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Ace Your Interview
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Ace Your Interview
INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
What can this person add to our organization?
Express desire to work for company
What's the purpose?
Interview employer
Showcase skills, education, and experience
Remember...
Interviews start when you first make contact with the company. Next, when the employers calls you.
The phone call...
- Find a quiet place
- Speak clearly and listen carefully
- Write everything down: name, date, time, contact number and address where interview will be
Senses of a Successful Interview
Senses of a successful interview
Sight
- Dress appropriately for your interview
- Clothes should be clean and ironed
- Hair should be styled neatly
- Never chew gum during an interview
- Facial hair should be clean shaven or trimmed
Hearing
- Speak with a professional tone
- Don't be too loud or too quiet
- Avoid slang terms and definitely do NOT swear
- Try not to say "um" "ah" "you know" or "like"
Smell
- HYGIENE!
- Brush your teeth and do not smoke prior to your interview
- Shower, use deodorant
- Be careful with cologne or perfume
Touch
- Always greet your interviewer with a firm handshake
- It is not appropriate to touch or hug your interviewer
Touch
PREPARE
- Research the company
- Map it out
- PRACTICE!!
- Review your resume and the job description
- Prepare your interview questions
Employers are looking!
Social Media
TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Phone Interviews
Phone Interviews
- Find a quiet environment
- Have pen and paper ready
- Be aware of tone of voice
- Have questions ready
Traditional Interviews
Traditional Interviews
- One-on-one
- Panel Interviews
- Both in one day!
- Have plenty copies of your resume
Virtual Interview Tips...
Virtual Interviews
- Prepare Questions
- Appearance
- Location
- Light & Audio
- Test
"You will never get a second chance to make a first impression."
INTERVIEW STEPS
ARRIVAL
ARRIVAL
Arrive early and arrive alone
Check your appearance
Introduce yourself to the receptionist
Wait patiently; avoid looking at cell phone
BEGINNING THE INTERVIEW
BEGINNING THE INTERVIEW
Greet interviewer by name; shake hand
Wait until you have been asked to be seated
Build rapport with interviewer - be personal and friendly!
DURING THE INTERVIEW
- Eye contact
- Posture
- Smile
- Open stance
QUESTIONS
Tell me about yourself
Tell me about yourself
- Icebreaker question; purpose is to make you feel more comfortable during the interview process
- Insight into your personality; determine if you're a good fit for the job
- Formula: Present, Past, Future - what led you to be interested in THIS position?
Example
“Well, I’m currently an account executive at Smith, where I handle our top performing client. Before that, I worked at an agency where I was on three different major national healthcare brands. And while I really enjoyed the work that I did, I’d love the chance to dig in much deeper with one specific healthcare company, which is why I’m so excited about this opportunity with Metro Health Center.”
Strengths
Focus on your strengths
- Interviewer wants to know if your strengths align with the needs of the company and the qualifications for the job
- List your strongest skills that match the job (2 to 3)
- Examples:
"I have an extremely strong work ethic. When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule. Last year, I even earned a bonus for completing my three most recent reports one week ahead of time."
"I pride myself on my customer service skills and my ability to resolve what could be difficult situations. With five years of experience as a customer service associate, I have learned to effectively understand and resolve customer issues."
Weaknesses
What is your greatest weakness?
- Discuss non-essential skills for the job
- Do NOT say that you have none
- Don’t offer a list of weaknesses
- What are some unacceptable answers?
- Trying to gauge your self awareness and honesty! Also potential red flags
Example
“I get impatient with myself if a task is taking too long and sometimes I have to calm down and take a step back rather than pushing myself.”
Always follow up with how you are working to overcome your weakness
Behavioral questions
Behavioral questions...
Tell me about a time when you...
- Worked well under pressure/stress?
- Handled a difficult situation with a co-worker
- Were creative in solving a problem
- Were forced to make an unpopular decision
- Had to deal with an angry/upset customer
Behavioral questions
- Interviewers ask these questions so they can assess how you've coped with challenges in the past.
- Prepare three answers for these types of questions:
Situation
Action
Result
- Limit your examples to situations you handled well
Questions for me?
Do you have any questions for me?
- Please describe a typical day on the job
- Are there opportunities for advancement?
- What's the most challenging part of this position?
- What is the company culture like?
- Always have something!
Salary
What about salary?
If the salary is not listed, you can inquire during the initial phone conversation, if you feel comfortable.
Example:
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I want to be respectful of your time. Could you give me a sense of the salary range before we move forward?”
CLOSING THE INTERVIEW
- THANK the interviewer
- Give him/her a firm HANDSHAKE
- Restate your INTEREST in the job
- Use the NAME of the interviewer
- Get and confirm the CONTACT information of the interviewer
FOLLOW-UP
- Ask the interviewer when they think a decision will be made
- Follow up with a phone call/email after the date that was given, if you haven't heard from them
- Send a thank you note within 24hrs from the interview