HOW TO WOW THEM IN AN INTERVIEW Effective Interviewing Strategies Be The Star In Every Interview!

Do I Have To Interview? The interview is one of the most important steps to getting a job. The cover letter and resume can interest an employer, but the interview will make or break your chances of landing the job. It is normal to be nervous and scared, but being prepared will help you do your very best.

What Is Behavioral Interviewing? It is demonstrated examples of behavior from past experiences that concentrate on job related functions. Behavioral interview questions can be… Open ended: These often begin with “Tell Me…”, “Describe…”,”When”. Close-ended: Used most often to verify or confirm information. Why questions: Used to reveal rationale for decisions made or level of motivation

Why Behavioral Interviewing? Job seekers who learn this method of interviewing are: Better prepared for traditional interviews. Have more knowledge about the skills they possess. Can prove to the employer that they are different from their competition by identifying their skills and accomplishments. Practicing just the list of common interview questions doesn’t work anymore!

Skills

Skills Identification Everyone has hundreds of skills, yet most people can only identify a few. Duties are the basic functions of the activity, skills are the tools used to accomplish the activity. Skills can be broken into three categories: Occupational Skills (typing, customer service) Performance Based Skills that you use every day to get along with others and to survive (patience, flexibility, tactfulness Transferable Skills This category includes the first two categories.

What Are Transferable Skills? Attention to Detail Assertiveness Creativity Communication Commitment to task Coping Decision Making Dedication Dependability Flexibility Understanding Policy and Procedures Positive Attitude Problem Solving Record of Success Team Building Written Communication

Identifying Skills Identifying skills is not an easy task. Most of us feel we have “no skills”. Usually we say “I was just a ____________” for example I was just a waitress. Start by reviewing job duties and identifying what skills were used. Asking questions about what they did will help “jog” their memory. SOMETIMES WE ONLY TELL

Gathering Information Some sample questions for this occupation may be… What Other Skills Do You Hear? Did you ever have to deal with an angry customer? Did you ever have repeat customers and why? What happen when you ran out of a special menu item? Did you have to balance the till? Make out bank deposits? What happened when you were short and how did you explain it? Problem solving Customer service problem solving, customer service Money handling, communication, problem solving

The Interview

The Interview What does the Interviewer look for? They are looking to see if your technical skills match the job requirements They ask specific questions to see if you will be a good match for a particular team They look for “specific qualities or behaviors” to ensure that you will be successful on the job

Sample Interview Questions What can you tell me about yourself? Why are you interested in this job? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What skills do you bring to the job and to this company?

What is ‘STAR’? Situation Task Action Result It is a way to answer behavioral questions that allows for the best response, while proving that the experience is true. Situation Task Action Result

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions Can you give me an example of a time you worked on a team to finish a project? What was your contribution? Describe one of the most demanding assignments you’ve had. What problems did you encounter and how did you solve them? Tell me about a presentation you had to give or a project you had to do. How did you prepare for it? Don’t forget STAR!

Answering Behavioral Interview Questions How do I answer using STAR? Situation - briefly describe where you were working Task - the job you were assigned Action - discuss in detail the actions you took Result - the result of those actions You will be able to provide the interviewer with proven examples of your accomplishments and be the star interviewee

SITUATION Describe the employer, location, or area where you were working to give the interviewer the “big picture.” You don’t need to be too detailed. I worked at ABC Company as a Supervisor in the Shipping and Receiving Department.

TASK Describe the job or task you were assigned. Part of my job was to train newly hired employees in using our highly technical equipment as well as in company policies and procedures.

ACTION Describe the action you took. (Use “I”) I showed Fred, our new employee, how to safely set-up and operate the computerized weighing equipment. I also taught Fred how to inspect the packages to ensure the weight and labels matched. I continued to ask him questions to make sure that he understood all the instructions I had given him.

RESULT Tell the results of the action you took, be sure to use numbers where applicable. I checked in with Fred on a regular basis during his initial training and as a result he became a well trained team member, not only in the equipment he was to use, but also in understanding how the procedures we used affected our department and the company.

PRACTICING QUESTIONS

What kind of people bug you? Do not name anyone! Talk about a specific personality and what you do to assist your team member to be successful. On a team, I find it hard to work with people who don’t seem to care and avoid the hard tasks. What I have found, is that many times they aren’t aware of the teams expectations or how to accomplish specific tasks. I take the time to check in with team members and have offered my assistance with their tasks. This results in the whole team reaching the desired goal.

Tell Me About a Problem You Solved? When I was at DDS Company we purchased a telephone system for our office. It was computer- ized. My co-worker was assigned as the administrator. She had a car accident and was going to be gone from work for several weeks. My supervisor asked me to take over some of her duties. I was not trained on the telephone system, but found a video teaching tape and her book in a file cabinet. As it turned out, I needed to make some administrative changes to the system.

Tell Me About a Problem You Solved? I watched the video and read the book. I followed the instructions and was able to make most of the changes. There was a specific function I could not program so I contacted the company who sold us the system. Through their help line, I was able to complete the changes. I learned to set up mail boxes, groups, change and forward messages, and set up a time manager. These new skills made me a more valuable employee.

Problem Solving Model Define the problem Set goal - decide on the desired outcome Brainstorm - List alternatives Consider the consequences.. risk vs.. alternatives Decide and act Re-evaluate - did it work and what did I learn?

PREPARING TO INTERVIEW

You never get a second chance to make a first impression! Positive first impression Dress appropriately and neatly Be on time or a little early Research the company Be prepared with paper Bring copies of the resume and references Bring a pencil and a pad of paper for notes. You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

Make A Good Impression Speak up, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself! Listen closely to the interviewer. Show a real interest in the company and the job. Sell yourself! Tell the employer about your abilities and good qualities. Know what value you bring to the company. Answer all questions carefully and honestly. Be as positive as you can.

Make A Good Impression Be Professional Greet your interviewer with eye contact and a SMILE Shake hands firmly Sit up straight, look attentive, do not cross your arms (crossing your arms tells the employer you’re not interested)

Make A Good Impression Before the interview, take a few deep breaths, inhale through your nose and blow out through your mouth. This will help you relax your muscles and help you relax mentally too. Do some self-talk about how you are the perfect match for the job!

Why Ask Questions? The questions the interviewer asks helps them decide if you are the right person for the job. The questions you ask the interviewer helps you decide if this is the right place for you to be.

Ask The Interviewer Write down at least three questions that you feel are important to you and take these to the interview. Don’t ask questions that say “What’s in it for me?” Such as; “when is my first day off?”. Ask questions such as: Why did you choose to work for this company? How will my performance be evaluated? What is the most difficult task I will be doing? What is the process you use when training for this position?

Make A Good Impression Interview Don’ts Don’t Take a friend or a relative with you (unless you need an interpreter ) Act either too shy or too aggressive (balance) Say anything negative about other people Be late. Call the employer as soon as possible and explain why. Ask if you can arrange a new interview time.

Closing the Interview Be The STAR! Thank the interviewer for their time. Ask what the next steps will be (such as a second interview) Ask when they plan to make a decision Tell them you are interested in the job (only if you are!) Ask for a business card(s) of the interviewer(s) Send a thank you note Be The STAR! Designed and Developed by SE Works 2003©