The Art of Interviewing: Winning the Job (You Want) Lynn Wecker, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine University of South Florida College of Medicine EB Workshop 8 April 2008

The Purpose of the Interview Remember that the interview is a fact-finding mission for both sides. Is this a place where I would like to be? Do we want her?

The Interview: A Two-Way Street Their goal To determine whether you have all the best qualities and skills the institution needs to be successful. How do you present yourself? What research and teaching experience do you have? What are your short- and long-term goals? Are you results and performance driven?

The Interview: A Two-Way Street Your goal To determine whether you want this position at this institution Is this a place where I would like to work? What is the culture like and do I fit in? How long have faculty been here? What are attitudes towards women and minorities? What is expected of me? Do my goals and attitudes match those of other faculty? What are the values of the institution?

The Preface Many questions can and should be answered prior to your interview. Do your homework!!!! Identifying the scientific strengths/weaknesses of the institution and research support infrastructure is easy. Discovering the values, attitudes, and culture is more difficult.

What is the institution seeking? Most institutions today are using competency-based interviews to determine which individual best fills their needs. Candidates are evaluated based on: competencies, technical expertise, work history & references. Competency-based interviews  use behavioral questions to help interviewers evaluate candidates based on critical competencies identified for a particular position  are based on the theory that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior

What are competencies? a description of measurable work habits and skills used to achieve an objective characteristics, behavior, knowledge, and skills required to differentiate performance key characteristics held by the most successful performers that help them achieve success habits and skills you have developed that have enabled you to achieve your objectives success factors = competencies =

The Top 10 competencies initiative integrity information seeking interpersonal understanding impact & influence conceptual thinking achievement/results oriented customer service orientation organizational awareness analytical thinking

Thoughts Are you results and performance driven? Are you goal-oriented? Are you relentlessly focused? Do you think creatively? Do you remain persistent when you encounter obstacles? One of the most frequently used competencies is motivation to achieve

The Plan identify the relevant competencies required for the position and be prepared to answer questions with a focus on these attributes What is your greatest accomplishment?  teaching/mentoring  research How did you approach it?  creativity  analytical and conceptual thinking  information seeking What obstacles did you have to overcome?  be objective as we all have weaknesses What did you learn from this experience and how have you used what you've learned?  increased awareness, understanding

Introspection - Know thyself Who are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are you looking for? Where do you want to be in 5 years? Where do you want to be in 10 years? Will this institution provide the environment for me to reach my goals?

Always Remember how well you perform on the interview provides the interviewers an idea of the quality of work they can expect from you in the future the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior