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STAR INTERVIEWING. Christine Lundeen Career Counselor WSU Vancouver. STAR INTERVIEWS. Keys to interview success are: Planning ahead Strategizing Preparing Knowing yourself! Being sincere Practice, practice, practice, practice…. Interviewing: First Impressions. Dress professionally
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STAR INTERVIEWING • Christine Lundeen • Career Counselor • WSU Vancouver
STAR INTERVIEWS • Keys to interview success are: • Planning ahead • Strategizing • Preparing • Knowing yourself! • Being sincere • Practice, practice, practice, practice….
Interviewing: First Impressions • Dress professionally • Arrive 10-15 minutes early • know where you are going • Be pleasant to everyone • Shake hands with everyone • Come prepared with copies of resume, notepad, pen, reference list, work samples (if appropriate)
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU • What are your interests, values, skills? Be prepared to talk about yourself! • What value do you bring to the company? • Think about your skills, experience, talents • What problems can you solve? • What makes you different than other candidates? • Tell me about yourself… • Be prepared with 1-2 minute commercial - PRACTICE!
Know the Employer/Grad Program • Research the employer: history, products/services, financial status, competitors, organizational structure, new developments, etc. • Understand the job requirements • Learn who the interviewer is and their role in the company/school
What do employers look for in candidates? • Already qualified or wouldn’t have gotten interview • How you can meet a need or solve a problem • Fit, chemistry, connection, emotional response • Good communication skills • Ability to work in teams • Strong interpersonal skills • Motivation, drive & enthusiasm • Genuine interest in learning
Anticipate Possible Questions • Tell me about yourself. • What are your strengths? • What are your weaknesses? • Tell me about your long term goals. • Why are you interested in working for this company? • Why did you leave your last job? • What is your greatest accomplishment?
Potential Questions • Why our graduate program? • Your application states xxx goal. Why have you chosen that as your goal? Do you have any experience in this area? • Would you explain your lowest grade? • Do you have any leadership experience? • What questions do you have for us?
Tell The Story… • Good answers include specific examples! • Back up your strengths with examples of how you have demonstrated the skills you want to highlight. • Think of solid examples ahead of time and practice talking about them. • Some interview styles require these.
Behavioral Interviewing • Past behavior may predict how you have applied your skills and how you might respond in the future • Tell a story using the STAR technique • Situation: describe the experience • Task: explain the problem • Action: what action you took • Result: what happened
Sample Behavioral Questions • Tell me about a time when… • Give me an example of… • Describe how you… Cite specific examples of experiences you’ve had, particularly in these areas: team-work, leadership, problem-solving, applying knowledge to solve a real-life problem, management style
Other tips • Recovery is key! Everyone messes up at some point in an interview. Move on – do not let it ruin the rest of your interview. • Don’t let the interviewers facial expressions phase you – some people just look “mean” when they are concentrating – most likely has nothing to do with you.
Other tips continued • Practice making good eye contact. • If you are a fast talker – make an effort to speak more slowly even though it feels very slow to you. • Be prepared to talk about anything on your resume or application.
Questions to Ask • Avoid: • “me” oriented questions • questions about salary and benefits • questions about the company you could have learned from researching their web site
Appropriate questions • About the organization or position (not what you could easily find online) • Manager’s supervisory style • Expectations and challenges for the person in the position • Questions about the culture of the organization
Conclusion of the interview • Ask about the timeline or process for the hiring decision (know it may take longer) • Summarize your skills related to the job • Tell the interviewer you want the job • Thank the interviewer for the opportunity and for their time Follow up with a thank you email!