JOBTALKS

1. JOBTALKS Interview Methods Indiana UniversityKelley School of BusinessC. Randall Powell, Ph.D Contents used in this presentation are adapted from Career Planning Strategies and used with the permission of the author.

2. Interview Methods

3. Interview Methods • Traits • Behavioral • Case • Combination of above

4. What is a Trait Interview? • It is an interview used to summarize a person’s characteristics. • Attempts to understand people and their motivations.

5. Trait Interviews • Typical Question • “What is your best quality?” • Typical Response • “I’m a people person.” • “I’m a hard worker.”

6. What is a Behavioral Interview? It is an interview designed to probe the skills needed to perform a specific job.

7. Behavior Anything that a person does that can be observed and measured. The focus is to predict, rather than to understand a behavior.

8. Descriptions of Traits “I am reliable.” “I am good with people.” “I am a leader.” Descriptions of Past Behavior “I have only missed one day of work in 15 years.” “Last week, I settled a dispute between two co-workers. They now understand each other’s differences and are working well together.” I was elected president of Toastmasters out of 40 candidates. While I was president we increased membership by 20%, instituted an assessment tool of our meetings , and continuously improved the quality of our meetings.” Traits vs. Behavior

9. Case Interviews A way to assess a person’s ability to synthesize information and recommend a solution.

10. Case Interviews • Typical Question • “If you are the leader of a team and two members are constantly arguing, how would you handle the situation?”

11. Interview Method Comparison

12. Arthur Anderson McDonalds J.C. Penney Citicorp General Motors Cummins Engine Company Eli Lilly Coca Cola Phillip Morris Motorola Ernst & Young Kraft Foods Companies Using Behavioral Interviewing Etc. . . .

13. Why are companies using Behavioral Interviewing? • Improves the hiring decisions • Improves retention • Reduces discrimination • Lowers recruiting costs

14. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

15. Job Analysis • Talk to subject matter experts (managers, peers, etc.) • Determine key responsibilities • Identify technical/job skills versus performance skills

16. Merchandising at Target Headquarters Position: Business Analyst DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Inventory Management: Manages department(s) inventory to achieve department turnover goals. Manages the Open to Buy (OTB) dollars and directs the inventory adjustments required to maximize sales, turnover and profits. 2. Merchandise Allocation: Manages and maintains effective department(s) product flow and allocation for assigned product classification by store. Develops effective flow and allocation strategies and completes analysis of sales history by season, adjacency, planogram, and class category/item. Maintains store in stocks through the use of Target replenishment systems. 3. Financial Planning: Prepares and reviews with Buyer and seasonal, advertising, monthly sales, markdown and inventory forecasts and plans for the department(s) or assigned product classifications. 4. Item/Assortment Planning: Directs and provides historical analysis for the development of department/item/assortment plans to include volume, productivity, trends and “fit.” 5. Communications: Provides responsive communication to Stores, Vendors, Customers, Distribution Centers, Merchandise Planning, Buying and support pyramids. 6. Vendor Relations: Resolves freight shipment issues to maintain efficient supply of merchandise to the Stores and Distribution Centers. 7. Special Projects: Participates in special projects and task forces for the company.

17. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

18. Select Critical Skills • Prioritize top 6-8 technical vs. performance skills • Technical skills are specific knowledge or tools required to perform the job • Performance skills are transferable skills that can be used on any job • Develop definitions for each skill

19. Examples of Technical Skills • Business Degree • Excel or Lotus 123 • CPA or CMA

20. Select Critical Skills • Prioritize top 6-8 technical vs. performance skills • Technical skills are specific knowledge or tools required to perform the job • Performance skills are transferable skills that can be used on any job • Develop definitions for each skill

21. Adaptability/flexibility Analytical/problem solving Decision making Continuous learning and growth Commitment to task/tenacity Communication Customer orientation Tolerance of ambiguity Goal setting Teamwork/collaboration Leadership Initiative Organization and planning People skills/interaction Attention to detail Assertiveness Creativity Versatility Examples of Performance Skills

22. Merchandising at Target Headquarters • SKILLS AND ABILITIES DESIRED • College degree with GPA of 3.0 or above • Excellent analytical skills • Strong planning and organizational skills • Excellent verbal and written communication skills • Strong computer skills • Retail experience or interest • Demonstrated leadership skills • Assertive and flexible

23. Select Critical Skills • Prioritize top 6-8 technical vs. performance skills • Technical skills are specific knowledge or tools required to perform the job • Performance skills are transferable skills that can be used on any job • Develop definitions for each skill

24. Business Analyst Characteristics 1) Number Skills - ability to quickly and accurately perform simple arithmetic computations and recognize relationships between quantities. 2) Reasoning/Creative Problem Solving Skills - ability to draw accurate conclusions from quantitative material, to recognize patterns, to go beyond the numbers to their retail implications, and find the best solution possible. Ability to “think outside the box.” 3) Perceptiveness and Attention to Detail - tendency to “dig into the details” thoroughly, ability to recognize important details. 4) Organizing, Prioritizing, and Follow Through - ability to set effective priorities, keep orderly records, handle many tasks at once without letting things fall through the cracks, keep track of deadlines, follow-up.

