The most important segment of the employment search, for both the prospective
employer and for you, is the interview. During the interview
session, the total you is scrutinized by the prospective employer.
The interviewer is evaluating the physical and psychological you, along
with your education, experiential and work background.
The first interview is usually the most decisive part of your job search.
While all the document preparation and networking and research and mailings
are essential segments of the total job search, the most effective interview
is usually the determining factor in who secures the second (and even more
important) interview and, eventually, the coveted position. This can be
a very stressful experience for the novice, as well as the seasoned, interviewee.
Obviously, preparation is absolutely necessary.
It is extremely important that you
RELAX during the
interview process. Remember that the interview is a give-and-take
processing of information between an employer and an applicant. You
should plan on evaluating, as well as on being evaluated, during this process.
Pay close attention to what the interviewer says about his company.
File this information with all information previously obtained through
preparatory employer research at the
beginning of the job search and, more recently, immediately upon scheduling
the interview. It is up to you to make the interview a personal success
through sound preparation. Success
necessitates that you do your homework. Remember,
practice makes perfect!
MINDING
YOUR P's AND Q's
Interviewing
P’s:
1. Pursue pertinent
company information.
2. Prepare
answers and personal presentation.
3. Practice
two types of responses:
(1) general — to serve all interviews
(2) customized — for a particular employer
4. Practice
again and again and again and again!
|
Qualities
the Interviewer Looks For:
Personality:
Be genuine, self-confident, pleasant, honest. Be yourself!
Articulate:
Answer questions quickly and candidly, clearly and concisely.
Alertness:
Make answers and questions relevant and intelligent—-LISTEN!.
Enthusiasm:
Be enthusiastic, optimistic, with appropriate amount of eagerness.
Maturity:
Express clear professional goals. Know what you want.
Conduct yourself as if determined to get the targeted job.
Motivation:
Show initiative/incentive through interest in job opportunity.
Compatibility:
Express, through behavior, your ability to get along with others.
Preparation:
Know relevant company info: location, products, and general knowledge about
its business purpose. The more you know, the greater the impression! |
FOR
THE R.E.C.O.R.D.!
Preparation for any
interview should include the following:
RESEARCH:
Using all resources available to you (company pamphlets, A&S Careers
Program and Center for Career Management literature, library holdings,
magazines, internet, etc.), to determine as much as you can about the prospective
employer. You need to learn more than mere company history, size,
divisions, products or services, subsidiaries, and profit trends.
You need to obtain an understanding of the company’s personality, the company
culture: is the atmosphere formal or informal, is the environment stressed
or relaxed, are the policies liberal or conservative, is the management
team or independent work-oriented. It is important that you keep
this information on a disk or in paper format where it can be quickly accessed.
Only after thorough employer research
and self-assessment will you be able to
determine whether there is a possible fit for you within the company.
EVIDENCE:
An interview is “Show and Tell” time. Always have extra copies of
your resume and references
list in your brief-case in case they are requested. Carry your
portfolio
to showcase pertinent projects you have produced either on an actual job
or as course-work.
-
[There is NO need for a purse
at interview. Leave it in the car or do away with it by carrying
personals in briefcase!]
CONFIDENCE:
Before others can build confidence in you, they must be aware of your own
self-assurance. Your feelings of self-confidence result from knowing
yourself: skills, abilities, strengths, and even weaknesses.
You need to be able to discuss your pluses effectively! Accentuate
the positive. Be optimistic. Display ambition and a competitive
attitude.
ORGANIZATION:
Be as prepared as possible for all contingencies. Pack your brain
as well as your briefcase! There will be numerous questions asked
during the interviewing process. Prepare solid answers to standard
questions so you will be able to take the time to organize your thoughts
and reply intellectually to those less conventional questions.
RHETORIC:
You are leaving academia. You are entering the professional world.
This means that you must speak and write as a professional. You must
be clear and concise in both your oral and written communications, avoiding
slang, vulgarities, and jargon. Use your voice as an instrument
for establishing the desired level of confidence and enthusiasm.
