Interviewing
Tips
(Adapted
from the University of Pennsylvania Career Services
Website, Texas A&M University, Career Center Website Career
services at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay and The
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Career Services
Website)
Introduction
An interview
is an opportunity for both you and the organization to determine
if there is an appropriate fit between your skills and interests
and the needs of the organization. It is a two-way street
as it allows the employer to provide information about the
organization to you while providing you with an opportunity
to discuss your qualifications.
Getting
Ready 1
Be
prepared: It is important that you know as much as possible
about the position and organization. Request a copy of the
organization or company's annual report/catalogue/job description.
Ask friends and colleagues for any information they may have
about the organization.
Know
yourself: Be familiar with your own strengths, weaknesses,
work style, skills, accomplishments and goals. Review your
resume and be prepared to provide any additional information
or answer any questions regarding information that is presented
on your resume.
Dress
appropriately: Dress in attire that befits a person employed
within the organization with which you are interviewing. It
is recommended that men wear a suit and tie. For women, a
skirt and jacket are appropriate. Jewelry, cologne/perfume
and hair styles should be kept simple.
Be
prompt: It is important to be on time. Make sure that
you know precisely where you are headed. If you are unsure,
call and ask for directions ahead of time. Take into account
traffic, parking, and other unforeseen difficulties when determining
your travel time. If you are going to be late it is essential
that you call and let someone know. It is recommended to plan
to arrive approximately ten to fifteen minutes early. This
allows you time to hang up your coat, catch your breath and
review your resume.
Be
conscious of body language: Nonverbal communication provides
interviewers with information. Be sure to maintain eye contact
as it demonstrates confidence and honesty. Slouching back
in your chair, crossing your arms or twiddling your thumbs
may convey messages of boredom, hostility or nervousness.
Types
of Interviews2
Regardless
of the type of interview utilized by your potential employers,
interviewers will judge your responses based on two factors:
content and style. The content refers to the information that
you provide or clarify about your qualifications. The style
is your delivery and mannerisms.
Traditional
Interview
This is the most common type of interview. It is composed of
a series of questions which the employer asks of you, followed
by the expectation that you will ask articulate, well-formed
questions of the interviewer. The best preparation for this
type of interview is to research the employer and the industry
prior to the interview. Sample
Traditional Interview Questions
Tell
a little about yourself.
Why did you choose University of Michigan?
Why did you choose your major?
What would you like to be doing five, ten years from now?
What has been your greatest accomplishment?
Describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses.
Would you rather be in charge of a project or work as part
of a team?
What have you learned from the jobs you've had?
Behavioral
Interviewing
This interviewing technique has been growing in popularity.
It is based on the premise that the best way to predict future
behavior is to determine and evaluate past behavior. In this
technique, employers will ask open-ended questions designed
to stimulate recollection of a situation that would lead to
a desired behavior. For example, if looking for leadership within
a candidate, the employer might ask: "Describe a situation
in which your efforts influenced the actions of others."
The interviewer may ask follow up questions such as "What
did you say?" or "What did you do?"
The acronym "STAR" provides guidance for answering questions
in a behavioral interview.
S = Describe the Situation in which you were involved.
T = Describe the Task to be performed.
A = What was your Approach to the problem?
R = What were the Results of your actions?
It
is especially important to make sure that your answers are
honest, concise and reflect positively on you, even if the
event did not have a positive outcome.
Sample
Behavioral Interview Questions
Describe the best/worst team of which you have been a member.
Tell me about a time when your course load was heaviest. How
did you get all of your work done?
Give me a specific example of a time when you sold someone
on an idea or concept.
Tell me about a time when you were creative in solving a problem.
Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who
dislike each other to work together.
Tell me about a time when you made a bad decision.
Case Method Interview
Case Method Interviews will ask you to solve
a hypothetical industry-related problem. These problems will
be similar to ones such as the organization encounters one
a regular basis. Interviewers are not necessarily seeking
the "correct" answer to the problem, but rather are attempting
to evaluate your problem-solving, analytical and reasoning
skills. Be prepared to justify your answer and walk your interviewer
through the step-by-step process which guided your decision.
