Successful Interviewing

David McMahon ‘69

Associate Director

Experiential Education

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Your preparation for Interviewing

Plan to speak on: What you know about company and/or job position 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

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What Impressed EmployersFall 2008

Texas A&M Students were:

Well-prepared

Professional

Polite and poised

Prompt

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“Opportunities for Improvement” - Fall 2008

1. Come to the interview and information session prepared with knowledge about the company, enthusiastic about the opportunity, and prepared questions for the interviewer. The number one suggestion for improvement from employers.

2.   Do not present a “what’s in the job for me” attitude, especially for intern opportunities. Realize that the companies are offering these positions because they have a job that needs to be accomplished.

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“Opportunities for Improvement” - Fall 2008

3.     If you already have a job offer with a decision deadline, be sure to share this information with your interviewer. The company wants to know if they need to alter their normal interview sequence and timing in order to be considered as a potential employer.

4. Read the job postings and follow the instructions. If the posting states you need to apply also through their company website, do so promptly. Failing to bring your resume/transcript to the interview when asked to, makes you appear uninterested in the job or lack attention to detail.

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First Impressions

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

language (don’t chew gum) Be honest Relax & be enthusiastic…be yourself … smile

!! You are ALWAYS being evaluated.

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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

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Basic Premise of Behavioral Interview Questions

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Know the Company

“If you won’t take the time to review our website before the interview, why should I take the time to interview you?”

A&M Recruiter

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Skills/Professional Knowledge

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

Describe a time when you solved a problem.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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?

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Answer Tips

Determine the skills necessary to do the job.

Identify your skills and experience related to the job. Have 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.

In a group interview, maintain “face time” with all Interviewers.

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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.”

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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.

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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)

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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?

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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)

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Beware of Blogs!!!!

Student contacted for Interview at off-campus hotel. Job did not exist and was a ruse to arrange a meeting with the Student. Trust your instincts, if you become uncomfortable during interview, leave!

77% Employers checking search engines as part of selection process – is yours professional??

35% eliminated students based on “findings”

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Aggie Code of Honor

Don’t accept an offer for employment unless you are serious about it and quit interviewing with other companies.

It’s OK to ask for a reasonable time extension to consider other jobs.

Reneging hurts not only you, but the reputation of all Aggies who are interviewing now and in the future.

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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.

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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.