Interviewing

1. Interviewing Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

2. What will you learn. • Importance of Interviewing • Things to bring/ Not Bring • Non-verbal communications • First Impressions • How to dress • Posture and space • Closing the sale

3. Prepare before the interview • Before you Interview • Gather Information about the company, This will impress them if you research the company website. • Learn more about the job you want. • Always remember your interviews name.

4. Is the best answer enough? • When interviewing for employment you could be thinking that if you are the candidate with the best answers to interview questions, you'll get the job. In fact, that isn't typically the case.

5. Research company. • To effectively sell yourself as a job candidate, you need to be able to persuade the employer that you are a fit for that employer's needs. Even when the job market is great for job seekers, employers aren't going to interview and hire candidates who are not a match for their needs.

6. Communication effectiveness • Body language comprises 55% of the force of any response, • Whereas the verbal content only provides 7%, and paralanguage, or the intonation -- pauses and sighs given when answering -- represents 38% of the emphasis."

7. Professional appearance • What's important, when interviewing, is to appear professional and attentive throughout the interview process. Before you leave for the interview, make sure you are dressed professionally, neatly groomed, your shoes are polished, and you haven't overdone (none is better than too much) the perfume or aftershave. There's more than one hiring manager who won't hire someone they can smell (good or bad) before they meet them face-to-face.

8. The Do’s • Dress appropriately for the industry; err on the side of being conservative to show you take the interview seriously. • Your personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable. • Know the exact time and location of your interview; know how long it takes to get there, park, find a rest room to freshen up, etc. • Arrive early;10 minutes prior to the interview start time. • Treat other people you encounter with courtesy and respect. Their opinions of you might be solicited during hiring decisions. • Offer a firm handshake, make eye contact, and have a friendly expression when you are greeted by your interviewer.

9. The Do’s • Listen to be sure you understand your interviewer's name and the correct pronunciation. Even when your interviewer gives you a first and last name, address your interviewer by title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name, until invited to do otherwise. • Maintain good eye contact during the interview. Sit still in your seat; avoid fidgeting and slouching. • Respond to questions and back up your statements about yourself with specific examples whenever possible.

10. The Do’s • Ask for clarification if you don't understand a question. • Be thorough in your responses, while being concise in your wording. • Be honest and be yourself. Dishonesty gets discovered and is grounds for withdrawing job offers and for firing. • You want a good match between yourself and your employer. If you get hired by acting like someone other than yourself, you and your employer will both be unhappy.

11. The Don’ts • Don't make excuses. Take responsibility for your decisions and your actions. • Don't make negative comments about previous employers or professors (or others). • Don't falsify application materials or answers to interview questions.

12. The Don’ts • Don't give the impression you are only interested in salary; don't ask about salary and benefits issues until the subject is brought up by your interviewer. • Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

13. Don’ts • Don't make the interviewer guess what type of work you are interested in; it is not the interviewer's job to act as a career advisor to you. • Don't be unprepared for typical interview questions. You may not be asked all of them in every interview, but being unprepared looks foolish.

14. Don’ts • A job search can be hard work and involve frustrations; don't show frustrations or a negative attitude in an interview.

15. Don’ts • Don't treat the interview casually, as if you are just shopping around or doing the interview for practice. This is an insult to the interviewer and to the organization. • Don't give the impression that you are only interested in an organization because of its geographic location.

16. What to Bring • Portfolio or pad holder with a copy of your resume and a list of references on quality paper • Work Samples (if relevant) • Notepad, Pen • Breath mint (before you enter the building) • Women: extra pair of pantyhose (keep in your briefcase or car)

17. What not to bring • Cell phone • iPod • Gum • Cigarettes • Candy • Soda or coffee • Scuffed shoes, messy and/or not-so-clean clothes

18. Non-Verbal During the interview • Make eye contact with the interviewer for a few seconds at a time. • Smile and nod (at appropriate times) when the interviewer is talking, but, don't overdo it. Don't laugh unless the interviewer does first. • Be polite and keep an even tone to your speech. Don't be too loud or too quiet. • Don't slouch. • Do relax and lean forward a little towards the interviewer so you appear interested and engaged. • Don't lean back. You will look too casual and relaxed.

