Successful Interviewing

1. Successful Interviewing David McMahon ‘69 Associate Director Experiential Education

2. 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 • Get your message out to the Interviewer • Prepare your questions for the interviewers

3. How Employers “Grade” TAMU Students common/1 Presentations/Employer Trng/Employers Grade Students Results

4. 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

5. What Should Students Research at Company Websites – Priority List Feedback from Students Employers Company overview 80% 97% Products/Services 56% 77% Career Opportunity 75% 68% Location 46% 45% Financial 15% 13% Division 25% 6%

6. Career Direction • What brings that sparkle to your eye or fire in your belly? • What are the 3 to 5 things you see yourself doing with your degree for my company? • What in my job description excited you, that you see yourself doing? • Why are you the best person to fill my job, not just qualified to do my job?

7. What Impressed EmployersSpring 2012 Texas A&M Students were: Polite and Poised Professional Academically Strong Well-prepared

8. Realistic Expectations Needing Improvement Employers’ Feedback • 72% Oral communications • 71% Written communications • 64% Entitlement attitude • 63% Constructive criticism • 42% >40 Hour work week • 41% Pay for performance • 41% Not automatic promotions • 26% Professional dress

9. “Opportunities for Improvement” – Spring 2012 • Students did not articulate their skills/experiences.  • One gentleman didn’t really answer my questions and tended to ramble in his speech.  I do feel the candidate should elaborate if explanation is needed, however with the time allotted, we really don’t have time for a full life story.  • The other extreme, we had one individual that spoke very quickly and didn’t elaborate at all.  I think the total interview time was 7 minutes, and we usually ask 10 open ended questions; plus, with this gentleman we asked more than the normal questions. • Research the industry as well as the company

10. “Opportunities for Improvement” – Fall 2011 • Smile & Relax – Interviewers are not there to bite your head off • Know who you are and what you are looking for • Listen to the question, then answer the question • Emphasize Company core values and/or mission statement in the interview • Don’t list courses on resume unless you need to fill that page

11. “Opportunities for Improvement” - Spring 2010 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.

12. “Opportunities for Improvement” - Spring 2010 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.

13. “Opportunities for Improvement” – Spring 2010 • Another concern was long term commitment. Many students relayed that they were just looking for a "job" or some "experience" for now. Multiple students mentioned other industries when discussing their long term career goals. One student said "the best time to look for a job is when you already have one". Our company, like most companies, is looking for associates to build a long term career with us. I was just caught off guard at the passivity of the candidates.

14. “Opportunities for Improvement” – Spring 2011 • Biggest disappointment was total lack of initiative by several candidates to either match their resume to our posting and/or bother to find out something about our company. We made multiple presentations to student groups that are in our target audience. With the accessibility of the internet everywhere, it would take very little effort to review our website and get some understanding of what our company does. Several candidates openly admitting to not looking at our website, YouTube videos, or other information prior to interviewing.

15. “Opportunities for Improvement” – Spring 2011 • Use concrete language and be decisive. Try not to be wishy-washy. • Most employers would rather have a person with a 3.0 GPR that had hobbies, a life out of classroom, shows initiative, is inquisitive, is engaging to talk to, and fits the personality of the company rather than a 4.0 student that has none of these qualities.

16. First Impressions • Arrive 5-10 minutes early • Dress appropriately • Watch eye contact, handshake, and body language • Don’t chew gum • Talk to Interviewer, dis-connect to connect • Turn off your cell phone • Be honest • Relax & be enthusiastic…be yourself … smile !! • You are ALWAYS being evaluated.

17. Research the Company!!!

18. 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

19. Basic Premise of Behavioral Interview Questions Past (predicts) Future Performance -------------> Performance

20. Integrity Ability to work with people Responsibility Judgment Motivation to succeed Work ethic Intelligence Creativity/ enthusiasm Communications skills 10. Technical competence What Makes a Good Employee??

21. What Employers Value When Selecting Full-time Employees TAMU National Internships/Co-ops 100% 83% Personality/Social Skills 97% Creativity/Problem Solving 95% Technical/Academic Skills 92% GPA 92% Leadership in Professional 90% 69% Organization Leadership in Other 64% 48% Organization

22. What Employers Value When Selecting Full-time Employees TAMU National Part-time job 54% Volunteer engagement 45% 46% Senior Design Projects 40% 71% AggiExternship 26% Research with Faculty 19% 52% Study Aboard 15% 38% Work Aboard 11% 54%

23. 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.

24. 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. • 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).

25. How to Prepare (cont.) • 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. • Have 3 – 5 ideas of what you want to do with your degree and what you want to do in mid-term and long-term careers. • Know the organization’s mission, philosophy and goals as thoroughly as possible. • Tell them your goals vs. the company mission.

26. How to Prepare (cont.) • Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed account of one event. • Don’t blow-off the informational session before an interview • Emphasize your mobility • Involvement implies time/priority management • Be able to speak to every point on resume

27. What Is Your Career Direction??

28. Skills/Professional Knowledge • Describe how you’ve gone about learning a new skill. • Describe a time when you solved a problem.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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?

32. 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.

33. 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?

34. 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.

35. Questions You Ask internsover40.blogspot.com – Nov 23, 2010 • Are their other key things you'd like to learn about my background?- What business imperatives are driving the need for this position?- What are the characteristics of people who are most successful in your company?- What additional information would you like me to provide? • What are the key deliverables and outcomes that this position must achieve?

36. Research the Company!!!

37. 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.”

38. 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.

39. TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE - APPLIED EXPERIENCE

40. 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.

41. 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

42. What Is Your Career Direction??

43. 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

44. During the Telephone Interview • Speak clearly & enunciate • Smile; it carries in your voice • Sit straight or stand; it helps voice • Don’t ramble. Recruiter will ask for more information, if wanted • Ask for a face-to-face interview • Don’t interrupt interviewer • Show enthusiasm and interest

45. Interview Candidate Evaluations • Enthusiasm? • Knowledge of industry & company? • Succinct & clear answers? • Get their message out? • Expression of interest? • Any follow-up from candidate? Will this person increase company success?

46. Do You Want to Do What the Company Needs Done??

47. 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)

48. Ranking of Important Social Etiquette Practices Feedback from Students Employers Professional Dress 95% 93% for interviews RSVP – before event 58% 75% Post-interview thank you 86% 66% note Post-event thank you note 56% 40%

49. Recruiter CommentSpring 2012 Our Wednesday afternoon interview with a student was very successful, and he has expressed interest in a position at our location through a well-written personal e-mail to me yesterday afternoon…very thoughtful and professional.  Based on our short visit to your esteemed university, we are very pleased with the caliber of students and we look forward to furthering our relationship with the students and faculty down there. 

50. 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”