Interviewing Tips
|
1. |
Dress
for Success.
Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Interviewers will form an initial opinion of you within the first
several minutes of the interview. Remember you want the
interviewer to listen to what you have to say not be distracted by your
attire.
Men: Dark suit, new white shirt,
conservative tie, polished shoes.
Women: Dark conservative suit or pant
suit (no bright colors such as red, yellow, or pink), conservative
closed toe pump, conservative jewelry, make-up and hairstyle.
|
2. |
Positive Body Language.
Shake the interviewer's hand firmly but not too strongly. Keep good eye
contact at all times. Sit forward in your chair (it implies enthusiasm)
and keep your hands calmly on your lap or on your arm rest. Smile.
|
3. |
Research the Company, Prepare Questions & Take Notes.
Before you go on the interview visit the company's website and become
familiar with their products. Write down 5-10 questions in advance that
you have about the job responsibilities, expectations, territory size
and company culture. Never discuss compensation information on the
first interview.
|
4. |
Bring a clean copy of your resume and performance documentation.
Have your performance memos bound in a presentation folder that you can
give to the person who is interviewing you. You may want to leave a
copy for them to review.
|
5. |
Close… Close… Close…
Remember YOU are the product being sold. An
interviewer wants to see how you will react in front of a potential
customer. He/She expects to be closed for the next step. Ask questions
such as:
"What is the next step?"
"How does my background compare against the other candidates you’ve
interviewed?"
"Do you have any questions or concerns about my abilities pertaining to
this position?"
" I want to go to work for your company. What can I do to
move to the next step in the process?"
Ask for the position or the next
step at least two times, but no more than three.
|
6. |
Send a follow up thank you note.
Send an email that night, thanking the manager for his/her time,
reiterating why you are a great fit for the position in terms of how
you will be an immediate asset, and expressing your
enthusiasm
about moving to the next step. Keep it short and simple.
|
STAR
Technique of Behavioral Interviewing
|
What is behavioral
interviewing?
Behavioral interviewing is based on the premise
that a person's recent, relevant past performance is the best
predictor of future performance. Instead of asking how you
would behave in a particular situation, a behavioral interviewer will
ask how you did behave. You will be asked to provide a specific example
of a past situation or task to demonstrate the way you performed in
that specific situation or task.
How do I answer a behavioral question?
First of all, prepare for an interview by recalling recent situations
that show favorable behaviors or actions involving work experience,
leadership, teamwork, or customer service. Be sure that each story has
a beginning, middle, and end. Be specific. Don't
generalize about several events; give a detailed account of one event.
Use the STAR technique described below to structure your answer. Expect
the interviewer to question and probe; for example, What did
you say? What were you thinking? What was your role?
The STAR technique can be utilized effectively to discuss a wide range
of experiences, work situations, extracurricular activities, and
leadership experiences.
Sample Question: A behavioral
interviewer might ask:
"Tell me about a time when you were on a team, and
one of the members wasn't carrying his or her weight."
S
T |
Situation
or Task:
Describe a specific situation or task you have encountered that will
make a point about one of your skills or strengths. Be ready to
describe details, if asked. |
Example: I
was assigned to a team to create an employee orientation program at
a local company for my Organizational Behavior class. One of our team
members wasn't showing up for our meetings, despite constant reminders
of their importance. His behavior was affecting the performance and
morale of the entire group. |
A |
Action: Describe the specific action you took
to remedy the task or situation. |
Example:
I decided to meet with the student in private, and explained the
frustration of the rest of the team, and asked him if there was
anything I could do to help. He told me that he was preoccupied with
another class that he wasn't passing, so I found someone to help him
with the other course. |
R |
Result:
Explain the result of your action. Make sure that the outcome reflects
positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable). |
Example:
After I found someone to help the student with his other course, he was
not only able to spend more time on our project, but he was also
grateful to me for helping him out. We finished our project on time,
and got a "B" on it. |
Sample Question: A behavioral
interviewer might ask:
"Tell me about a difficulty you have faced at work
and what steps you took to overcome it."
S
T |
Situation
or Task:
Describe a specific situation or task you have encountered that will
make a point about one of your skills or strengths. Be ready to
describe details, if asked. |
Example:
Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper,the
Stetson Reporter, and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not
renewing contracts. |
A |
Action: Describe the specific action you took
to remedy the task or situation. |
Example:
I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and
compared the benefits of Reporter circulation with other ad media in
the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account
executives with a School of Business Administration professor who
discussed competitive selling strategies. |
R |
Result:
Explain the result of your action. Make sure that the outcome reflects
positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable). |
Example:
We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five
for special supplements. We increased our new advertisers by 20 percent
[quantities are always good] over the same period last year. |
Click here for a sample list of
behavioral interview questions.
|
|