Purpose: assessment of your attitude and character as well as how well you would work Doing well is about following rules or right answers: No right answers. Leave a positive impression Research the company Prepare questions to ask employers Know your resume, cover letter etc Always keep one copy for yourself and bring it to the interview. Practice interview techniques and sample questions Eye contact, clear answers
Strategies for a successful interview Business Communications Overview ● ● ● ● Preparing for interview Answering questions Traditional Behavioral Questions to ask Employers Next steps What employers look for? Skills Employers Look for: ● ● ● ● ● ● Communications Skills Teamwork Leadership Energy Flexibility Creativity Purpose of Interview ● ● ● Purpose: assessment of your attitude and character as well as how well you would work Doing well is about following rules or "right" answers: No right answers Leave a positive impression What tips would you give someone when preparing for an interview? Preparing for the Interview ● ● Research the company ● Prepare questions to ask employers Know your resume, cover letter etc ● ● Always keep one copy for yourself and bring it to the interview Practice interview techniques and sample questions ● Eye contact, clear answers Before Interview Day ● Map out location ● ● Presentation ● ● Arrive early 15 minutes early dress as if you worked there every day Have a good attitude ● Positive, enthusiasm, confidence What are some questions that interviewers ask? Traditional Questions ● Purpose: Assess your knowledge of yourself and position Example: ●Tell me about yourself ●What are your strengths and weaknesses ●Why should we hire you? ●Why you want to work here What is your weakness? [SKILL] “I’ve never been very comfortable with public speaking – which as you know, can be a hindrance in the workplace [ACTION] Realizing this was a problem, I asked my previous employer if I could enroll in a speech workshop He said “yes.” I took the class, and was able to overcome my lifelong fear [RESULT] Since then, I’ve given lots of presentations to audiences of over a 100 high level executives – I still don’t love it, but no one else can tell!” II: Behavioral Questions ● Purpose: To assess your competencies o Problem-solving, teamwork, communication, collaboration, adaptability, organization, leadership etc “Tell me about a time you were on a team that was not working well together” Behavioral Questions: STARR Skill = What skill/experience? Task = The task you had to complete or the · problem you faced Action = what are you doing to overcome? Result = what did you learn? Relevance = How the skills you showed or gained from the experience relates to the position you’re applying for Behavioral Questions Answer 1: I get along with team members One time in a class project, a team member didn’t his part We talked to him about it, but we ended up doing a lot more work because of him ● ● Vague Does not explain what he learned from the experience “Tell me about a time you were on a team that was not working well together” Answer 2: [situation] In my marketing class last year, a group of us had to develop a marketing plan for a service company One of the members was assigned to make the Powerpoint slides but he didn’t finish them on time The other team members got angry but I tried to talk to him to figure out what had happened [ACTION] I found that that he was having trouble understanding some of the concepts So I put in some extra hours to help him to help him learn the material [RESULT] The experience taught me not to jump to conclusions and taking the time to understand and communicate openly with all members of a group End of interview: Do you have any questions? How would you answer this? Questions for the employer ● What kind of training will I receive? ● What you (the employer) like most about working for this company/organization? ● Will I have an opportunity to take on new responsibilities once I get comfortable in my position? ● Have I answered the questions clearly? Is there anything that I need to clarify? Next steps after interview Next Steps after the Interview (1/2) ● ● Be clear about the next steps in the hiring process Take notes about the interview o o o New information about organization what you would like to know more about Responsibilities in terms of followup Next Steps after the Interview (2/2) ● Send a thank you letter or email o Express appreciation o Reconfirm your interest in the job o Underline how your skills and interests fit the job o Demonstrate active listening by sharing your thoughts on topics discussed Thank you letter: Sample Dear Mr Crawford: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk with you about my interest in ***** yesterday I enjoyed meeting with you, as I have with all the people from your firm The intense competitiveness and harddriving environment of the investment banking business makes it very attractive to me I thrive on teamwork and competition As I mentioned yesterday, I have been swimming competitively for twelve Group Activity: : Interview Practice interviews by having members ● Next class: Mock Interviews Location: in Class Signup your group # and company Interview time announced tomorrow Questions: Tell me about yourself Why should we hire you? Why you want to work here? What are your strengths? What is your weakness? Tell me about a time you were on a team that was not working well together Interview Rubrics - Does the interviewee show up on time - Does the interviewee have resume and cover letter ready? - Does the interviewee appear confident and poised? -Does interviewee make eye-contact with the interviewers? - Does interviewee answer content of each question clearly with specific examples? -Does the interviewee uses structure learned in class? - Does the interview give straightforward responses that are genuine - Does interviewee appear prepared and knowledgeable about the position and company they are applying for? - Does interviewee seem interested in the position and enthusiastic about the interview? - Does interviewee avoid distracting mannerisms and phrases? (“ums”, tapping, hair twirling, etc.) [...]... “Tell me about yourself” Personal: I am passionate about marketing products and services for kids Academic : And have recently graduated with a degree in Business Administration specializing in marketing at CAU I have taken all the marketing classes offered by our school including consumer behavior, and marketing strategy Work: While taking Marketing Strategy class, I had an opportunity to develop a customized... What is a skill/experience that the company needs? Advantage: What is the result of this skill? What is the action? Benefit: How can this skill benefit the company? How can it make a difference? SAB Question: Why should we hire you? Skill: I am a great communicator and can speak 3 languages fluently Advantage: By speaking English, Korean and Chinese fluently and having lived in the LA, Seoul and Shanghai,... Seoul and Shanghai, I understand the 3 different cultures In addition, I have presented and written marketing plans and strategies in all 3 languages Benefit: As a result, my marketing plan for Kia K5 was selected as the best presentation by 150 students in marketing strategy class In addition, my professor is using the presentation as a model for a creative marketing plan Why do you want to work here?... can learn skills so that they can be provided with fair wages… Therefore, I would like to work in a company where fair trade is a priority What are your strengths What are your strengths I am a great communicator, speak 3 languages and enjoy creating new marketing campaigns I am very positive and enthusiastic in everything I do I also have word processing skills What are your strengths? What skill... marketing and accounting Benefit: Of the 20 projects, we received an A+ in 18 and our marketing plan for K* was selected as the best project I believe that being part of a team is the best way to work efficiently and effectively SAB What is your weakness? What is your weakness? I am sometimes late for appointments and I drink too much coffee I drink about 3 cups a day Basically, I am lazy What is your weakness?... company looking for that you have? Skill: What is a skill/experience that the company needs? Advantage: What is the result of this skill? What is the action? Benefit: How can this skill benefit the company? How can it make a difference? SAB What are your strengths? Skill: Teamwork Advantage: During 4 years of university, I have worked in about 20 team projects in various subjects in management, marketing... that I most admire about the company is its Fair Trade program (Evidence) After talking to several of your employees that your company plans to expand the Fair Trade program to include other products I am also a firm believer that business has the responsibility to be fair to their suppliers (Benefit) As part of the *** school program, our project involved in creating a cooperative so that locals can... want to work here? Research the company! Website, Annual report, press release Talk to employees Values? Opportunities, training Feature Evidence! Benefit Why do you want to work here? I believe that this company has great growth potential and I am willing to work hard The company has a strong brand and was voted as the best company to work for Why do you want to work here? (Feature) One of the values... weakness? Answer: WAR Skill = What skill/experience that needs to be improved? Action = what are you doing to overcome? Result = what did you learn? SAR What is your weakness? [SKILL] “I’ve never been very comfortable with public speaking – which as you know, can be a hindrance in the workplace [ACTION] Realizing this was a problem, I asked my previous employer if I could enroll in a speech workshop He said... on a team that was not working well together” Behavioral Questions: STARR Skill = What skill/experience? Task = The task you had to complete or the · problem you faced Action = what are you doing to overcome? Result = what did you learn? Relevance = How the skills you showed or gained from the experience relates to the position you’re applying for Behavioral Questions Answer 1: I get along with team