Successful Interviewing

David McMahon ‘69

Assistant Director

Experiential Education

Your preparation for Interviewing

Plan to speak on: What you know Your motivations Your personality / teamwork Your area(s) of interest What you can contribute

Know: 3 reasons why they should make you an offer Prepare your questions for the interviewers

Fall 2005 “Opportunities for Improvement”

1.  Have prepared questions for Interviewers.2. Attend Information Sessions and stay to interact

with Company Reps.3. Be able to articulate accomplishments in terms of

common attributes, such as leadership, initiative, etc.

4. Review Company information on the web and in the Career Center library. Students can differentiate themselves by doing more research on the company prior to interview.

Fall 2005 “Opportunities for Improvement”

5. Prepare and ask questions, which shows enthusiasm for the opportunity and the company.

6. Review past projects and come prepared to discuss them.

7. Show enthusiasm and smile.

First Impressions

Arrive 5-10 minutes early Dress appropriately Watch eye contact, handshake, and body

language Be honest Relax & be enthusiastic…be yourself …

smile !! You are ALWAYS being evaluated.

Content: Types of Questions

Traditional Knowledge of organization and position. Your motivations and self-perceptions. Goals and plans to accomplish them.

Situational “What if …” questions give insight into

how you go about resolving an issue and how you think on your feet.

Behavioral

Basic Premise of Behavioral Interview Questions

Past (predicts) Future Performance -------------> Performance

What Makes a Good Employee??

1. Integrity- Ability to work

with people- Responsibility- Judgment- Motivation to

succeed

- Work ethic- Intelligence- Creativity/

enthusiasm- Communications

skills10. Technical

competence

General Answer Format

STAR Describe the Situation you

were in. Describe the Task you

performed. What was your Approach to

the problem? What were the Results of

your actions?

Be prepared for interviewer to probe for further details.

How to Prepare

Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors, or actions, especially involving leadership, teamwork, adaptability, initiative, planning, delegation, innovation, communications, and service.

Prepare short descriptions of each situation and be ready to give details if asked.

How to Prepare (cont.)

Be ready to describe the situation, your action, and the outcome or result succinctly.

Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable).

Be prepared to provide examples of occasions when the results were different than expected! Your skill in handling failure as well as success will be probed.

How to Prepare (cont.)

Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed account of one event.

Prepare 8-10 examples you can “adjust” on-the-fly to suit a question. Don’t memorize.

Know the organization’s mission, philosophy and goals as thoroughly as possible.

Skills/Professional Knowledge

Describe how you’ve gone about learning a new skill.

Describe a time when you solved a problem.

Teamwork/Collaboration

Interacting with others can be challenging at times. Describe a situation when you wished you had acted differently with someone.

Describe the best/worse team of which you have been a member.

Adaptability/Flexibility

Tell me about a difficult situation you recently had to manage.

Jobs differ in the extent to which unexpected changes can disrupt daily responsibilities. How do you feel when this happens? Why? Tell me about a time when this happened recently.

Initiative

Have you found ways to make your job easier?

Give an example of doing more than is required in your current job/class.

Can you think of some projects or ideas that were sold, implemented, or carried out successfully because of your efforts?

Leadership/Ethics

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that was unpopular with the group.

Describe a situation in which your efforts influenced the actions of others.

Planning & OrganizingWork Management

Walk me through yesterday (or last week) and tell me how you planned the day’s (or week’s) activities.

Tell me about a time when you had more on you plate than you could handle. How did you get everything accomplished?

Answer Tips

Try to determine the skills necessary to do the job for which you are interviewing.

Identify your skills and experience related to the job. Develop and rehearse brief scenarios about how you used

those skills, each illustrating a specific activity or task required by the job. Rehearse, don’t memorize scenarios.

If possible give the results in quantifiable terms.

Include learning outcomes when results are not favorable.

Bad Answers

“Uh, um, hm, hum.”

“I have no strengths.”

“I have no weaknesses.”

“I am really smart, and people are intimidated by it. That’s my biggest weakness.”

“I work too hard.”

“I’m a people person.”

“This is the only place that interviewed me.”

Example of Interview Guideline for College Hires

A candidate can receive one of three possible scores for each question: 0 – Not fully acceptable 3 – Fully acceptable 9 – Superior

All candidates are assumed to be a 0 when the interview begins. The candidate must earn their way up to a 3 or a 9. In other words, they must demonstrate, through their responses to the interview questions, that they are a fully acceptable or superior candidate.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE - APPLIED EXPERIENCE

0 Can’t describe applied experience, principles used, or project resultsDescribes how he/she applied common engineering principles / concepts or technical knowledge, either within the university setting (e.g., design project, lab work) or co-op / internship / summer jobUsed spreadsheets, standard engineering computer programs (e.g., ASPEN, HYSIM, SIMSCI), along with standard IT software packages (MS Office)

Completed applied technical project(s) that significantly impacted the bottom line Application of engineering principles that goes well beyond coursework and fundamentals (e.g., project manager on a significant project, worked at the level of an entry-level engineer, involved in breakthrough work, applied knowledge from another area/major to their work)

3

9

QUESTION - Tell me more about this experience you mentioned __(choose something relevant from resume)__. What, specifically, did you do? What engineering principles or concepts / technical skills did you use? What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment there? What types of computer programs or IT tools did you use?

3 Types of Phone Interviews Companies Initiate

First Call Initial contact by company. May leave a message. Be sure voice

mail message sounds professional. Short Pre-Screen

Exploring availability, interest, and fit? Scheduled Phone Interview

In-depth screen. Can last 15 minutes to 1 hour. Schedule during your “prime time” Avoid use of cell phones, due to poor signal. Be prepared to demonstrate connection between your skills and

the position. Develop rapport with recruiter and show interest.

Telephone Interview Preparation

Set the Stage Dress for the interview; it increases

confidence Tape your resume on the wall in front of

you Keep employer research materials

accessible Have notepad to take notes Keep glass of water nearby

Telephone Interview Preparation

Set the Stage Place “do not disturb” sign on door Share importance of call with

roommates Turn off TV and other distractions Turn off “call waiting” on phone

During the Telephone Interview

Speak clearly & enunciateSmile; it carries in your voiceSit straight or stand; it helps voiceDon’t ramble. Recruiter will ask

for more information, if wantedDon’t interrupt interviewerShow enthusiasm and interest

Phone Interview Candidate Evaluations

Enthusiasm? Knowledge of industry

& company? Succinct & clear

answers? Expression of interest? Any follow-up from

candidate?

Will this person increase company success?

Thank You Notes

Hiring Managers Survey 15% reject candidate who doesn’t send note 32% will still consider candidate who doesn’t send

note, but have a lower opinion of candidate 25% prefer handwritten note 21% seek typed hard copy note 19% want emails followed by snail-mail note

(Source:CareerBuilder.com - Aug 2005)

Top 10 Interview Rules

10. If you spill soup on your tie, don’t lick it off.

9. Send a thank you follow-up note.

8. Evaluate the culture.

7. Answer negative questions before they are asked.

6. When in doubt, mirror the interviewer.

Top 10 Interview Rules (cont.)

5. Never, ever run out of intelligent, informed questions.

4. E4=Energy, Excitement, Enthusiasm, Eagerness

3. See the interviewer’s point of view.

2. Have your “war stories” ready.

1. Do your homework.