1. University of Mississippi Career Center
Effective Interviewing

2. What are some of the goals of a job interview?
to get a job
to figure out if a position is right for you
to provide potential employers with a stronger sense of why they should hire you, your skills, how you stand out
to provide further articulation and illustration of the skills listed and experiences provided in your resume

3. Some Goals of a Job Interview
Employer evaluates candidate
skills applicable to the job
competence to do the job
potential to contribute to the team/organization
ability to mesh with team’s/organization’s mission, philosophy, and environment
Candidate evaluates employer
match between interests and job tasks/work
degree of responsibility and challenge
potential for growth and further education

4. How can you best prepare for a job interview?
dress appropriately  depends upon business; “dress for the job you want”; better to overdress
back up documents; e.g., writing samples, copy of resume, transcripts, other docs, references; letters of recommendation (dossier or portfolio)
research the company  Google the company, talk to people about what they know, BBB, Chamber of Commerce
make sure you know how to get there

5. Four Keys to Success understanding what to expect
preparing and researching
anticipating questions
following up

6. Understanding What to Expect
Types of Interviews
Conversational
Behavioral
Case or situational
Stress situation
all four of these interview types can be one-on-one or might be a panel conversation

7. Types of Interviews: Conversational (Traditional)
typically a question-and-answer discussion
usually a relatively short interview (e.g., 1 hour)
interviewer’s main goals are to:
assess whether or not the job-seeker has the skills and abilities to perform the job
evaluate whether or not the job-seeker possesses the enthusiasm and work ethic that the employer expects
analyze whether or not the job-seeker is a team player and will fit into the organization

8. Types of Interviews: Behavioral
typically an assessment of past performance
interviewers will expect to hear about specific situations and/or scenarios
initial questions are typically followed by follow-up questions
specific, key details related to situations/scenarios are expected
interviewer’s main goals are to:
assess candidate’s behaviors and approaches by exploring specific situations
analyze past behavior to try to predict future performance

9. Types of Interviews: Case or Situational
primarily used by management and consulting firms to determine how well a candidate fits in a field or job
typically interviewee is provided a problem or a scenario and asked to work through it
interviewer’s main goals are to:
analyze how well interviewee can identify and work through a problem
assess problem-solving skills
evaluate tolerance for ambiguity and ability to start on tasks
analyze communication skills

10. Types of Interviews: Stress Situation
typically used for jobs where high degrees of stress will be encountered regularly
interviewers sometimes rely upon rudeness, sarcasm, or outright hostility to provoke a response
interviewer’s main goals are to:
assess how well interviewee deals with unexpected and/or stressful situations
evaluate how well interviewee can work and communicate under pressure

11. Preparing and Researching
research the field
research the employer
research the job, team, and context

12. Preparing and Researching
Research the Field
explore different branches
review trade journals/magazines
assess various career paths
know the major players
be familiar with current trends
goals are to:
be informed about who you are professionally (and what professional community you are entering)
be able to talk widely and wisely about trends, techniques, and tasks performed by professionals within different facets of your field

13. Preparing and Researching
Research the Employer
review annual reports
read the organization’s mission statement and philosophy documents
research the organization history
familiarize yourself with the organizational scheme
look for recent performance markers or success indicators
goals are to:
familiarize yourself with what the organization does
familiarize yourself with what workers in the organization do, write, produce, create, etc.
assess how the particular job for which you’re interviewing fits into the bigger organizational picture
get a sense of the key players in and key outcomes of the organization
develop a strong sense of what they might seek in an employee

14. Preparing and Researching
Research the Job, Team, and Context
review the original job post/call
research the “jobs” or “employment” area of the organization’s web site
make contact and try to get a stronger sense of the specific job responsibilities
analyze your possible role in relation to the team, unit, or division you would work in
find out who you would report to
analyze how success is evaluated and rewarded

15. goals are to:
answer the questions you should be asking yourself (e.g., is this really a job I want? what will I gain by getting this job? what do I bring that this organization needs?
become knowledgeable so that you can speak specifically as to how you fit in the job, team, and context
have a strong sense of what you will be expected to perform, and how that performance will be measured and evaluated
address questions like:
what might I be asked to answer?
how will they expect me to answer?
how might I be expected to demonstrate what I know and what I can do?

