes do you see for this

company in the next couple years? • Where are previous people who have

been hired into this position? Are they still with the company or have they moved on?

• What would a normal work week in this position be like?

• What type of training does this or-ganization provide?

The Salary Question At all costs, avoid bringing up salary in the first interview. The interviewer may inform you of the initial salary range and ask if that is suitable—this is okay. However, you should be prepared for salary questions and armed with data.

Inappropriate Questions In the course of your interviewing, you

may be faced with an inappropriate question or two. An inappropriate ques-tion can be characterized as one dealing with marital or family status, race, gen-der, or some other taboo topic that has no bearing on your candidacy for the position. There are three ways to re-spond to such questions: 1. Answer the question as asked. 2. Don’t answer the question. Inform

the interviewer that the question asked has no influence on your per-forming the job.

3. Answer the question behind the question. For example, if you are interviewing for a sales position that requires a great deal of over-night travel, you may be asked about family status. What the inter-viewer is likely asking, is how you feel about frequently being gone from your family.

PROMOTION

Arrival First impressions count. Be on time and look sharp. Those with whom you will

interview are already employed and have nothing to prove. You, however, are seeking employment. • Plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early,

just in case. This will give you the opportunity to look around and get a feel for the atmosphere. Find the restroom and double-check your ap-pearance.

• Everyone you meet could have a say in the hiring decision. Many inter-views have failed because candidates are rude to the “front line” people such as receptionists.

• Feel free to bring a pad folio with a writing utensil (not one that is chewed up or that you can click throughout the interview), extra cop-ies of your resume, list of references, transcript, and possibly a professional portfolio.

The Interview Waiting is usually the worst part of an interview. Anyone having gone through a professional interview will tell you that once the interview begins, it is just a conversation with another person. If you have prepared properly, you will experience the same. Screening inter-views will have three sections: their questions, your questions, and the clos-ing. Often, you will interview with more than a single individual, the following tips apply whether there is one individ-ual or several. • Once the interviewer invites you to

the inner office, he/she will likely make some small talk with you to help set you at ease. Topics cover the weather, your arrival, sports, current news. Review that mornings paper just so you are prepared to discuss current topics.

• When settled, the interviewer may describe a little more about the posi-tion and/or organization. They may choose to do this at the end, or throughout as well. Their goal is to sell you on the organization.

• Most often, you will be asked to re-spond to their questions first. No problem—you’re prepared.

• Once they have asked all their ques-tions, they should give you a chance to ask the challenging questions

Sources: Class of 2005 Destinations Survey, Urbana University NACE Salary Survey, Fall 2005

SALARY INFORMATION

Major Urbana University

National Average*

Business $43,000 $39,480 Communication Arts $31,879 Comprehensive Science $31,623 Criminal Justice $29,583 Education: Primary $25,449 $30,904 English $31,451 History $31,739 Human Services Leadership $26,500 $26,623 Intervention Specialist $31,773 Liberal Studies $32,725 Education: Middle & Secondary $29,148 $31,845 MIS $43,653 Nursing $55,000 $41,060 Political Science $32,985 Psychology $30,073

Sociology $31,368

Sports Medicine $35,251 Sports Science $30,643

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you’ve prepared. Go ahead and im-press them!

• Finally, they will close the interview. If they do not explain the next steps at this point, feel free to ask when you should hear from them. They will likely give you a rough timeline of how they plan to fill the position. This will help you in planning your follow up timetable. If the hiring manager promises a call , ask when the call might occur.

Follow Up Follow-up can get you the job! A well-written letter (preferably typed) sent within 24 hour of an interview can be the key to getting the job. It can also reinforce your interest (or even lack of interest) in the position. Many hiring

managers will tell you that when they have two equal candidates for a posi-tion, the one following up gets the posi-tion most often. The reason being that the one who takes the initiative to send a nice thank-you letter shows more mo-tivation in the job search process which will likely spill over into the job as well. If someone else is selected for the posi-tion, remember that “No” does not al-ways mean “You were a bad candidate, we do not want you.” It could mean “For this particular position we found another candidate who we believe is a better match.” By following up with a nice thank you letter, if their first choice candidate declines the offer, you have proved your worth as a viable can-didate and may still get the position.

