Get That Job! Interviewing Techniques Made Relaxing and Fun

1. Get That Job!Interviewing Techniques Made Relaxing and Fun Jill Vogel AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

2. Course Objectives • Discuss ten things to do before a job interview. • Discuss behavioral interviewing. • Relax and have fun. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

3. How do I relax and have fun during an interview ? • Preparation is key. • Be yourself. • Tell the truth. • If you’re stressed, you won’t impress. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

4. Ten Things to do before the Interview • Step 1: Research the company. • Research on-line. • Be knowledgeable about the company. • Interviewers won’t like it if you ask, “So, what does your company do?” AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

5. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 2: Anticipate your interviewer’s questions. • Research interview questions. • Behavioral interview questions can predict 55%-87% of future on-the-job behavior. • Traditional interview questions predict only 10% of future on-the-job behavior. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

6. Behavioral Interview Questions • Behavioral-based interviewing provides a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions. • Traditional interview questions asks general questions such as “Tell me about yourself.” • The process of behavioral interviewing is much more probing and works very differently. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

7. Sample Behavioral Interview Questions • Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. • Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. • Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion. • Discuss an important written document you were required to complete. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

8. Sample Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • Tell me about a time when you had to demonstrate initiative. • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. • Give me an example of a challenge you faced in your current job and how you solved it. • Tell me about a time you faced an unreasonable deadline and how you handled it. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

9. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions • Review your resume. Seeing your achievements in print will jog your memory. • Listen carefully to each question. They will be followed by probing questions. • Give an appropriate description of how you demonstrated the desired behavior. • With practice, you can learn to tailor a relatively small set of examples to respond to a number of diverse behavioral questions. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

10. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top behaviors and skills that employers typically seek. • Ideally, choose skills specifically required by the employers you want to target (find them listed in the employers' job postings). AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

11. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • Think in terms of examples that will exploit your top selling points. • Half of your examples should be totally positive such as accomplishments or meeting goals. • The other half should be situations that started out negatively but either ended positively or you made the best of the outcome. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

12. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • The goal is to give a brief description/answer to the behavioral interview question. • Practice by writing out your examples. Turn them into answers that have this structure:   • problem/response/outcome. • PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

13. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life. • Use fairly recent examples. • Interview candidates should give examples of behaviors demonstrated within the last year. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

14. Class Room Exercise for Behavioral Interview Questions • Review your resume. • Identify one or two examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top behaviors and skills using employers' job postings. • Practice by writing out your examples. Turn them into answers that have this structure:   • problem/response/outcome AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

15. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 3: Think of your own questions. • Interviewers always, always ask “So, what questions do you have for me?” • Think of at least one smart question to ask, even something as simple as • “What’s an average day like in this job?” • My personal favorite question to ask, • “How will my performance be measured/evaluated?” AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

16. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 4: Practice with a friend • Count off: 1 – 2 • 1 is the interviewer • 2 is the interviewee • Practice using behavioral interview questions. • Take 10-minutes. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

17. Sample Behavioral Interview Questions (continued) • Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. • Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. • Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion. • Discuss an important written document you were required to complete. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

18. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 5: Have everything you need. • resume • portfolio • copies of past evaluations AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

19. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 6: Show up. • Recon the location. • Drive it. • Park it. • Walk it. • Observe other employees’ clothing. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

20. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 7: Dress to impress....but, don't try too hard. • Now, you know what the other employees are wearing. Dress one level above. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

21. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 8: Smell nicely--not strongly. • Some people are allergic to strong smells. • Do not bath in your cologne. • No cologne is even better. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

22. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 9: Arrive 15 minutes early. • First impressions are important. • Give a strong handshake, and smile showing teeth. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

23. Ten things to do before the Interview (continued) • Step 10: Relax. • Preparation is key. • Be yourself. • Tell the truth. • But if you’re stressed, you won’t impress. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

24. Review of Course Objectives • Discuss ten things to do before a job interview. • Discuss behavioral interviewing. • Relax and have fun. AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

25. You got that job! • Name one take-away message! • Questions? AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil

26. Get That Job!Interviewing Techniques Made Relaxing and Fun Jill Vogel AWAG Annual Conference jill.marie.vogel@us.army.mil