INTERVIEWING

Be Employer Centered What skills are the employers looking for?:  Genuine enthusiasm  Drive and motivation  Teamwork and cooperation  Verbal and written communication  Technical and quantitative  Analytical and problem solving

Prepare  Know your resume inside and out: Reflect on your past jobs and achievements so you can talk about them comfortably Think of your background as a story for a stranger to follow  Know the company, industry and position: Read the company’s website and know about their recent news Research the people who are conducting the interview Understand what is going on in the industry Make sure you have read the job description and understand what your job responsibilities would be

Practice  Practice out loud  Tone  What is the narrative you are trying to tell  Have answers to common questions prepared ahead of time  Mock interview with counselor

Before the Interview  Have an appropriate outfit picked out: Better to be too formal than too informal Keep accessories and colors simple Make sure clothes are ironed and neat looking Make sure pants are not too tight or low rise or skirts are too short Don’t wear excessive cologne/perfume Make sure what you wear is not distracting  Print out many copies of your resume  Bring paper and pen  Make sure you know the directions to the interview location (perhaps make a practice run, check MTA site for delays, and bring employers contact information with you)

General Interview Guidelines  Highlight the positive  Take initiative and make sure you get to say what you want to  Be sure to answer the question If question isn’t clear, ask for clarification Take time to think of your answer  Elaborate and give examples

Types of Interview Questions  Traditional: Require you to relay factual information about yourself  Behavioral: Require you to offer concrete examples to reveal key and transferable skills  Case/Technical: Require you to focus on the requirements of specific industries

Common Interview Questions Be ready to answer the following questions: Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in this field? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why do you want to work here? Why should we hire you? Do you have any questions for us?

“ What is your biggest strength?”  Know what your main selling points are  Back each one up with an example “What is your biggest weakness?”  Make sure Avoid clichés  You pick something that wouldn’t be a huge part of the new job  Show how you are working on this challenge Attribute Questions

Behavioral Questions Questions about past behavior used to predict future behavior Common questions:  Tell me about a time you faced a deadline.  Tell me about a time you had to work on a team project.  Tell me about a time you showed leadership.  Tell me about a time you worked with a challenging client.  Tell me about a time something did not go according to plan.

How to Answer Behavioral Questions Use the SOAR framework.:  Situation: What was the Situation?  Obstacle: What Obstacle did you overcome?  Action: What Action did you take?  Result: What was the Result and what did you learn?

Behavioral Questions “Give me an example of a time that you had to work with a difficult person” Situation: “I had a teammate who had a different working style than me.” Obstacle: “She did things at the last minute, where I liked to complete things early. We turned in an assignment late because she had not finished her part in time for me to finish mine.” Action: “I scheduled a meeting with this teammate, and we decided we would make timelines together and follow them.” Results: “With this new timeline, we were able to compromise. I realized I did not have to do things so early, and my teammate adhered to earlier deadline. Our next project was turned in on time.”

Other Challenging Questions Avoid being thrown for a loop by thinking about the following questions ahead of time:  What types of tasks do you dislike?  What salary are you looking for?  Can you explain this gap in your employment history?  Examples of Illegal Questions: Are you married? Do you have children? How old are you?

Your Turn Do you have any questions for us?  Don’t ask something you should already know the answer to  Ask questions based on research  Ask questions based on what comes up in the interview Sample questions: “How would you describe a typical week in this job?” “Could you explain your organizational structure?” “Can you describe an ideal employee?” “What upcoming projects would I be working on?” “How did you get into this type of work?”

Wrapping Up  Inquire about the next steps  Get cards so you can follow up and write thank you letter  Thank the person for their time

After Interview Write professional thank you notes  Send within 24 hours of interview (via is standard)  Highlight and elaborate interview topics

Sample Thank You Dear Ms. Williams, It was wonderful to speak with you this morning regarding the Education Assistant position at Museum of the Moving Image. The job seems to be an excellent match for my skills and interest. The hands-on approach to education that you described confirmed my desire to work with you. In addition to my energy and enthusiasm for education, I will bring to the position strong writing skills and curriculum development experience. I appreciate the time you took to interview me and I am very interested in the position. Please do not hesitate the contact me with any additional questions. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this opportunity. Sincerely, Amy Smith (555) LinkeIn: linkedin.com/in/amysmith

After Interview References  Reach out to your references if appropriate

Questions?