DRESS:
There is absolute truth in the saying, “You never get a second chance to
make a first impression.” It is critical that your appearance
represent you at your best. Clean hair and nails are a given.
Polished shoes are a must. A conservative suit for both sexes is
the best choice for ALL occasions. If individuality is extremely
important to you, allow your demeanor, conversation, and answers to interview
questions reflect the inner you. Adjustments to your wardrobe can
take place after you have secured the position!
-
[Caution should be taken in
applying perfumes and colognes as well as in the display of jewelry.
-
Small interviewing quarters
do not lend themselves well to overpowering scents or clanking bracelets.]
-
P.L.U.S.
. . .
PUNCTUALITY:
No excuse will be acceptable (short of your own demise) for being late
to an interview. Punctuality emphasizes a positive attitude and a
sincere interest in the prospective employer. It is best to arrive
and announce yourself to the receptionist at least ten to fifteen minutes
before the appointed interview time. If the location is foreign to
you, try visiting the site unobtrusively a day or so before the interview
to familiarize yourself with directions, travel time, and work environment.
Arrive well-rested and calm but alert. Leave outer garments, umbrellas,
etc. in the reception area.
LISTENING:
In order to answer questions clearly and concisely, you must fully understand
what is needed by the interviewer. Only by focusing on the interviewer
can you successfully retain control throughout the interview and converse
coherently, contributing more than a simple “yes” or “no.”
UNITY:
Unity is defined as singleness or constancy of purpose or action.
Your purpose is to make such a terrific impression that you are guaranteed
a second interview, through which you hope to grab the brass ring!
This will happen if you sufficiently unite all your personal resources
into a positive display of your greatest assets.
SOCIABILITY:
The need to be yourself cannot be repeated enough. Try to relax as
much as possible under the stressful conditions. Be courteous and
friendly, but not phony. Smile and maintain good eye contact.
Always mind your manners: firm handshake, use of Mr., Ms., or preferred
title, stand until asked to sit, no fidgeting, thank interviewer for his/her
time, ask for interviewer’s business card for the follow-up thank you letter
you will send within 48 hours of the interview.
TWO
KINDS OF INTERVIEWS
Screening
Interviews:
Conducted by:
* External Sources:
reps from employment agencies and executive search firms
* Internal Sources:
human resource professionals from target company
Screening interviews are
just what they sound like. They are sessions conducted by well-trained
individuals whose job it is to determine whether you have the qualifications
needed by a particular employer. Before you are sent on to the company’s
hiring manager, the screening interviewer must find indication of a reasonable
match between you and the company needs.
Therefore, the interviewer
will be striving to screen you OUT if he determines that you are not focused,
do not have a positive attitude, lack confidence, volunteer negative or
superfluous information which indicates that you cannot or will not do
the job or fit into the organization.
-
[Note: You should understand
that if you are not asked to return, or are not sent on to the next interview,
you are not necessarily out of the running for future positions within
a particular company if you have, indeed, had a good screening interview!]
Decision
[or "Classic"] Interviews:
Conducted by:
* Hiring managers
* Team of individuals
with hiring responsibility
In many cases these individuals
are less trained in interviewing. They have a greater understanding
of the position’s requirements, however, and are interested in determining
whether or not you:
-
Can do the job
-
Will do the job
-
Will fit into the company
These interviewers will
be asking questions related specifically to the position. They will
be interested in your education, past experience, motivation and desire,
and will be judging whether or not there is a personality fit.
|
TYPES
OF DECISION / CLASSIC INTERVIEWS
| (Understanding each of these
interview types, and developing working strategies for each, will put you
strides ahead of the competition!)
One-on-One
Interview: This type usually begins the on-site interviewing
process and includes discussion of your qualifications and the job requirements.
You are expected to share in this exchange of information, so have your
questions ready!
