Effective Interviewing Strategies

Be The Star In Every Interview!

HOW TO WOW THEM IN AN INTERVIEW

The interview is one of the most important steps to getting a job. The cover letter and resume can interest an employer, but the interview will make or break your chances of landing the job.

It is normal to be nervous and scared, but being prepared will help you do your very best.

Do I Have To Interview?

It is demonstrated examples of behavior from past experiences that concentrate on job related functions.

Behavioral interview questions can be…Open ended: These often begin with “Tell Me…”,

“Describe…”,”When”.Close-ended: Used most often to verify or confirm

information. Why questions: Used to reveal rationale for

decisions made or level of motivation

What Is Behavioral Interviewing?

Job seekers who learn this method of interviewing are:Better prepared for traditional interviews.Have more knowledge about the skills they

possess.Can prove to the employer that they are different

from their competition by identifying their skills and accomplishments.

Practicing just the list of common interview questions doesn’t work anymore!

Why Behavioral Interviewing?

Skills

Everyone has hundreds of skills, yet most people can only identify a few.

Duties are the basic functions of the activity, skills are the tools used to accomplish the activity.

Skills can be broken into three categories:Occupational Skills (typing, customer service)Performance Based Skills that you use every day

to get along with others and to survive (patience, flexibility, tactfulness

Transferable Skills This category includes the first two categories.

Skills Identification

What Are Transferable Skills?

Attention to Detail AssertivenessCreativityCommunication Commitment to taskCopingDecision MakingDedicationDependability

Flexibility Understanding Policy and ProceduresPositive Attitude Problem SolvingRecord of SuccessTeam BuildingWritten Communication

Identifying skills is not an easy task. Most of us feel we have “no skills”. Usually we say “I was just a ____________”

for example:I was just a waitress.

Start by reviewing job duties and identifying what skills were used. Asking questions about what they did will help “jog” their memory.

Identifying Skills

Some sample questions for this occupation may be…Did you ever have to deal with an angry customer?

Problem solving

Did you ever have repeat customers and why?Customer service

What happen when you ran out of a special menu item?Problem solving, Customer service

Did you have to balance the till? Make out bank deposits? What happened when you were short and how did you explain it?Money handling, communication, problem solving

Gathering Information

The Interview

What does the Interviewer look for?They are looking to see if your technical skills

match the job requirementsThey ask specific questions to see if you will be a

good match for a particular teamThey look for “specific qualities or behaviors” to

ensure that you will be successful on the job

The Interview

It is a way to answer behavioral questions that allows for the best response, while proving that the experience is true.

Situation Task Action Result

What is ‘STAR’?

Can you give me an example of a time you worked on a team to finish a project? What was your contribution?

Describe one of the most demanding assignments you’ve had. What problems did you encounter and how did you solve them?

Tell me about a presentation you had to give or a project you had to do. How did you prepare for it?

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions

How do I answer using STAR?Situation - briefly describe where you were

working Task - the job you were assigned Action - discuss in detail the actions you took Result - the result of those actionsYou will be able to provide the interviewer with

proven examples of your accomplishments and be the star interviewee

Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

Describe the employer, location, or area where you were working to give the interviewer the “big picture.” You don’t need to be too detailed.

I worked at ABC Company as a Supervisor in the Shipping and Receiving Department.

SITUATION

Describe the job or task you were assigned.

Part of my job was to train newly hired employees in using our highly technical equipment as well as in company policies and procedures.

TASK

Describe the action you took. (Use “I”)

I showed Fred, our new employee, how to safely set-up and operate the computerized weighing equipment. I also taught Fred how to inspect the packages to ensure the weight and labels matched. I continued to ask him questions to make sure that he understood all the instructions I had given him.

ACTION

Tell the results of the action you took, be sure to use numbers where applicable.

I checked in with Fred on a regular basis during his initial training and as a result he became a well trained team member, not only in the equipment he was to use, but also in understanding how the procedures we used affected our department and the company.

RESULT

PRACTICING QUESTIONS

Do not name anyone! Talk about a specific personality and what you do to assist your team member to be successful.

On a team, I find it hard to work with people who don’t seem to care and avoid the hard tasks. What I have found, is that many times they aren’t aware of the teams expectations or how to accomplish specific tasks. I take the time to check in with team members and have offered my assistance with their tasks. This results in the whole team reaching the desired goal.

What kind of people bug you?

When I was at DDS Company we purchased a telephone system for our office. It was computer- ized. My co-worker was assigned as the administrator. She had a car accident and was going to be gone from work for several weeks.

My supervisor asked me to take over some of her duties. I was not trained on the telephone system, but found a video teaching tape and her book in a file cabinet.

As it turned out, I needed to make some administrative changes to the system.

Tell Me About a Problem You Solved?

I watched the video and read the book. I followed the instructions and was able to make most of the changes. There was a specific function I could not program so I contacted the company who sold us the system. Through their help line, I was able to complete the changes.

I learned to set up mail boxes, groups, change and forward messages, and set up a time manager. These new skills made me a more valuable employee.

PREPARING TO INTERVIEW

Positive first impression

Dress appropriately and neatlyBe on time or a little early Research the company

Be prepared with paperBring copies of the resume and referencesBring a pencil and a pad of paper for notes.

First Impression

Speak up, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself!

Listen closely to the interviewer. Show a real interest in the company and the job. Sell yourself! Tell the employer about your abilities and good qualities. Know what value you bring to the company. Answer all questions carefully and honestly. Be as positive as you can.

Make A Good Impression

Be Professional

Greet your interviewer with eye contact and a SMILEShake hands firmly Sit up straight, look attentive, do not cross your arms (crossing your arms tells the employer you’re not interested)

Make A Good Impression

Before the interview, take a few deep breaths, inhale through your nose and blow out through your mouth. This will help you relax your muscles and help you relax mentally too.

Do some self-talk about how you are the perfect match for the job!

Make A Good Impression

The questions the interviewer asks helps them decide if you are the right person for the job.The questions you ask the interviewer helps you decide if this is the right place for you to be.

Why Ask Questions?

Write down at least three questions that you feel are important to you and take these to the interview.

Don’t ask questions that say “What’s in it for me?” Such as; “when is my first day off?”.Ask questions such as:

Why did you choose to work for this company?How will my performance be evaluated?What is the most difficult task I will be doing?What is the process you use when training for this position?

Ask The Interviewer

Interview Don’tsDon’t

Take a friend or a relative with you (unless you need an interpreter )Act either too shy or too aggressive (balance)Say anything negative about other peopleBe late. Call the employer as soon as possible and explain why. Ask if you can arrange a new interview time.

Make A Good Impression

Thank the interviewer for his or her time.Ask what the next steps will be (such as a second interview)Ask when they plan to make a decisionTell them you are interested in the job (only if you are!)Ask for a business card(s) of the interviewer(s)Send a thank you note

Closing the Interview