Successful Interviewing David McMahon ‘69 Associate Director Experiential Education

2 Your preparation for Interviewing  Plan to speak on: What you know about company and/or job position Your motivations Your personality / teamwork Your area(s) of interest What you can contribute  Know: 3 reasons why they should make you an offer Prepare your questions for the interviewers

3 What Impressed Employers Fall 2008 Texas A&M Students were: Well-prepared Professional Polite and poised Prompt

4 “Opportunities for Improvement” - Fall Come to the interview and information session prepared with knowledge about the company, enthusiastic about the opportunity, and prepared questions for the interviewer. The number one suggestion for improvement from employers. 2. Do not present a “what’s in the job for me” attitude, especially for intern opportunities. Realize that the companies are offering these positions because they have a job that needs to be accomplished.

5 “Opportunities for Improvement” - Fall If you already have a job offer with a decision deadline, be sure to share this information with your interviewer. The company wants to know if they need to alter their normal interview sequence and timing in order to be considered as a potential employer. 4. Read the job postings and follow the instructions. If the posting states you need to apply also through their company website, do so promptly. Failing to bring your resume/transcript to the interview when asked to, makes you appear uninterested in the job or lack attention to detail.

6 First Impressions  Arrive 5-10 minutes early  Dress appropriately  Watch eye contact, handshake, and body language (don’t chew gum)  Be honest  Relax & be enthusiastic…be yourself … smile !!  You are ALWAYS being evaluated.

7 Content: Types of Questions  Traditional Knowledge of organization and position. Your motivations and self-perceptions. Goals and plans to accomplish them.  Situational “What if …” questions give insight into how you go about resolving an issue and how you think on your feet.  Behavioral

8 Basic Premise of Behavioral Interview Questions Past (predicts) Future Performance > Performance

9 What Makes a Good Employee?? 1.Integrity -Ability to work with people -Responsibility -Judgment -Motivation to succeed -Work ethic -Intelligence -Creativity/ enthusiasm -Communications skills 10. Technical competence

10 General Answer Format  STAR Describe the Situation you were in. Describe the Task you performed. What was your Approach to the problem? What were the Results of your actions? Be prepared for interviewer to probe for further details.

11 How to Prepare  Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors, or actions, especially involving leadership, teamwork, adaptability, initiative, planning, delegation, innovation, communications, and service.  Prepare short descriptions of each situation and be ready to give details if asked.

12 How to Prepare (cont.)  Be ready to describe the situation, your action, and the outcome or result succinctly.  Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable).  Be prepared to provide examples of occasions when the results were different than expected! Your skill in handling failure as well as success will be probed.

13 How to Prepare (cont.)  Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed account of one event.  Prepare 8-10 examples you can “adjust” on-the-fly to suit a question. Don’t memorize.  Know the organization’s mission, philosophy and goals as thoroughly as possible.

14 Know the Company “If you won’t take the time to review our website before the interview, why should I take the time to interview you?” A&M Recruiter

15 Skills/Professional Knowledge  Describe how you’ve gone about learning a new skill.  Describe a time when you solved a problem.

16 Teamwork/Collaboration  Interacting with others can be challenging at times. Describe a situation when you wished you had acted differently with someone.  Describe the best/worse team of which you have been a member.

17 Adaptability/Flexibility  Tell me about a difficult situation you recently had to manage.  Jobs differ in the extent to which unexpected changes can disrupt daily responsibilities. How do you feel when this happens? Why? Tell me about a time when this happened recently.

18 Initiative  Have you found ways to make your job easier?  Give an example of doing more than is required in your current job/class.  Can you think of some projects or ideas that were sold, implemented, or carried out successfully because of your efforts?

19 Leadership/Ethics  Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that was unpopular with the group.  Describe a situation in which your efforts influenced the actions of others.

20 Planning & Organizing Work Management  Walk me through yesterday (or last week) and tell me how you planned the day’s (or week’s) activities.  Tell me about a time when you had more on you plate than you could handle. How did you get everything accomplished?

21 Answer Tips  Determine the skills necessary to do the job.  Identify your skills and experience related to the job. Have brief scenarios about how you used those skills, each illustrating a specific activity or task required by the job. Rehearse, don’t memorize scenarios. If possible, give the results in quantifiable terms. Include learning outcomes when results are not favorable.  In a group interview, maintain “face time” with all Interviewers.

22 Bad Answers “Uh, um, hm, hum.” “I have no strengths.” “I have no weaknesses.” “I am really smart, and people are intimidated by it. That’s my biggest weakness.” “I work too hard.” “I’m a people person.” “This is the only place that interviewed me.”

23 Example of Interview Guideline for College Hires  A candidate can receive one of three possible scores for each question:  0 – Not fully acceptable  3 – Fully acceptable  9 – Superior  All candidates are assumed to be a 0 when the interview begins. The candidate must earn their way up to a 3 or a 9. In other words, they must demonstrate, through their responses to the interview questions, that they are a fully acceptable or superior candidate.

24 TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE - APPLIED EXPERIENCE

25 3 Types of Phone Interviews Companies Initiate  First Call Initial contact by company. May leave a message. Be sure voice mail message sounds professional.  Short Pre-Screen Exploring availability, interest, and fit?  Scheduled Phone Interview In-depth screen. Can last 15 minutes to 1 hour. Schedule during your “prime time” Avoid use of cell phones, due to poor signal. Be prepared to demonstrate connection between your skills and the position. Develop rapport with recruiter and show interest.

26 Telephone Interview Preparation  Set the Stage Dress for the interview; it increases confidence Tape your resume on the wall in front of you Keep employer research materials accessible Have notepad to take notes Keep glass of water nearby

27 Telephone Interview Preparation  Set the Stage Place “do not disturb” sign on door Share importance of call with roommates Turn off TV and other distractions Turn off “call waiting” on phone

28 During the Telephone Interview  Speak clearly & enunciate  Smile; it carries in your voice  Sit straight or stand; it helps voice  Don’t ramble. Recruiter will ask for more information, if wanted  Don’t interrupt interviewer  Show enthusiasm and interest

29 Phone Interview Candidate Evaluations  Enthusiasm?  Knowledge of industry & company?  Succinct & clear answers?  Expression of interest?  Any follow-up from candidate? Will this person increase company success?

30 Thank You Notes Hiring Managers Survey  15% reject candidate who doesn’t send note  32% will still consider candidate who doesn’t send note, but have a lower opinion of candidate  25% prefer handwritten note  21% seek typed hard copy note  19% want s followed by snail-mail note (Source:CareerBuilder.com - Aug 2005)

31 Beware of Blogs!!!!  Student contacted for Interview at off-campus hotel. Job did not exist and was a ruse to arrange a meeting with the Student. Trust your instincts, if you become uncomfortable during interview, leave!  77% Employers checking search engines as part of selection process – is yours professional??  35% eliminated students based on “findings”

32 Aggie Code of Honor  Don’t accept an offer for employment unless you are serious about it and quit interviewing with other companies.  It’s OK to ask for a reasonable time extension to consider other jobs.  Reneging hurts not only you, but the reputation of all Aggies who are interviewing now and in the future.

33 Top 10 Interview Rules 10.If you spill soup on your tie, don’t lick it off. 9. Send a thank you follow-up note. 8.Evaluate the culture. 7.Answer negative questions before they are asked. 6. When in doubt, mirror the interviewer.

34 Top 10 Interview Rules (cont.) 5. Never, ever run out of intelligent, informed questions. 4. E4=Energy, Excitement, Enthusiasm, Eagerness 3. See the interviewer’s point of view. 2. Have your “war stories” ready. 1. Do your homework.