RULES OF INTERVIEWING

Include concrete, quantifiable data. Inter-viewees tend to talk in generalities. This fails to convince interviewers that the applicant has assets. Include measurable information and provide details about specific accomplishments when discussing your strengths. Repeat your key strengths three times. It’s essential that you comfortably and confidently articulate your strengths. Explain how the strengths relate to the company or department’s goals and how they might benefit the potential em-ployer. If you repeat your strengths and back them up with quantifiable accom-plishments, they will be more likely be-lieved. Prepare five or more success stories. In preparing for interviews, make a list of your skills and key assets. Then reflect on past jobs and projects. Pick out one or two instances when you used those skills successfully.

Image is often as important as content. What you look like and how you say something is just as important as what you say. Studies have shown that 65% of the conveyed message is nonverbal; gestures, physical appearance, and attire are highly influential during job inter-views.

Ask questions. The types of questions you ask and the way you ask them can make a tremendous impression on the interviewer. Good questions require ad-vance preparation and good knowledge of both yourself (goals, abilities, skills, etc.) and the company. Write out specific questions that you want to ask ahead of time, and then look for opportunities to ask them during the interview. NOTE: do not ask about benefits or salary during the first interview.

Research the company, product lines and competitors. Research will provide the information to help you decide whether or not you’re interested in the company. It also provides important data to use in the interview.

Keep an interview journal. As soon as possible, write a brief summary of what

579 College Way Urbana, OH 43078

March 15, 2006

Ms. Fran Freedom Top Organization 111 Main Street Anytown, US 11111

Dear Ms. Freedom:

Thank you for the opportunity to spend yesterday at your facility. The dis-cussion we had was particularly informative. I found the tour of your facil-ity and informal conversation with your staff to be quite beneficial. I was particularly impressed with the effective team atmosphere in which Top Organization has met and succeeded your stated objectives. I believe my skills and qualities we reviewed yesterday, including my team orientation and strong project management skills, will greatly benefit Top Organiza-tion.

The entire experience has confirmed my interest in Top Organization, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Anita Career 937-652-1234 anita@knightnet.urbana.edu

SAMPLE THANK YOU LETTER

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happened in the interview, including your perceptions. Note any follow up action that you need to take and put it in your calendar. Critique your presenta-tion and the interview; are there im-provements that you can make? Remem-ber to immediately follow up with a thank you note to the interviewer; restate your skills and stress what you can do for the company. Turn off electronics. Cell phones, PDAs, and other electronic devices should be turned off before you walk into the interview. Answering the phone or checking messages is discourteous to your host.

ADVICE FROM EMPLOYERS

“Being comfortable with yourself is key.” Be comfortable in the job de-scription and highlight how you’re suited to the job. “You should always be very prepared for the questions you know you will be asked: Why this kind of work? Why this organization? What have you done in the past that would make us want to hire you?” “Make sure the objective on your re-sume matches the position we are inter-viewing for. We are looking for clear focus on your part.” “If you didn’t look at our website, we will not hire you.” “We expect you to attend our on-campus Employer Information Ses-sion.” (if offered) “You should make an assertive effort to market yourself, as in; This is what I have to offer you.” “The depth of your answers and the depth of your questions are both impor-tant. You should have specific exam-ples on the tip of your tongue.” Ask meaningful questions. “We look for times in which you had an idea, pursued it, lobbied for resources and organized a team to get the work done.” Show us ways you’ve exceeded our expectations. “We look for high energy, ability to turn on a dime and experience meeting deadlines. We also look for people who

we would enjoy hanging out with at an airport during a snowstorm.” “We want to see your enthusiasm about the position; reveal to us your passions and confidence. Know your major strengths and accomplishments.”

SOURCES

Kleiman, Mel. “Why Achievement and Evidence Are the Best Hiring Metrics.” www.deploy.com/newsletter/200510/aricles_kleiman.htm, October 21, 2005.