Group
Interview: Being interviewed by two, three, or more company
reps can be very intimidating. It is important to be as relaxed
as possible so your best qualifies can surface. This technique is
often used in academia or in any instance in which a search committee is
involved. Talk to each member of the group, focusing on no one individual.
Structured
Interview: One interviewer has a script of questions so
that later the hiring manager can evaluate a uniform set of responses from
the various candidates. Relax, be yourself.
Unstructured
Interview: Interviewers are "winging it" here, so it is
up to you to communicate your best qualities—thus avoiding their being
overlooked or completely omitted. |
TWO
NON-TRADITIONAL INTERVIEW METHODS
| Behavioral:
Interviewee is consistently asked to explain how or why s/he did certain
jobs or behaved in certain situations or how s/he would behave in a hypothetical
situation to provide an indication of how s/he will function within prospective
workplace. Questions such as “What kind of animal would you choose
to be?” are not unusual questions in a behavior interview. Take time
to think through your answer and then respond by briefly describing the
situation or the tasks involved in a previous work scenario while attributing
a positive personal asset such as strong verbal skills or unrelenting perseverance
in aiding achieved results. This method is being used widely these
days!
Situational
or Stress Interview: These
interviews are exactly what the name implies. Interviewee is required to
actually perform job-related tasks to demonstrate skills base, organization,
and overall job-related capabilities. There may be maximum information
input for you to decipher or a simulated “day on the job.”
Do not allow this, however, to overtly upset you. When you realize
what is happening, get a feel for the game, take your time, stay relaxed,
and go with the flow! |
REMEMBER
THANK-YOU LETTERS
It is extremely important to take a few minutes immediately following the
interview to jot down pertinent information you need to remember.
Points from this interview may be included in the thank-you letter you
will write and send to the interviewer. Be sure to ask for the interviewer's
card!
The
Thank-You Letter is a MUST! This little note can mean the
difference between securing a job or remaining unemployed. It must
be sent within 48 hours (but preferably within 24 hours) of interview.
If you are offered a position
you want to accept, a Letter of Acceptance must be send ASAP (and
ideally within 48 hours of receiving the offer) restating the terms of
job requirements, length of time if pertinent, and money.
If you are offered a position
you do NOT want, a Letter of Rejection must be sent within 48 hours of
receiving offer as an act of courtesy for the company’s consideration of
your talent.
| Sample letters, interviewing
questions for both employer and interviewee may be obtained in Olin Hall
325. [REMEMBER: It is important that YOU also ask questions
during the interview to show that you have researched the employer and
are interested in the company. ]
Mock
Interviewing may be scheduled by visiting the office or by calling
330/ 972-5714. |
QUESTIONS
YOU SHOULD NOT BE ASKED IN AN INTERVIEW
| While you should strive
to give truthful, as well as thoughtful, answers to any questions asked
during your interview, there are some questions which have been legislated
to be inappropriate. If you are asked any of the following questions,
answer them accordingly only if you judge them to be acceptable to you.
However, if you wish not
to answer any of them, you may let the interviewer know of your concern
over the direction of the questioning by answering something like, “There
is nothing in my personal life which would keep me from doing my job professionally.” |
|
MAY NOT
ASK
|
|
|
MAY
ASK . . .
|
| Age/Date of birth/When you
graduated |
If you are over age 18 |
| Birthplace/Ethnic background/Citizenship |
If authorized to work in
U.S. |
| Religious beliefs |
Unless interviewing w/religious
org. |
| Native language |
Languages read, spoken,
or written if relevant to job |
| Marital status, Date of
Marriage, Spousal employment and earnings, Pregnancy, Abortions, Dependent
children. |
If you are willing to relocate,
travel, or work overtime— if all applicants are asked |
| Physical or emotional disabilities |
May ask about any job-related
defects or request a physical |
| Arrest Record |
Must ask if you have been
convicted of specific crime related to job |
| Affiliations |
You may list professional/trade
organizations relevant to job performance |
| Employment gaps |
. . . . . . |
|
