Interviewing: purpose, process, and preparation

February 4, 2016CEO Session #4

Joe Bucher, Assistant Director

Agenda• Purpose• Process• Preparation • Navigating interview questions

Today’s goals -Knowledge-Skills & Abilities-Confidence-Chances of interview success

-Stress -Anxiety

-Uncertainty

“What you do speaks so loudly, that I cannot hear what you say.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

Non-verbal impact on the interview

• Attire/grooming• Body language• What you brought to interview• Posture• Hand shake• Eye contact• Facial expressions

Employer Purpose

Identify the match between employer/team and the candidate.

Meta-questions:

1. Why should we hire you? (skills)

2. Why do you want to work here? (interests)

3. How will you fit and contribute? (values)

Potential Employee Purpose

Identify the match between you and the team/organization.

Meta-questions:

1. Will I be satisfied by what I am doing?

2. Will I enjoy how I do it?

3. Is there a match between the demands of this job and my values?

4. Does the style of the team (supervisor) match with

my style?

You are the recruiter (again)

Goal: In a team of 3, develop three interview questions that you would want to ask of a potential hire.

Steps:1. Form a team of 32. Review the job description3. Make note of specific skills,

duties, and experiences related to the role.

4. Create questions and report back to the group.

Process: types of interviews

-Phone/Skype/Video

-Individual

-Panel

-Group

-Behavioral

-”Casual” -Case study

Where might internship and full-time jobs differ?

Preparation: Research them• Glassdoor• LinkedIn, Twitter, web site, blogs (http://www.fiercebiotech.com/)• Google alerts • Informational Interviews• Job Description • Possible competitors or similar organizations

Preparation: Know yourself • What is unique to you

and why is that of benefit to them?

• How are you a match with the department?

Preparation: Asking questions about the process

• How long will the interview be? • Who will I be interviewing with?• How many rounds will there be?• Is there anything that you would like me to bring to the

interview?

Types of interview questions

• Tell me about yourself (resume screen, open-ended)• Why haven’t you/You seem to lack…(stress)• Highlight a specific time (behavioral)• What would you do? (case/simulation)• What is your #$#$##$? (abstract)

Behavioral Interview Questions: SAR Model

• Situation• Action• Response

Tips• Be prepared to answer with specific examples• Focus on YOUR actions with examples that highlight your

thought process, experience, and skills• Review common questions and think of stories • Practice and get feedback• Don't be selective in how you read job descriptions.

Your questions for them

Next Steps• Examine potential interview questions and prepare• Practice and receive feedback• Develop a “bank” of responses for behavioral questions • Appointment with the SoMCC for a mock interview• Ask others about their interview experiences• Create a shared doc of questions with others

Questions?School of Medicine Career Centerhttp://med.stanford.edu/careercenter/