25. Business Analyst Characteristics 5) People Skills - need not to be overly social or outgoing, but must develop effective working relationships with manager, team members, merchandising and the field. 6) Assertive Communication Skills (oral and written) - ability to get point across effectively, concisely and authoritatively. 7) System Aptitude - tolerance of computer work, aptitude to experiment with systems. 8) Ability to Work Under Pressure - ability to operate effectively under time constraints, changing priorities and maintain equilibrium under pressure from others. 9) Motivation - tendency to work hard, put forth extra effort and produce high volumes of work efficiently.

26. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

27. Develop Questions • The purpose of questions is to generate responses that can be used to evaluate an individuals job-related skills • Several open ended questions will be developed for every skill identified

28. Examples of Questions • Enumerate the analytical tools with which you feel competent. Then give me an example which shows your ability to use analytical techniques to define problems or design solutions. • Give me an example of a time when you have used tools such as survey data library research, or statistics. Analytical Skills

29. Prepare Questions • Decision making • Initiative • Teamwork • Communication • Continuous learning and growth

30. Decision Making - What process do you use to make decisions? -- How do you go about collecting data? --- Who do you involve in making decisions or collecting data? ---- Give me an example of a difficult decision you have made?

31. Communication - What has been your experience in making presentations or speeches? -- Tell me about a specific experience of yours that illustrates your ability to influence another person? --- How important are verbal communications skills? ----What results have you seen from good communication?

32. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

33. Conduct a 30-minute Interview • Introduction • Overview of company and position • Questioning of candidate skills • Time for candidate to ask questions • Close and next steps

34. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

35. Analytical Skill Question Question: Enumerate the analytical tools with which you feel competent. Then give me an example which shows your ability to use analytical techniques to define problems or design solutions.

36. Examples of Answers: I’m good at Excel and have done several spreadsheets during my internship.

37. Examples of Answers: I’m proficient at Excel, Lotus 123, and many other software programs. During my internship this summer with Supercorp, I realized that the profit margins were low on several products. I created a spreadsheet for all products that showed gross sales, allowances, net sales, COGS, and gross margin by product. The controller liked it so well that I was asked to present it to the sales team and explain what the data meant and how they could use it while making their sales decisions.

38. Which response is best and why?

39. STAR Situation/Task • Explains the circumstances Action • Describes what the person did Result • Describes the outcome of the action

40. Examples of Answers: I’m good at Excel and have done several spreadsheets during my internship. Situation/Task - Poor Action - Weak Result - None

41. Examples of Answers: I’m proficient at Excel, Lotus 123, and many other software programs. During my internship this summer with Supercorp, I realized that the profit margins were low on several products. I created a spreadsheet for all products that showed gross sales, allowances, net sales, COGS, and gross margin by product. The controller liked it so well that I was asked to present it to the sales team and explain what the data meant and how they could use it while making their sales decisions. ST A R

42. Interview Rating Sheet Position _________________ Name of Candidate __________________ Date ___________________ Name of Interviewer __________________ The Performance Skills Strong A lot of Some Little No to be evaluated include: Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence 1. _________________ 2. _________________ 3. _________________ 4. _________________ 5. _________________ 6. _________________

43. Interview Rating Sheet The Technical/Job Skills Strong A lot of Some Little No to be evaluated include: Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence 1. _________________ 2. _________________ 3. _________________ 4. _________________ 5. _________________ 6. _________________ Recommendation: Hire/Promote ________ Not Hire/Promote _______ Reason for Recommendation:_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

44. What Process Does a Company Use? Consensus meeting Rate skills Conduct interviews Develop questions Select critical skills Job analysis

45. Consensus Meeting Candidates Skills Joe Lisa Chris John Sarah _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Total: Analytical

46. Interview Tips • Advance Preparation • Research company & industry • Know your goals • Know yourself • Turn a Trait Interview into a Behavioral Interview • Prepare Star Responses • Prepare Questions

48. If you would like to learn more, Career Planning Strategies textbook will supply additional information on this topic.