Interviewing Skills March 15, 2007 Dale Kyser, Program Director Beth Ann Nylander, Sr. Category Buyer Hana Kim, Sr. Engineer

Kraft Vision Helping People Around the World Eat and Live Better

Mission: Undisputed Global Food Leadership Consumers –First Choice Consumers –First Choice Customers –Indispensable Partner Customers –Indispensable Partner Alliances –Most Desired Partner Alliances –Most Desired Partner Employees –Employer of Choice Employees –Employer of Choice Communities–Responsible Citizen Communities–Responsible Citizen Investors–Sustainable Growth Investors–Sustainable Growth

The Best Brands in the World

Focused R&D Infrastructure Core Category Centers Of Expertise Biscuits in East Hanover, NJ Cheese & Dairy, Glenview, IL Coffee, Banbury, UK Meat, Madison, WI Cereal, Tarrytown, NY Chocolate, Munich, Germany Convenient Meals, Glenview, IL Regional Development

Tarrytown, NY Campus 15 Miles Northeast of New York City East Hanover, NJ Campus 25 Miles West of New York City 15 Miles West of Newark, NJ Madison, WI Campus 80 Miles West of Milwaukee Glenview, IL Campus 20 Miles North of Chicago Career Opportunities at U.S. Kraft Sites with GTQ Facilities *to learn about International opportunities, go to our web site Beverages, Coffee, Desserts, and Cereal GTQ Biscuit, Confections, and Salted Snacks GTQ Oscar Mayer Cheese, Meals, Enhancers, and Pizza GTQ Corporate Headquarters Northfield, IL Campus 20 Miles North of Chicago Global Marketing

Kraft’s Approach to Career Development 1.Recruit the best people 2.Challenge them to add the most value and to fulfill their potential 3.Provide a wide range of career and development opportunities 4.Offer World Class Training KRAFT Leaders

Preparing for the Interview How do I research the company? How do I research the company? What do I wear? What do I wear? How do I prepare by resume? How do I prepare by resume? How can I prepare for the interviewer’s questions? How can I prepare for the interviewer’s questions? –A quick tutorial on Behavioral Interviewing What is the protocol for informational meetings / job fairs? What is the protocol for informational meetings / job fairs?

You Will – or Should! – Spend More Time Getting Ready Spend More Time Getting Ready Than You Will at the Than You Will at the Interview Itself. Interview Itself.

Where do I start? Know what you are passionate about Know what you are passionate about Know what you have to offer Know what you have to offer Use the resources available to you at Engineering Career Services Use the resources available to you at Engineering Career Services

Researching the Company –Become familiar with the organization’s products, structure, services, financial status, competitors, reputation, and any major recent changes –Learn what you can about a company’s culture and career development opportunities What do I research?

Researching the Company –Start with your Engineering Career Services resources –Do an internet search –Talk to people who have had experience at the company…especially previous interns –Attend job fairs and info nights to hear from the company first hand How do I research?

Dress for Success First impression is important First impression is important You can never go wrong with the traditional interview suit You can never go wrong with the traditional interview suit –Suit and tie for men –Suit with skirt for women Some companies have gone more casual Some companies have gone more casual –If in doubt, ask … or wear your suit Keep your wardrobe and appearance on the conservative side Keep your wardrobe and appearance on the conservative side

Have Your Resume Prepared First impression is important First impression is important –Spell check, keep accurate –One page for undergraduates, two for PhD candidates Education Education –Include degree, graduation date, and GPA Work experience Work experience –Focus on relevant applicable experience Leadership activities Leadership activities

Behavioral Interviewing The key to finding out how someone will perform in a job is to collect examples of how they have performed in the past The key to finding out how someone will perform in a job is to collect examples of how they have performed in the past Past behavior predicts future behavior Past behavior predicts future behavior Examples include: personal leadership, superior execution, risk taking, innovation, drive for results, etc. Examples include: personal leadership, superior execution, risk taking, innovation, drive for results, etc. What is the interviewer looking for?

Behavioral Interviewing The elements of a STAR: S/T = The situation or task A = The action you took R = The result of your action

Behavioral Interviewing Demonstrate, through concrete examples, your accomplishments and underlying behaviors Demonstrate, through concrete examples, your accomplishments and underlying behaviors Prepare your examples ahead of time Prepare your examples ahead of time –Many examples can be adapted to suit the recruiter’s specific question

Behavioral Interviewing Tell me about a tough time you had to resolve with team members. Tell me about a tough time you had to resolve with team members. Give me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a project done. Give me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a project done. Describe a time when you’ve had to sell an idea. Describe a time when you’ve had to sell an idea. You may have had a team project example that could be used to answer all three of the questions above!

