Successful Interviewing

Successfully managing the interview is a critical step in getting any job. The interview
provides the employer with an opportunity to get to know you and more importantly
the skills you have to contribute to the organization. Although interviews are
naturally anxiety-producing there are many strategies that will help you manage the
situation e!ectively. There is no set formula for predicting the format of an interview
since the organization"s priorities and interviewer styles vary however you can
anticipate typical #uestions and you can prepare for them. $t is also important that
you know yourself well enough to concretely describe yourself in the interview
context.
Before the Interview: Know Yourself
The best preparation is to know yourself% your skills and abilities your talents and
your values. &egin by taking the time to assess yourself.
Think of '-( skills or #ualities that you possess that you would use to describe
yourself. )ore importantly begin to identify examples of how you have used
those skills.
Take some time to think about your past. *ow did you develop the skills you
have. +hat did you do in high school or in college that made you who you are
today, -id you learn teamwork from sports, -id you learn the value of
practice from mastering a musical instrument, -id you learn problem solving
through jobs you held,
.ook at the job description and the re#uirements of the job. +hat skills do
you have that directly match the position, $f they are looking for someone
with teamwork or leadership skills and you have developed those skills then
you will want to emphasize that in the interview.
/inally look over your resume and see if your resume ade#uately includes
words and descriptions that will convey your skills to an employer. +rite
outlines for your answers to anticipated #uestions then rehearse them out
loud for practice. This can increase your con0dence.
Before the Interview: Know the Company
&efore each interview take time to research the company.
1now the company"s website well.
Take time to look how the company has performed 0nancially.
1now what service or product the company provides.
1now the values of the company their mission statement and their guiding
principles.
2esearch the company and be prepared to explain how the company 0ts your
criteria for your ideal employer. $f you are extremely interested in the
company take time to also do research on the industry.
+hat are the key issues in the industry, /or example if you are interviewing
with a pharmaceutical company know what is happening in the health care
industry.
*ow are current events impacting the industry,
*ow is the industry addressing environmental issues, $s this company
embracing the changes taking place, *ow,
See our handout on 3ompany 2esearch% 4reparing for the $nterview for more detailed
information about a strategic approach to researching companies.
&efore the $nterview% 1now *ow to $nterview
1now the basics of interviewing.
-ress in conservative business attire.
1now the precise time and place of the interview and how long it will take you
to get to the interview so you will be early and have a few minutes to
compose yourself before the interview.
Spend some time thinking and preparing about #uestions you would like to
ask based on the research you did.
*ave a strong introduction that begins to highlight your skills and how you
developed them.
&e able to 5walk the interviewer through your resume6
Take a pad and pen along with you for any notes you wish to make after the
interview 7do not take notes during the interview.8
4ractice answering typical #uestions with a friend or other 5mock interviewer.6
2eview fre#uently asked #uestions from library resources or google
5behavioral based interview #uestions6 9 be able to use the STA2 approach to
answering #uestions.
3onvert opinion into fact by preparing speci0c examples of your
accomplishments as illustrations of your skills:abilities:traits.
Schedule your ;<$3 mock interview for access to /isher on campus interviews
and for constructive feedback regarding your interviewing
strengths:weaknesses.
See additional handouts in this section on Sample Interview Questions and
Questions to Ask in an Interview.
During the Interview
$f you have done your research on yourself the company the industry and how to
interview now you need to focus on the delivery of the information during the
interview.
Stress the positive points about yourself in a con0dent factual and honest
manner.
&e concise and speci0c when representing yourself.
Sixty percent of communication is nonverbal%
o &e sensitive to your nonverbal behaviors% handshake eye contact
posture tone nervous habits.
o &e sensitive to the interviewer"s nonverbal behavior and respond to it.
&e aware of the tone of the interview =the interviewer may be trying to see
how you react to stress>.
3onvey enthusiasm about the position.
Take time to re?ect in a #uiet manner if necessary before answering =process
your thoughts>.
Avoid speaking negatively about yourself or others.
4olitely ask for clari0cation of a #uestion which you do not fully understand.
1now and use the interviewer"s name.
2aise #uestions at the appropriate time@ this shows interest in the position.
&efore you leave ask about the next step after the interview summarize your
0t with the position and thank the interviewer for their time.
$f you enjoyed the interview and are still enthusiastic make sure to let them
know itA
After the Interview
+rite thank you letters to interviewers within BC hours of the interview.
2e?ect on and write down points of the interview that you felt good
about:need to improve.
Assess outcomes realistically.
