the interview an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer

Getting The Job You Want!

The Interview

An Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

A woman brought her large dog to the interview.

A man interrupted the interview to phone his therapist for advice on how to answer one of the questions.

A man pulled out a camera and took a picture of the interviewer. He said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.

These things actually happened at an interview:


Impress upon you the importance of preparation of yourself, and your application for hire or promotion.

Giving you some important information and suggesting some strategies to give you an edge during your interview.

Training Objectives


Resume

Resume

sume

ResumResume

Resume

100+ Resumes

Maybe 5 people interviewed.

The Job Offer

When you reach the interview stage of your job search, you are one step away from a job offer.

People usually underestimate how much preparation and practice it takes to have a really great interview.

An Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity

Employer

You Should Research:The Agency’s own web site.The work the Unit does.The job specifications.Conduct a self-assessment

of your own competencies, skills, and accomplishments.


…a specific skill necessary to do a job.

Know The Job

What’s a competency?


InitiativeUtilization of Computer Skills Impact and Influence IntegrityCommunicationAnalytical ThinkingProblem Solving

Examples of Competencies


1. Achievement/Results Orientation2. Initiative3. Impact and Influence4. Customer Service Orientation-if the

position has contact with the public.5. Interpersonal Understanding 6. Organizational Awareness7. Analytical Thinking8. Conceptual Thinking9. Information Seeking10. Integrity

The Ten Most Standard Competencies (macro skills) used by Agencies


What are they looking for:

● 3 years management/supervisory

experience

● Experience working with CORE CT Programs

● Proven ability to complete projects on time.

● Supervisory experience

What you bring:

●

●

●

●

Develop Your Talking Points


Develop your success stories focusing on what they’re looking for:


Interview DO’s Dress appropriately for the interview. When in doubt,

go conservative. Personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable. Keep cologne or perfume to a minimum. Pay particular attention to hands and fingernails.

Arrive 10 minutes early. Know the exact time and location of your interview; know how long it takes to get there, park, and find a restroom to freshen up.

Treat other people you encounter with courtesy and respect. Their opinions of you might be solicited during the hiring/promotion process.

Offer a firm handshake, make eye contact, and have a friendly expression when you are greeted by the interviewer.

Listen to be sure you understand your interviewer’s name and the correct pronunciation.


Treat the interview seriously and show interest in the employer and the opportunity presented and respond to questions in a positive manner.

Watch the tone of your voice. Answer the question and use professional

experiences or descriptive information to demonstrate how you would react or respond to a situation.

Make sure answers have a definite flow. In the beginning state major points you want to make; in the middle expand upon those points or ideas, and in the end reinforce your key points and end on a positive note.

Make sure you understand the employer’s next step in the hiring/promotion process; know when and from whom you should expect to hear next.


Maintain good eye contact during the interview.

Sit still in your seat; avoid fidgeting and slouching.

Respond to questions and back up your statements about yourself with specific examples whenever possible.

Ask for clarification if you don’t understand a question; and be thorough in your responses while being concise in your wording.

Use good grammar and good diction. Say “yes”, not “yeah.” Don’t fill pauses with “um,” uh” or “ah”. Don’t punctuate sentences with “you know”, “like”, “see” or “okay”.


As soon as they are convinced that you can do the job, the degree to which the interviewer feels comfortable with you is probably the single most important determinant of your acceptability as a applicant or candidate to be selected for the position.

The Key Principle


They are interested in two things.

√ Can and will you do the job. (do you have the required experience and competencies)

√ How will you fit in the organization.


Teamwork Strengths Weaknesses Career Goals Salary Stress Anger Leadership Ethics Project Management Creativity Specific skills

Possible Interview Topics


Tell me about yourself?

Remember:

They don’t want your life story. Prepare a tight, well-rehearsed two minute

commercial about why you are the right person for the job.

Your response to this first question will set the tone for the entire interview.

Finish your response with a question for them.

The First Question


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ezFNrWMTlc&feature=related

Them: Tell me about yourself

You: Answer and pause at the end and ask, “From your experience, what are the two or three most important things you’re looking for in the ideal candidate.”

Them: Someone with A, B, and C

You: “Interesting. Those are all areas I regard as strengths. Could I take a minute or two and tell you about myself in regard to those things?”

Try this


What is the most important thing you want them to know about you?

What is the second most important thing I want them to know about me?

What are the key selling points/accomplishments that prove the first two statements?

What separates you from the competition? What are some other selling points? What objections might they have and how are you

going to overcome them?

Developing Your 90 Second-Two Minute Pitch


A kind of show and tell about the things you’ve done relevant to the position: certificates, samples of your writing, brochures you developed, formal letters of commendation, notes thanking you for something you did, etc…

Done in a quality manner Use it during the interview and/or leave

it behind when you leave Reduces your nervousness

A Portfolio ?


Writing Samples Training certificates MS Project spreadsheets Letters of Recommendation Detailed Project Descriptions Performance Appraisal Excerpts Examples of Best Work performed Graphs or Charts documenting success Awards and Certificates of

Achievement Commendations by customers or

direct reports

Possible Portfolio Items


These are questions designed to draw out how you are likely to respond to situations once you are on the job, i.e. do you have the requisite competency

“Tell me about a time when…”; “What would you do if…”

Behavioral Questions: the cornerstone of competency based interviewing


S/T- Situation and/or Task (paint a picture for the interviewer)

A- Action (what did you actually do)R- Result (what was the outcome of your actions)

► Tell me about a time when you demonstrated superior leadership skills?

► Can you give me an example of your problem solving skills?

Successful Behavioral Answer= STAR


Interviewer: Can you tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with you supervisor? (How did you resolve it?)

You: My supervisor and I disagreed about a completion date of a project that was assigned to me. Together we went over the tasks that had to be accomplished and determined I needed to have estimates from our financial dept. that would take about three days for them to complete before I received them. By communication we both determined we needed to add three days to the project to be completed and my supervisor will contact the manager in the financial dept., so that I would receive the information needed in time.

Here’s an example…


On what basis will you be making your decision?

Could you talk a little bit about what it will take to be successful in this position?

What are the key responsibilities of this position?

What’s the most important things I can do in the first 90 days?

What do you enjoy most about working here?

Could you describe a typical day in the office for the position you are hiring for.

You Should Ask Questions At the Conclusion Of The Interview. Some Examples are listed below:


Check this fact out!

The last person interviewed gets the job 58% of the time.

The first person, 14% of the time.


Avoid one word answers. Anticipate reasons why they

might feel that you’re not the exact person they want ; be prepared to tell them something that overcomes their reservations.

What about illegal questions? Have questions to ask them-go to

google.com and use <interview questions> as the keyword.

Other tips


Be sure to write a thank you note. You not only want to thank them for the interview, but also want to restate the case for why you’re the right person. You have the additional knowledge you gained through the interview. Put it to work.

One more tip


Last Tip - QuestionsPracticePracticePractice


the interview an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer

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