You may also need to ask questions of your interviewer if
you feel you need more information to reach an adequate solution.
Case Method Interviews are primarily used by investment banks
and consulting firms. It is not prevalent in other industries.
Sample Case Interview Questions
A chain of grocery stores currently receives
it stock on a decentralized basis. Each store deals independently
with its suppliers. The president of the chain is wondering
whether the firm can benefit from a centralized warehouse.
What are the key considerations in making this decision?
A magazine publisher is trying to decide how
many magazines she should deliver to each individual distribution
outlet in order to maximize profits. She has extensive historical
sales volume date for each of the outlets. How should she
determine delivery quantities?
Stress Interview
The Stress Interview tests a candidate's ability
to be articulate, graceful and perform under pressure. The
interviewer is likely to speak quickly and aggressively. The
interviewer may begin with the question: "Why should we hire
you?" When responding to Stress Interview questions, it is
most important that you project self-assurance.
Sample Stress Interview Questions
What kinds of people do you find it difficult to work with?
What are some of the things that you find difficult to do?
How would you evaluate me as an interviewer?
What interests you least about this job?
How do you handle rejection?
What is the worst thing that you have heard about our company?
See this pen I'm holding? Sell it to me.
Group/Panel Interview
As organizations move towards a more integrative and teamwork
focused style of management, group interviews are increasing
in popularity. The panel often consists of three to ten people
and occurs at the employer's location. Each member of the panel
has likely been assigned a specific area of questioning. It
is important to remember to make eye contact with each member
of the panel, focusing special attention on the panel member
that asked the question.
Serial Interview
The Serial Interview is a variation of the traditional interview.
The interview is actually a series of sequential interviews
with several interviewers. The interviewers often have hiring
authority and may be your future manager. Each person must be
treated as a key player in the decision-making process, even
administrative assistants. A negative impression left on any
interviewer will be reported in the evaluation phase.
Interviewee Questions
As an interviewee, you will be expected to ask questions of
your interviewer. This is your opportunity to exhibit your preparation
and interest in the company as well as gather information that
helps you to ascertain whether or not the opportunities offered
by this organization match your needs. If you fail to ask anything
of the interviewer, s/he is likely to assume that you are not
particularly interested in the position or organization.
Sample Interviewee Questions
Can you tell me how success in this position is measured?
Who would I work with most closely on a day-to-day basis?
What do you consider the most challenging aspect of this position
for someone new to your organization?
What areas need the immediate attention of the person you hire?
Describe a typical day.
What kind of training would I receive?
What activities could I engage in now that might help me on
the job if I'm hired?
What are the avenues for advancement?
What is the turnover rate?
Illegal Questions3
Legal
Issues and Pre-Employment Inquiries
When conducting
a job search it is important to recognize that Federal Legislation
prohibits interviewers from using information gained through
asking illegal questions to make hiring decisions. Examples
include questions concerning age, national origin, race, ability,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship and certain
physical data. Employers cannot exclude individuals from employment
consideration solely on the basis of any factors listed above.
Please
refer to the list of Appropriate Pre-employment Inquiries
developed by legal representatives from professional associations
in career planning and employment. You will note that each
inquiry area provides a proper and improper questioning format.
Before any interview, become familiar with these legal areas
of inquiry.
Responding
to Illegal Questions
An appropriate
response to the above question could be: "With all due
respect, I don't feel that your question is relevant to the
challenges and responsibilities of this position." "Is
it possible to move on to another question?" or "I
can't see how this question relates to the qualifications
for the position or its responsibilities. If you could explain
how it is related, I would be able to respond." Try to
avoid being confrontational.
Appropriate
Pre-Employment Inquiries
| Acceptable
|
Subject
|
Unacceptable
|
Are
you over the age of 18?
If hired, can you furnish proof of age? |
Age
|
What
is your date of birth?