/ollow up if necessary within the time frame provided by the interviewer.
Behavioral Interviews
Since research has indicated that the interview is not always the most e!ective
means of selecting employees almost all companies now use behavioral interviews
to get students to provide examples of how they have used various skills or shown
various #ualities. $nterviewers assume that past performance is a predictor of future
behavior. Therefore #uestions are targeted to measure your potential in several
critical areas such as leadership problem solving and decision-making by asking
you to cite speci0c examples of your past performance in each of the designated
areas. A successful framework to use in answering these kinds of #uestions is
referred to as STA2%
Situation% describe a problem decision project etc.
Task% what were the major tasks involved,
Action% what did you do,
Result% what were the outcomes of your actions,
2esponses to these types of #uestions must be prepared ahead of time@ think about
various situations from work classes or activities. Be extremely careful about using
examples from your personal life (i.e. roommates, girlfriends, drinking buddies, etc.
See the handout in this section called Sample Interview Questions for a list of sample
behavioral #uestions.
Case Interviews
3onsulting 0rms have raised the ante for those who want to work in their industry by
utilizing case studies as part of the interview process and several other companies
are using case interviews for a variety of positions. &y presenting an actual business
problem and expecting a well-formulated and concise response to possible solutions
recruiters are testing candidates" abilities to listen analyze and solve problems on
their feet. There are many web sites devoted to preparing for case interviews. To
learn more about case interviewing see the handout% An Introduction to !ase
Interviews.
anaging Di!cult Interview Situations
"ow to Stay #raceful in a Stress Interview$
Stress interviews test how well you react to pressure.
)ost commonly used in investment banking stress interviewing is the deliberate
creation of an uncomfortable situation in order to test how the candidate reacts to
pressure. The ethics of this kind of interviewing are #uestionable and it is far from
certain that the stress created is similar to what would occur on the job.
*owever it"s also true that one person"s stress situation is another person"s fair if
tough #uestion.
Some of common e%amples of stress&creating techni'ues are:
The interviewer doesn"t say anything for the 0rst 0ve or ten minutes of the
interview.
The interviewer is reading the paper when the candidate comes into the room.
The interviewer asks a tough #uestion right o! the bat without even
introducing himself.
The interviewer challenges your answer by disagreeing with you.
The interviewer pauses for a long time after listening to your response.
The interviewer ridicules your background.
The interviewer takes you into a department meeting with no introduction.
The interviewer is deliberately very late then keeps looking at his or her
watch.
The interviewer pretends to fall asleep.
"ow might you han(le such a situation) if you still want the
*o+,
$f the interviewer ignores you when you walk in the room just dive in with something
like 5$"d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you why $ think $"m
the right person for this job.6 After a long pause you might say 54erhaps $ didn"t
make myself clear.6 Then explain your previous response. $f the manager ridicules
your background you could say 54erhaps you expected di!erent #uali0cations but
these have served me well so far and $ intend to continue to build on them.6 $f the
manager thrusts you into a department meeting without an introduction just
introduce yourself and ask the other people for their names then explain that you
are happy to meet them and learn more about the department. $f the interviewer
pretends to fall asleep write a note saying 5$ enjoyed meeting you6 put it in front of
the interviewer and rise to leave. 3hances are you"ll get the interviewer"s full
attention.
The important thing if you"re unfortunate enough to encounter this form of
interviewing is to keep your cool maintain your dignity and 0nd a way to use the
situation to your advantage.
" #$ow to Stay %raceful in a Stress Interview& reprinted wit' permission of
wetfeet.com.
-.ectively anaging Touchy Interview /uestions
There you are in an interview and the interviewer asks you a #uestion about your
age marital status plans for a family or any of a number of potentially discriminatory
#uestions. Dou know these #uestions are illegal@ an interviewer would have to show a
consistent policy of asking the same #uestions of all applicants and further would
have to show that the #uestions related to #uali0cations for the job. +hat are your
options when faced with such #uestions,
Dou could%
answer the #uestion
challenge the employer as to why he:she is asking the #uestion
suggest you would be happy to answer the #uestion but ask the employer to
explain how this #uestion relates to your #uali0cations for the position
or you could acknowledge that you realize that there are many sides to every
individual including a personal side that often includes family children marriage
religion just to name a few. *owever you then can emphasize how important your
career is to you and that you are sure that you will be able to give your full
commitment to your career and 0nd a balance between your professional life and
your personal life.
$f you should get such a #uestion especially during an interview conducted through
the EFce of 3areer )anagement please contact a sta! member to talk about the
situation in detail.