WELCOME ! Preparing for the Interview Career Services Workshop - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
WELCOME ! Preparing for the Interview Career Services Workshop Series Workshop Goals The purpose of an interview Before the Interview: Preparation Different types of interviews Sample interview questions During the Interview:
Career Services Workshop Series
Employer’s Required Skills
Job Description Job Posting
Your Skills
Resume & Cover Letter Job Application Behavioral FIT Technical Skills MATCH
Does the COMPANY want to hire you?
Do YOU want to accept the position?
Values
Use STAR Stories to:
Behavioral Interview Questions
Action Statements
Identifying Your Accomplishments: “STAR Stories”
Identifying an accomplishment is similar to telling a story. It emphasizes your achievements and successes by using quantifiable, or measurable, information. The best way to demonstrate your skills, abilities and valuable experience is being able to concisely explain your accomplishments. Your best stories will be your “accomplishment stories”. You can make your accomplishments stand out by using the STAR Format.
Situation
Task Briefly give an overview of what needed to be done. What you were being asked to do? What did you take the initiative to do? What challenges made this task difficult? Action Briefly describe (using good action words) the steps, or actions, you took to complete the assignment. Result What happened because of what you did? Can you quantify, or measure, the results?
“Employee of the month for three consecutive months (May, June, July 2009) at The Gap”
Before the Interview:
Interview Questions
STAR Story Example:
* Behavioral questions can be asked within any interview format (Phone, Panel, etc.)
Tell me about yourself… Why should we hire you?
Why are you leaving your present job? – Or – Why did you leave your last job? Why do you want to work here? How would you describe your leadership/management/work style? What are some things you particularly liked about your last job? What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job?
Behavioral interview questions will be more focused than traditional interview questions and you’ll need to respond with specific examples of how you handled situations in the workplace. This is where your STAR stories play the biggest role in your success at the interview. Behavior based questions usually begin with: “Give me an example of a time in which you…” “Tell me about a time when circumstances required you to…” “Describe the most significant challenge…” “Recall the most rewarding…”
Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it. Tell me about a time when you had a tough customer service situation to deal with. What was the situation? What did you do? What was the result? Give an example of a time when you had to use problem solving to handle a tough situation. Tell me about a time when you had to work on multiple projects at the same
The Subject of Salary
At any part of the job search and interviewing process, expect to be asked your salary history, your most recent salary or your salary
discussing salary until an offer is made, there will be times when you will need to respond.
When asked: What was your salary/pay history?
Usually asked on job applications or in ads. You need to be honest, because your salary can be verified by a prospective employer.
When asked: State your salary/pay requirements.
Leave it blank if you can, or fill in required fields with “Flexible”. This is also usually asked on job applications
way to phase you out or in and provides a starting point on which to base their offer.
Sample Responses for Salary Negotiation
“Are you making me an offer?” “What is the budgeted salary range for the position?” “I’ve researched the local market salary ranges for this position in our area and am comfortable within that range.” “I’m sure [Company Name] has a fair compensation scale, and if we decided that this match is a good one, I’m confident that we will be able to agree on a salary.” “Could we come back to discuss that after I am able to provide a better picture of what I have to offer?” “I’m most interested in learning about the opportunity
responsibility, I’ll be able to give you an idea of the compensation I would expect.”
In a perfect world, interview questions should be related only to the position and your ability to do the job. Occasionally, an interviewer asks questions that could potentially be used in a discriminatory way. Practicing how you would handle these kinds of questions will help you respond calmly and professionally. Remember: Many interviewers are not trained in interviewing – they may not know which questions to avoid or which questions are illegal Inappropriate questions are often unintentional Often questions are based more on perceived relevance rather than legality – with no harm intended What to do if asked potentially discriminatory questions: Use your common sense and react objectively – not defensively Maintain eye contact and remain calm and professional Be aware of your body language and remain as neutral as possible Ask for clarification on how the question relates to the responsibilities of the job Stick to only discussions about business – getting personal may open up the conversation to sensitive or inappropriate topics
As the interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is “What questions can I answer for you?” Not only will having questions ready to ask the interviewer make you look prepared and interested in the position, it will help you assess if the company and/or job will be a good FIT for you! The following are some questions for you to consider asking: How would you describe the responsibilities of the position? What does a typical day/week look like in this job? Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do? What skills and qualities does the ideal candidate for this position possess? What projects must be completed in the next two to three months? What are some of the long-term goals of this position? How many people work in the office/department? How much travel is expected? How would you describe your (the department manager’s) management style? What are the next steps in the hiring process? What is the desired start date?
Your “Elevator Pitch”
Template - A Your Name _______________________________________________________________________ Your most recent position __________________________________________________________ What were your major responsibilities? _____________________________________________ State an accomplishment that you are proud of from your last job. __________________________________________________________________________________ __ What do you want to do next? __________________________________________________________________________________ __ Template - B “I am a ____________________________________________________________________ with the (occupation i.e. “sales manager”) bulk of my career involved in ______________________________________________________. (industry/type of work i.e. “medical equipment sales” Most recently, I worked at ______________________ as a _______________________________ (Company name) (Job title/role) where I ___________________________________________________________________________. (briefly describe duties and responsibilities)
event, or a chance meeting with a new contact
direction and goals for yourself
branding concept Create a 30-second commercial, or “Elevator Pitch” for yourself to use: You can also use it to:
Know How to Communicate Your Message
Do’s
Don’ts
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