Transcript Interviewing Skills - Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Interviewing Skills
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Interviewing Skills
Tips and Tricks for a Great Interview
Interviewing Skills
What is the purpose of the interview?
• A way to see firsthand what the organization is like
• Gather information about the position
• Determine fit with the organization and position
• Tell the hiring manager/committee about your skills
Interviewing Skills
What to do before the interview:
• Research the organization
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Mission/Vision/Values
Company History
Products and/or Services
Interviewer Profile
• Plan ahead
• Map/Directions
• Parking
• Select appropriate attire
• Organizational Culture
• Industry
• Personality
• Comfort
• Mock Interviews
Interviewing Skills
• Research the organization
• Company website
• Industry websites
• Online (Google, Glass Door, Vault)
• Personal Network
• Friends and Family
• Professional Network
• Professional Associations
• Professors and Colleagues
• LinkedIn
Interviewing Skills
• Interview Attire
• Business Professional
• Business Casual
• Business Creative
• Industry Quirks
• Dress for Success Workshops
Interviewing Skills
• Practice
• Get Your Story Straight
• Mock Interviews
• Behavioral Interview
• STAR Technique
• Technical Interview
• Questions for the Hiring Committee
Interviewing Skills
• Behavioral Interviewing
• Not the typical "Tell me about your strengths and
weaknesses" questions
• Instead, you'll be asked to provide specific examples of past
experience highlighting skills that are necessary for the job
• Use STAR Technique to answer based on
• Class projects and extracurricular activities
• Internships and professional experience
• Volunteer experience
Interviewing Skills
• Purpose of Behavioral Interviewing
• To use past behavior to predict future behavior
• To determine the potential for success
• To look for evidence of desired traits
Interviewing Skills
Examples of Desired Traits
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Problem solving skills
• Conflict management
• Initiative
• Leadership
• Intercultural competence
• Continuous learning
• Influence
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Business Acumen
Interviewing Skills
Common Behavioral Interviewing Questions:
• Describe a time when you needed to persuade a person or
group to do something they didn't want to do.
• Tell me about a time when you faced a lot of obstacles to
achieving a goal.
• Talk about a stressful situation you've experienced. How did
you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you failed.
Interviewing Skills
Common Behavioral Interviewing Questions:
• Tell me about a project or role that you've taken on that is
outside your job description.
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond at
work without being asked.
• Describe a time when you had trouble seeing eye to eye with
a colleague. How did you handle the situation?
• Give me an example of when you worked with a group or
team of people to complete a project.
Interviewing Skills
Common Behavioral Interviewing Questions:
• Tell me about a time that you received a significant amount
of critical feedback. How did you handle the situation?
• Talk about a time when you were faced with a difficult
decision and describe how it turned out.
• Give me an example of a time when you were forced to make
an important decision without all of the necessary
information.
Interviewing Skills
• Answer behavioral interviewing questions using the STAR
technique
Be able to describe the
• Situation or Task
situation or task in 60-90
seconds.
• Action
• Result
• Positive outcome OR
• What you learned from past mistakes
Interviewing Skills
• Behavioral Interviewing/STAR Technique Preparation
• Think about situations which match typical behavioral
interviewing questions
• Write down related experiences using the STAR method
• Practice talking about the experience
• You may want to record (audio or video) yourself
• Optimal resume has mock interview module
• During the interview, answer questions succinctly
• Avoid rambling
Interviewing Skills
STAR Technique Practice: Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership at work.
S/T
During my last semester of school, I completed an internship at XYZ Corp. I was the first intern the
department had ever had, and they decided they wanted to continue with an official internship
program. In order to successfully launch this program, my supervisor asked me to create and
administer a training curriculum for the new, incoming interns.
A
To complete this task, I outlined all the procedures the new interns would need to learn about
such as……... Next, I created a three day training agenda covering these topics. Finally, I facilitated it
to four new interns.
R
The training was a huge success. On a survey completed after the training, all four interns rated the
program a 10 out of 10 in the areas of usefulness and creativity. In addition, each intern rated my
communication and leadership styles as “Excellent.”
Interviewing Skills
Be careful! Behavioral Interviewing Pitfalls:
• Too much information is shared (TMI)
• Potential weaknesses are exposed
• Redundant responses
• Don’t use the same example (or two) for every question
• Off target or abstract answers
• Incomplete answers (Most common)
Interviewing Skills
• Technical Interviewing
• Assess knowledge and expertise related to job scope
• Evaluate job competency level
• Probing questions may be used to
• Gain specifics
• Discover truthfulness of resume information
• Clarify understanding
• Questions vary depending on area of expertise, job
Interviewing Skills
• Technical Interview Preparation
• Go through job description
• Find key words
• Formulate your own questions related to those skills
• Practice answering those questions
• Be clear about your role in group projects
• Research anything you are unclear about
Interviewing Skills
• Technical Interview Preparation Example
• Job description indicates a need for experience with
PSpice
• Be able to articulate what PSpice is
• Be able to explain your experience with PSpice
• What is the most complex project you have done with
PSpice? Describe it.
