________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ THE JOB INTERVIEW Part I - Preparation Part II - The Interview Train the Trainer Cliff Wilcox – Atlanta, GA

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ THE JOB INTERVIEW Two Part Series Part I – Preparation

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Seminar Overview Interview types Preparation

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Interview Types Structured –Prepared list of Questions (Interview Guide) –Implications: Interviewer is prepared and serious All interviews may be structured All applicants are asked the same questions Unstructured –Random questions (no list) –Interviewers personal style and priorities –Goal to get a good feel for the interviewee CAD Example

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Question Types Job Skills –What are your major responsibilities? –Tell me about a time when you had to control errors in your work? –Describe a situation in which you saw a problem and took action to correct it, rather than wait for someone else to do it? Personality Traits & Fit –Which classes did you like, and why? –When were you most satisfied and dissatisfied in your work? –How did you feel about a time when you had to work at a fast pace?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Interview Formats –One-on-One interview –Group interview –Technical seminar –Simulations

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Interview Preparation Interviews by instance (Behavioral) Self assessment One-Minute Professional Autobiography Company & Salary Research

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Interview Preparation Interviews by instance (Behavioral) –Goal: Gather specific examples –Premise: Past Behavior = Future Behavior –Challenging to prepare for –Asset and Weakness (negative) questions Tell me about a time when you solved a conflict between members of your team? Tell me about a time when you failed to solve a conflict between members of your team?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Preparation through Self Assessment Typically done for Career Planning What can you do? What do you like to do? What are your core values? What type of person are you? In what kind of work environment are you at your best?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Preparation Gather Important Experiences Convert Experiences into Stories –A task or situation with a problem, and the potential for conflict of some type –The actions taken by the main character (you) to follow through or solve the problem –The resolution / result / Paul Harvey –Append a moral, or a lesson learned STAR Example

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Preparation One Minute Professional Auto-biography –Subset of your resume –Typically is asked for at the beginning of an interview –Networking with a new contact

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Negative Questions Requests for negative information –Describe a time when you overlooked a small detail? –Tell me about a time you sacrificed quality in order to get work done on time? –Tell me about your biggest failure?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Addressing Negative Questions Restate the question in your own words, and ask if your interpretation is correct Tactfully disagree OR admit to the flaw Answer the question and highlight what you did well Identify what you could have done differently and show how you learned from the experience Back it up with an instance of what you have done differently (try to stay away from what you would do)

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Illegal Questions Sample topics: Marital status, age, political and religious affiliations Options: Answer the question? Dont answer the questions? Get a lawyer?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Company Research The Industry as a whole –Stock Points ( The company –Yahoo financial ( –Wall Street Journal Research Net ( –Companies online ( –Hoovers ( –Biz Web ( The specific position

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Salary Comparisons What are you worth? How much do you need? IEEE-USA Salary Service

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Additional Tips Make a practice trip to the interview site The interviewers preparation is usually very casual Thorough preparation on your part will enable you to relax and make a better impression!

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Preparation Sources Get Hired! by Paul Green - Bard Books, Inc. ISBN Engineers Guide to Lifelong Employability - IEEE Press ISBN What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles - Ten Speed Press ISBN Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer - Fawcett Books ISBN The Career Planning Guide & Beyond Job Satisfaction Fieldbook

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ THE JOB INTERVIEW Two Part Series Part II – The Interview

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Summary of Part I - Interview Preparation Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews Interview Formats Interviews by instance Self assessment One-Minute Professional Autobiography Company & Salary Research

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Seminar Overview The interview What really matters Appearance Behavior, good and bad Topics to avoid Questions to ask Salary negotiations Afterwards

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Impact of Your Presence Impact of ones presence: –55% body language –38% voice tone –7% word content Cardinal Rule = Never distract the interviewer

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Appearance Dress to blend Good grooming is important Dont be late

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Behavior Lean forward to show interest Keep your hands away from face and head Do not fold your arms across your chest Make eye contact, but dont stare Try to smile occasionally Try to sound enthusiastic

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Behavior Do not over-talk Do not display arrogance Do not use profanity or risqué humor Restrain any distracting physical habits Do not complain about peripheral items Do not make negative references to others

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ The First Few Minutes Try to establish rapport Thank the interviewer for their time Ask where you should sit, etc. Ask the interviewer if he needs another copy of your resume Shake hands

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Topics to Avoid Sex Race and ethnicity Religion Money Lunch Who you know in the organization Dont compliment their appearance

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Questions You Should Ask (earlier, if possible) What is your interviewing and hiring process? More of a detailed job description What are you most hoping to find in the person you hire? What attributes are most needed to succeed in this job? What would be my first priorities on the job? How is one evaluated in this role?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Questions You Should Ask (during) Was I clear on that? Did I give you enough detail? Would you like me to elaborate?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Questions You Should Ask (at the end) Based on what we talked about today, I feel good about the position. What concerns do you have about my ability to perform the job?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Questions You Should Ask (at the end OR if offered the position, before you accept) What is it like to work for the group manager? What is the corporate culture? The group culture? The training and continuous education policy The group structure & prospects for advancement Turnover rate Why did the previous person leave?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Salary Negotiations Do not mention salary prematurely Know beforehand what you are worth and how much you need and Do not be the first one to mention a number Salary is not everything (understand the package)

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Last Minute Traps What a relief. Its almost over! Lunch

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ The Last Few Minutes Verify the next step. Say Thank you, and smile Leave

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Follow Up! Send Thank-You letter Debrief yourself –What did you do well? –Did you say anything, which could hurt your chances? –What questions were challenging?

________________ Employment & Career Services Committee ________________ Sources Slides - eBooks - What R U Worth / Resumes / School to Work Get Hired, by Paul Green, Bard Books, Inc. ISBN# Engineers Guide to Lifelong Employability, IEEE Press, ISBN# What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles, Ten Speed Press. ISBN#