16. Before the Interview sleep eat choose your clothes the night before
prepare the materials you want to bring with you—ideally, this is done long before the interview

17. What types of materials would you want to bring to a job interview?
Letter of Introduction
Resume
Work Samples
References
Letter of Recommendations

18. Getting Introduced
prepare and practice a two-minute introduction: “I am… I am interested in…”
prepare to
demonstrate knowledge about the employer
express enthusiasm and interest
relate your background to the company’s needs

19. Anticipating Questions
“Tell me about yourself.”
Hint: They’re not asking for your life story, and it’s not a trick question…
interviewer is looking for:
a brief statement of your professional status and career objective
some detail about your progression to this point and strengths/ skills you can offer them

20. A Heuristic for Answering Questions
identify the skill sought by the question so that you can best focus your answer
give a STAR answer:
Situation—what was the context?
Task—what was the specific problem or need?
Action—what did you do? (produce, write, create, etc.)
Results/resolution—what did you learn? what skills did you develop?

21. STAR Example
Can you tell me about a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose?
Situation
quickly explain the situation—what happened? who was involved (e.g., clients, coworkers, customers)?
Task
what was the particular problem that needed to be resolved?
Action
what specific action did you take to resolve the problem? what did you do or produce?
Results/resolution
what were the results of your action? what did you take from this experience?

22. At the End of the Interview
review what you’ve heard and state why you’re interested in the position
consider asking:
is there anything else I can provide— specific references or example materials?
what’s the next step in the process? when is your decision date?
how can I contact you to check my status?

23. After the Interview
send a thank you or letter after being interviewed
tailor the letter to the organization and to the interview itself
individualize a letter slightly if you’re sending it to more than one person in the organization
send it within 24–48 hours of the interview
goals:
shows you’re courteous
differentiates you from other candidates and keeps your name in front of the potential employer
proves that you’re interested in the job

24. 10 Interview Bloopers
poor handshake (limp hand, tips of fingers, arm pump)
talking too much (talking too long, but not answering direct questions; nervous talking)
talking negatively about current or past teams, coworkers, employers/managers
showing up late or way too early
treating the receptionist rudely

25. asking about benefits, vacation time, or salary in an initial interview
not preparing for the interview
verbal ticks (uhmmmm, like, you know)
not enough/too much eye contact
failure to match communication styles (e.g., too informal, too businesslike)

26. HINTS: be yourself (not who you think they want you to be)
be ready to talk about why you want the job (and think about how they might respond to your answer)
ask ahead of time the format of the interview (e.g., panel/one- on one? expected to perform a task?)
ask about the function of your job in the larger organization
ask about how the specific position you are interviewing for fits in the larger unit/team/department and within the larger organization/company
be prepared to actually do/perform/write a task during the interview process (e.g., writing documentation, marking up a document for editing)
ask the interview what their favorite aspect of the job is (and, perhaps, what their least favorite is)
find out how writing is perceived and how people negotiate textual ownership issues

27. HINTS CONTINED:
carefully consider who you ask which questions
take notes with you (with your ideas, goals, questions); take notes during the interview
learning opportunities and experiences not, never “problems”
ask if the organization has a policy toward funding/supporting employee professional development opportunities (e.g., STC membership and conferences, further education)
stay focused (even if it’s a long interview); take notes to help stay focused
get comfortable with pauses and strategies for giving yourself a bit of time to prepare an answer
stay upbeat! (there will be painful moments—learn from them and move on)
don’t get flustered (if you can at all avoid it—and practicing really, really helps)
recognize the gatekeepers! (e.g., initial phone interview with seemingly unrelated person)