Behavioral Interviewing Quiz A: I usually have no problems with my teammates. As team leader, I feel that it’s my job to resolve issues quickly and move on. Sometimes we disagree but we always find a compromise that suits everyone. A: I usually have no problems with my teammates. As team leader, I feel that it’s my job to resolve issues quickly and move on. Sometimes we disagree but we always find a compromise that suits everyone. B: Our Senior Design team was having difficulty agreeing on how to divide responsibilities. As team leader, I made a list of the individual tasks and asked everyone to choose 3 items. Handling the problem that way helped us to get past the issue quickly. B: Our Senior Design team was having difficulty agreeing on how to divide responsibilities. As team leader, I made a list of the individual tasks and asked everyone to choose 3 items. Handling the problem that way helped us to get past the issue quickly. Tell me about a tough time you had to resolve with team members.

Behavioral Interviewing Quiz A: Our Senior Design project was due in two days and we hadn’t completed all of the computer simulation. One teammate and I took turns running the analysis at night while our third team member wrote the presentation. We were able to turn in the project on time. A: Our Senior Design project was due in two days and we hadn’t completed all of the computer simulation. One teammate and I took turns running the analysis at night while our third team member wrote the presentation. We were able to turn in the project on time. B: Our Senior Design project was due in two days and we hadn’t completed all of the computer simulation. But we all pitched in and worked through the night. I think that our final presentation went very well. B: Our Senior Design project was due in two days and we hadn’t completed all of the computer simulation. But we all pitched in and worked through the night. I think that our final presentation went very well. Give me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a project done.

Behavioral Interviewing Quiz A: My team often looks to me for ideas because of my creative side. For Senior Design, I sold the team on the idea of doing the distillation project. After some discussion, the team agreed with my suggestion. A: My team often looks to me for ideas because of my creative side. For Senior Design, I sold the team on the idea of doing the distillation project. After some discussion, the team agreed with my suggestion. B: Our team had to choose a project for Senior Design and the distillation project looked very interesting to me. I explained to my team why I thought it would be challenging and gave my thoughts on how we could approach the project. After some discussion, the team agreed with my suggestion. B: Our team had to choose a project for Senior Design and the distillation project looked very interesting to me. I explained to my team why I thought it would be challenging and gave my thoughts on how we could approach the project. After some discussion, the team agreed with my suggestion. Describe a time when you’ve had to sell an idea.

Behavioral Interviewing Experiences to use: School Projects, Intern Experiences, Summer Jobs, Volunteer Examples, Hobbies & Special Interests...

Informational Meetings and Job Fairs –Golden Rule: Talk to the company reps! –Use the time for research Find out all you can about the company … it’s structure, culture, career opportunities, location, etc. Find out all you can about the company … it’s structure, culture, career opportunities, location, etc. –Use the time as a “mini-interview” Always bring a resume and be ready to sell yourself Always bring a resume and be ready to sell yourself –Career Fairs are where many companies pre-select their interview schedules How should I take advantage of info nights and job fairs?

Informational Meetings and Job Fairs Tips: –Dress the part … business casual is usually appropriate –Bring a resume –Be ready to “interview” –Bring a list of questions –Smile and have fun … this is also your chance to “interview” the company

Informational Meetings and Job Fairs The dreaded company rep question… “So do you have any questions about XYZ Company?” The answer to this question is always “Yes!”

Informational Meetings and Job Fairs Good questions to ask: –“Can you tell me about the job responsibilities of a new hire?” –“What are the types of projects that an intern would work on at XYZ?” –“What are the qualities that make someone successful at XYZ Company?” –“How do you train your new hires?” –“What do you find most challenging about your job?”

Informational Meetings and Job Fairs Avoid questions about: –Salary or bonuses –Vacation or holiday schedule –Repeating something they’ve already talked about, unless it is to get further clarification

So you’ve done you’re homework… You’ve researched the company You’ve researched the company You know what to wear You know what to wear You’ve prepared your resume You’ve prepared your resume You have your list of STAR examples You have your list of STAR examples You’ve been to the info night You’ve been to the info night Take a deep breath and smile… You’re ready for the interview!