19. Part 2 Non-verbal • Keep your feet on the floor and your back against the lower back of the chair. • Pay attention, be attentive and interested. • Listen. • Don't interrupt. • Stay calm. Even if you had a bad experience at a previous position or were fired, keep your emotions to yourself and do not show anger or frown. • Not sure what to do with your hands? Hold a pen and your notepad or rest an arm on the chair or on your lap, so you look comfortable. Don't let your arms fly around the room when you're making a point.

20. First Impressions • Have you ever looked at someone and formed an opinion immediately? • We all get first impressions about people we meet, from the style of their hair to their height and weight to education background to family background even to eating habits religion, country background even city we come from.

21. First Impressions • Imagine when you walk into an interview people will get their first impressions about you.

22. The Beginning • The first few minutes in any interview setting are so important that almost nothing else matters. You take a look at the candidate and note all of the nonverbal messages she is communicating. You form impressions from the candidate’s posture, hand shake, outfit and accessories, space usage, attentiveness, eye contact, and facial expressions. And, then you listen to what she has to say in response to your questions.

23. Posture and space • Is your candidate sitting comfortably yet upright, but not stiffly, in his chair? Does he walk with a self-assured ease? He’s likely confident and comfortable with himself. Slouchy posture speaks loudly about sloppy work and low self-esteem. Posture that enables an individual to take up the appropriate amount of space in the room tells you that the applicant is secure in his abilities. Sloppy posture gives the impression of low energy and carelessness. Pay attention.

24. Handshake • Notice whether your candidate has a firm, dry, solid hand shake. Again, a confident, comfortable person uses the hand shake as a positive nonverbal interaction. The hand shake should assure you of the candidate’s desire for a positive first interaction and impression. A limp hand shake signals low confidence and low self-esteem. An excessively strong hand shake may tell you the person is overly aggressive or trying to steamroll you.

25. Accessories • Makeup, perfume, and jewelry, worn tastefully, can add to your perception of their professionalism. Dirty fingernails or scuffed shoes tell you the person is careless, too hurried, or unaware of the impression they have on others. Not good.

26. Clothing and organization • Alternatively, if the candidate attempted to look polished and professional for the interview – and doesn’t – this is likely as good as it gets. Decide what works for your organization, and make your best selection. The candidate’s chosen clothing and accessories are a form of powerful nonverbal communication. Listen when hiring.

27. Behavioral Interview • During the interview, if you are not sure how to answer the question, ask for clarification. Then be sure to include these points in your answer: • A specific situation • The tasks that needed to be done • The action you took • The results i.e. what happened

28. Right and Wrong answers • Remember there is no right and wrong answers in an interview it is all how your answer is perceived by the interviewer.

29. What to keep in mind. • Regardless of your style or how you choose to close the interview, there are some key points to keep in mind:

30. What to keep in mind • Leave your interviewer with the right picture of you. Think of at least five skills or traits you want remembered after the interview. • Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references, background information or work samples. • State your interest in the position. Don't be overly anxious, but act interested. Remember to mention the added value you can bring to the job. • Ask about the next step in the process. It's important for you to know the next step so you can follow up. Ask for the decision date. • Find out how to contact them. If you don't hear back, you will need to know who to contact and whether they will accept calls to check the status.

31. Closing • Closing the sale is important, but your closing should be tailored to the position, your personality and interviewing style and the interviewer. Keeping these things in mind will help you determine which closing is appropriate for you and the situation at hand.

32. Questions to ask employers • What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job? • Who will review my performance? How often? • Can you describe an ideal employee? • What is your organization's policy on transfers to other cities?