• Be able to explain what PSpice is best suited for (or not well
suited for)
Interviewing Skills
Critical Thinking Questions:
• Evaluate critical thinking skills
• Assess how candidates deal with unexpected situations
• It is ok to think the problem through, you don’t need to
answer immediately; employers would rather have someone
who thinks things through than one who speaks without
thinking
Interviewing Skills
Examples of Critical Thinking Questions:
• Why are manhole covers round?
• A car is travelling along a highway carrying helium balloons in the rear
seat. The car has a head on collision and comes to a rapid stop. Which
direction do the balloons travel? Why?
• If you have a refrigerator in a room and leave the door of the refrigerator
open, what happens to the temperature of the room?
• On a canoe in a pool, you take a 16 pound bowling ball out of the canoe
and throw it in the pool. What happens to the water level of the pool?
Interviewing Skills
Other Common Interview Questions:
• Tell me about yourself
• Why did you choose your major?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about this company?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What are your strengths and/or weaknesses?
Interviewing Skills
How to Handle These Other Common Interview Questions:
• Be honest
• Do your research before the interview
• Ideally, strengths should relate to job skills
• Weaknesses should NOT be a critical job skill
Interviewing Skills
Other Interviewing Tips:
• No one ‘right’ answer
• Conversation
• Assess fit
Interviewing Skills
• Questions for the Hiring Manager/Committee
• How would you describe the company’s culture and leadership
philosophy?
• Could you give me some examples of projects that I’d be working on?
• What is the single largest problem facing your staff, and would I be in a
position to help you solve this problem?
• Is this a new position, or did someone leave? If someone left, why did
they leave or what did they go on to do?
• What would you say are the three most important skills needed to excel
in this position?
Interviewing Skills
Common Interview Mistakes:
• Not preparing/learning about the organization
• Coming without copies of your resume, work example, and a
padfolio to take notes
• Inappropriate clothing, perfume, accessories choices
• Leaving phone on
• Arriving late (or way too early)
• Treating the receptionist or other staff rudely
• Asking about vacation and benefits
Interviewing Skills
Common Interview Mistakes:
• Talking too much or talking in circles
• Verbal tics (Umm, Like, You know)
• Badmouthing past employers and/or colleagues
• Not asking questions of them
• Not enough or too much eye contact
• Limp or crushing handshake
Interviewing Skills
The Travel Interview:
• Assume you are being interviewed at all times
• Use travel time to prepare
• Check in at front desk/security early
• Turn cell phone off
• Store any extra items (luggage, coat, etc)
• Review materials
Interviewing Skills
The Restaurant Interview:
• Use good manners
• This is still an interview, not lunch with friends
• Some employers will work with restaurant staff to
deliberately test how you handle difficult situations
• Potential employer pays
• Do NOT pay or offer to pay
Interviewing Skills
The Committee Interview:
• Multiple interviewers at the same time
• Different perspectives, skills, and experiences
• Engage everyone on the hiring committee
• Tailor answers to different audiences
• Make eye contact with everyone at some point
Interviewing Skills
The Group Interview:
• One or more interviewer and many job candidates
interviewing at the same time
• Use good manners
• Stand out but do not dismiss or belittle the competition
• Engage others in the group
Interviewing Skills
Illegal Interview Questions in the US and
How to Handle Them
• Race, ethnicity, cultural identity
• Religion
• Disability status
• Pregnancy
If you are interviewing for work in another country, these
questions may be legal.
Interviewing Skills
Illegal Interview Questions and How to Handle Them:
• Answer anyway
• Refuse to answer and indicate why
• Answer the question you think they’re actually trying to
ask
Interviewing Skills
Intercultural Competence:
• If you are an international student applying for jobs in the
US or if you are a US student applying for expat positions
• Research interview expectations and cultural
differences BEFORE the interview
• GoingGlobal, via Sun Devil CareerLink, has excellent
resources
• Adapt accordingly
Interviewing Skills
What to bring to the interview:
• Copies of Resume/CV
• Clean and Unfolded
• Copy of Job Description
• Folio
• Black, Brown, Oxblood
• Leather or other
professional material
• Reference Sheet
• Portfolio
• Paper
• Electronic
• Notepad and Pen
• Questions for them
Interviewing Skills
What to do before you leave:
• Smile
• Ask about the hiring timeline
• Say ‘Thank You’
• Affirm your interest in the position
• Shake hands
• Firm
• Confident
Interviewing Skills
• Follow Up
• Thank you note(s)
• Handwritten
• Electronic
• Forward requested materials
Interviewing Skills
• Thank You Note
• Handwritten
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Write or type the note out first on
scratch paper or your computer
BEFORE writing on professional
stationary.
More formal organizations
When hiring timeline allows
Write and send within 24 hours
Send to every interviewer, if possible
Proofread
Interviewing Skills
• Thank You Note
• Email
• Less formal organizations
• Short hiring timeline
• Write and send within 24 hours
• Possible weekend exceptions
• Send to every interviewer, if possible
• Proofread
Interviewing Skills
• Resources
• ASU Fulton Engineering Career Center
• http://more.engineering.asu.edu/career/
• University Career Services
• https://eoss.asu.edu/cs
For More Information
Connect with Fulton Engineering
Career Center
Phone: (480) 965-2966
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://engineering.asu.edu/career
Sun Devil CareerLink: MyASU>Campus Services>Jobs & Careers>Sun
Devil CareerLink
Facebook: Engineering Career Center Arizona State University
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