How old are you? |
| If
hired, can you provide papers that show you're legally
able to work in the U.S.? |
Citizenship
|
In
what country were you born? |
| Can
you perform all of the duties outlined in the job
description? |
Physical
Condition or Disability |
Do
you have any physical disabilities?
Other questions on general medical condition.
|
| Have
you ever been convicted of any crime? |
Character
|
Have
you even been arrested? If so, when, where
and the disposition of the case. |
| What
languages can you read, speak, write fluently? |
Ethnicity
or National Origin |
What
is your native language? |
Additional Sample Questions4
Frequently Asked Questions
Tell me about yourself.
What are your strongest skills?
How would you describe yourself?
How would a supervisor or colleague describe you?
Tell me about the most difficult experience you've
faced and how you've handled it. How do you define success
in this field?
What are the most important qualities for success in this
field? Which of these qualities do you possess?
What did you like least/best in your graduate school experience?
How did you motivate a resistant student/client to comply
with your instructions?
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
Why are you interested in working for us?
What gives you the most satisfaction in your work? Why?
What two or three things are most important to you in your
job?
I see you are changing career fields. Tell me about how
your business background relates to education?
What do you think is the most significant problem in education
today?
What do you see as the major issues facing us in the future?
What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?
How do you relieve stress?
What would you do if...?
Describe to me the best/worst supervisor you have ever had.
What are your salary requirements?
Why should we hire you?
How did you learn about our organization?
What do you know about our organization?
I see you received a low grade in XX. Why?
What contributions could you make to our organization?
Why do you want to work?
What do you expect from a job with us?
On what grounds would you dismiss someone?
Would you consider relocating?
How much do you think you will be earning in ten years?
Do you like working with people? Is this an important factor?
Why do you want to work for us?
Do you plan to go to graduate school?
You strike me as graduate school material. Why are you applying
for jobs?
Is there anything that could potentially interfere with
your performance?
Of what accomplishment are you most proud? Least proud?
You don't seem to have done as well academically in college
as you did in high school.
Why? Who else are you interviewing with? What do you think
of those organizations?
How do you get people to do things they don't like to do?
Are you more interested in program development or implementation?
Challenging Questions
Describe yourself in three adjectives.
What do you think of our organizational structure?
Would you prefer to work independently or part of a team?
Why?
How much traveling would be ideal in a job?
What have you learned from your mistakes?
What makes you tick?
What question do you wish we had asked?
What don't you do well?
Tell me about a time when you failed at something.
You work in a library and a book has been misshelved. How
do you find it?
What would your enemy say about you?
If you could be a fruit, what type of fruit would you be?
Let's pretend that the first 25 minutes of the interview
have passed. What were you planning to tell me in the last
five minutes?
How do you feel about working with numbers? What is 12%
of 69? How did you figure that out?
How do you feel about work without direct supervision? Are
you prepared to work right now without direct supervision?
What is one of your weaknesses. Now, I know you had one
prepared, so give me another one.
What major problem have you encountered and how did you
handle it?
Highlight the one thing on your resume that separates you
from everyone else at University of Michigan.
Why should we hire you rather than one of the other 200
applicants?
You are very qualified. Why would you want to work at a
small company like ours, when you could work in a larger
company?
After the Interview5
It is necessary to promptly write a thank you letter to
the person who organized the interview. The purpose of the
letter is to highlight portions of the interview and reiterate
your interest in the position. The letter should be mailed
within 24 hours of the interview. Within the letter, you
may want to reference others with whom you spoke that day.
It is best to personalize the letter by mentioning something
specific that you talked about during the interview.
_____________________________________________________________
Sources:
1University
of Pennsylvania, Career Services Website. http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/sw/sswinterview.html
(July 7, 2004)
2Texas
A&M University, Career Center Website.
http://careercenter.tamu.edu/Students/S1/S1B1D.shtml
(July 7, 2004)
3Career
services at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/Interviewing_Handout.htm
(July 13, 2004)
4The
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Career
Services Website. http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/intguide_faquestions.html
(July 7, 2004)
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