Don’t Get Fired Before you Get Hired Tips for Successful Interviewing

1. Don’t Get Fired Before you Get Hired Tips for Successful Interviewing

2. In a Nutshell Before the Interview • Logistics/Research • Appearance/What to bring • First Impressions The Interview • 3 Types of interviews • 3 Question styles After the Interview • Follow up • Final thoughts

3. You Get the Call… “We’d like you to come in for an interview.” How do you get ready?

4. Get Ready, Get Set… Prep • Get the logistics • With whom are you interviewing? • Directions and parking • Research and review • Organization and industry • Your goals, values, experiences • Resume: Know what is on it • Practice, practice, practice • Answer common questions • Visit your career service office

5. Make It Look Good Prep • Appearance • Timing • Preparation • Non-verbal Communication

6. Tips for men Prep • Dark suit (black, navy, grey) • Light colored long sleeve shirt (white, cream, light blue) • Hem falls on your shoes • No funky tie- keep it simple • Wing tip or other polished business shoes • No athletic socks • Limited accessories • Err on the side of conservative

7. Tips for women Prep • Dark suit (black, navy, grey) • Pants or skirt • Shirt underneath with appropriate neckline • Panty hose • Conservative shoes (closed toe, not high-heeled, simple) • Keep accessories and jewelry simple • Err on the side of conservative

8. Before You Go… Prep What to bring but leave in the car: • Water, breath mints, grooming items • Directions/parking information • Cell phone! What to bring in with you: • Extra copies of your resume and references • Professional-looking folder and pen • List of questions to ask the interviewer • Any requested items from employer

9. First Impression Prep • Body Language • Sit up straight, head up, eye contact, no fidgeting • Enthusiasm • Smile when greeting others and while speaking • Speak Clearly • Watch language: um, like, ya know • Firm Handshake • Confidence • All of the above become easier with confidence • Let’s practice your first impression

10. The Interview It’s the big day. Knowing what to expect is key.

11. Interview Types Interview • Screening Interviews Assess for basic qualifications and understanding • Traditional One-on-One Assess skills, knowledge, abilities and fit with company • Group or Panel 2-5 or more people interviewing candidate at once

12. Open-Ended Questions Interview • Allow you to expand on your experiences • Give specific descriptions Examples: • Tell me about yourself. • What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? • What are your goals? • What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?

13. What is your greatest weakness? Interview • Give honest answer of what you struggle with • Avoid canned answers “I’m a perfectionist”or“I work too hard” • Important to follow up with what you are doing to overcome, manage, or improve As someone who enjoys variety in my day, I find it hard to focus for a long period of time on an involved project. To help me manage this, I create a segmented to-do list so that a long project becomes several shorter projects. This helps me be much more energized and efficient.

14. Direct Questions Interview • Require a specific answer, sometimes just one or two words • Often used in the “stress” interview Examples: • Are you willing to travel? • Why did you leave your last job? • What other companies are you interested in working for?

15. Why should we hire you? Interview • Try and answer what they REALLY want to know • Reiterate your strengths and how they relate • Tell them what you can do for them This job is centered around providing excellent customer service and having pride in the company mission. I’ve worked very hard to gain experience directly relating to these principles by seeking opportunities to help others and getting involved in activities that aligned with my passions. I feel like I can positively contribute and add value to this company with my background, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn each day.

16. Behavioral Questions Interview • Designed to elicit patterns of achievement • Challenge you to think on your feet Examples: • Tell me about a time you worked with a team effectively. • Describe a significant or creative project you have had to complete. • By providing examples, convince me you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and environments.

17. Be a STAR Interview Behavioral questions should be answered by addressing: Situation Task Action Results

18. Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership Interview Explain in detail your role in STAR format Situation:My communications capstone course required a large group project and I was selected to be the leader of our team. Task:We had to develop a full marketing plan for a local business. Action:I coordinated group meetings and stayed in constant communication with members, the local business, and our professor. I monitored the progress of each member on a variety of tasks, from creating ads to designing a website. I edited the design and text contributions from the team into a final portfolio and developed the presentation we made to the class and the business. Result: The business was so pleased with our plan that they used two of our print ads and our website design, and our group received an “A” on the project.

19. Illegal Questions Interview • Address characteristics that are protected by law – age, race, religion, marital status, etc. • Asked out of ignorance, innocence, or arrogance • You can answer, not answer, or deflect Examples • Are you married? Do you plan to have children? • That’s an unusual name. What is your heritage?

20. Your Turn to Ask Interview • Bring 3-6 questions to ask the employer • Avoid questions to which you can easily find the answers Examples: • What has been your own experience with this company/organization? • Can you describe what the training program entails? • What do you like most about working here? • Tell me what a day in the life would be like for me here?

21. Practice Time! Interview Interviewer/Interviewee: Pick one • Tell me about yourself. • What is your greatest strength and weakness? • Describe a time when you contributed to a team project. What role did you play and what was the outcome? • By providing examples, convince me you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and environments.

22. After the Interview Whew! You’re done with the interview. Great job, but there’s more to do…

23. Interview Follow Up After • Ask about next steps • Write down impressions • Your fit with the environment, co-workers, job duties • Areas of strength/improvement for next interview • SEND A THANK YOU NOTE! • Give a heads up to your references • Begin salary research and determine your range • Call/email to check on status of the position

24. Did You Show Them… After • Leadership • Communication • Creativity • Flexibility • Well-Roundedness • Professionalism Skills: Attributes: • Enthusiasm • Positivity • Maturity • Intelligence • Personality • Confidence

25. Wrap It Up • Research and practice! • Know yourself Read your resume, write down examples to use, reflect on your strengths, values, and interests • Be confident • Know how to get there • Put an outfit together and go get ‘em!

26. Come Visit Us! • Career counseling • Career assessments • Career resource library • Grad school planning JES A115 232-8400