Not Just to Get a Job

Interviewing Skills & Strategies

Not just to get a job  Internships  Graduate Schools  Assistantships  Volunteer Opportunities  Leadership Opportunities

Know Yourself  Review your skills in relation to the position.  Know your resume/application well. Look at ways that your qualifications meet the job description/admissions requirements.  Are there things NOT on your resume or application that are relevant?  Recognize your weaknesses and develop a plan for downplaying these weaknesses in the interview.

Do Your Homework  Read the job description carefully.  Study the company website. Review their mission and values.  Read articles and press releases about the organization.  Talk to insiders.  What are they looking for in a candidate?  Why are you interested in the position?  How are you a fit with the company/organization?

Practice  Familiarize yourself with potential interview questions.  Practice, practice, practice - with yourself, family, friends or a professional.  Schedule a mock interview

Preparation  Location of the interview  Time of the interview  Travel time, parking, etc.  Who will be interviewing you

Interview Attire

 Standard job interviewing attire for women is a conservative black, navy or gray skirt or pant suit. Other colors such as beige or brown are also acceptable  For men: conservative black, navy or gray two-piece business suit, a long-sleeved button-down dress shirt, and tie  Clean and polished dress shoes  Well-groomed hairstyle  Cleaned and trimmed fingernails  Minimal cologne or perfume  No visible body piercing beyond conservative ear piercings for women  Well-brushed teeth and fresh breath  No gum, candy, or other objects in your mouth  Minimal jewelry  No body odor

Interview Day  Know where you are going; arrive about 15 minutes early.  Be polite to every person you encounter.  Start with a firm (not too firm) handshake.  Convey a positive attitude. Smile.  Demonstrate your enthusiasm, willingness to learn and desire to be part of a team.  Energy level and eye contact are very important.  Your personal experience with the interview will depend a lot on WHO interviews you.

Types of Interviews & Questions INTERVIEWS: QUESTIONS:  Individual  Open-ended  Committee  Behavioral  Group/task  Hypothetical  Open  Current events  Blind  Ethical/philosophical  Semi-blind  Other/quirky questions

Behavioral Interviews  “Tell me about a time when…”  Premise: The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance  Employers/schools predetermine which skills are most important to them  They ask pointed questions to determine if the candidate possesses those skills  Knowing what skills they want can help you predict which types of questions they will ask  Your weaknesses may also be clues to potential questions

Create Your Story Step 1: Develop a list of skills they’re looking for in a candidate Step 2: Create 3-5 stories (for each skill) that demonstrate successful use of each of these skills Step 3: Structure your stories using the following technique: STAR or SAR  Briefly describe the Situation/Task  Describe the Action steps you took to work through it (strategically weave in your skills & strengths)  Describe the Result or outcome of the situation (+) Example STAR answer Situation (S)/Task (T): Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper, the Stetson Reporter, and large numbers of long- term advertisers were not renewing contracts.

Action (A): 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.

Result (R): 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.

Questions for them  Compile a list of questions to ask the employer/school based on what you want or need to know. Ask something that has meaning to you  Be prepared to ask 2-5 questions, depending on the amount of time remaining in the interview  Prepare about 10 questions, as the interviewer may answer some of your questions during the interview itself  It’s OK to ask questions during the interview; you don’t have to save them all for the end  Do NOT ask things that could have been answered by doing your research

Closing the Interview  Summarize why you are qualified  State strengths/qualities you may have forgotten to emphasize earlier  If you are still interested, SAY SO!  Find out what happens next - get a timeline.  Make sure you have business cards of the person(s) who interviewed you

After the Interview  Make notes of important info from the interview  Send a thank you card/letter within 24 hours  Provide any additional materials they may have requested during the interview  Follow-up  Interviewing Resources www.career.colostate.edu www.quintcareers.com