BAS 270 Business Employability Seminar Chapter 7 Successful Interviews

What are the six guidelines you should follow while discussing yourself during the face-to-face interview?

1. Sound like you belong there. (When possible, answer and ask questions using language as if you had the job.) 2. Prove your answers (provide an example, quantified statements) 3. Sell yourself. (explain how you improved processes or solved problems) 4. Keep to the point. (No answer longer than one or two minutes) 5. Answer the problem questions. 6. Focus on the employer. (The interview is about how you can benefit the employer, not what the employer can do for you.)

The steps in Three-Step Formula for answering traditional questions are

1. Understand what the interviewers are really asking 2.Answer the question 3. Support your answer with specifics

How soon after meeting you will an interviewer size you up as a candidate?

15 to 30 seconds

During an interview, identify any of the following that yields "proof" of skills to the employer

A collection of recommendation letters from professionals, a list of completed tasks, and a collection of grades.

Which of the following best satisfies an employer's question concerning a person's skills for a job?

A person quantifies their skills by completed projects and/or grades.

The questions that are prohibited by law in the United States generally fall into the following categories:

Affiliations, Age, Arrest record, Citizenship, Disability/health, Gender, Height/weight, Marital/family status, Military, National origin/race, Religion

When should you ask about money or benefits?

After you get the job offer.

The real life consequences of answering an illegal question may include

Answer correctly and you might lose the job. Tell a lie and you might lose in other ways. Choose to litigate and lose the job for sure regardless of the outcome.

Only you can decide whether to report an employer who violated regulations on interview questions. If you are asked a prohibited question in an interview, you have options. These include:

Answer the question truthfully, and risk losing the job offer. Lie (not recommended). Refuse to answer the question. You can state that the question makes you uncomfortable. Answer the question without providing the information requested.

business casual

Attire that consists of something between blue jeans and a formal suit is

How can you keep it comfortable?

Comment on something nonthreatening like the weather or sports.

At the end you should ask questions to demonstrate your interest in the job. Three examples of questions you could ask are:

Do you offer assistance with professional development, training, or furthering an employee's education? With your firm, is there an hourly quota that must be met? Is an advanced degree required, or preferred, for promotions?

When proving that you belong there, use quantifying statements when discussing your skills during the interview. Which statement is a quantifying statement? A. I have a great deal of management experience. B. I currently supervise more than 23 employees and have been a manager for the past seven years.

I currently supervise more than 23 employees and have been a manager for the past seven years.

Which of the following underscores the most important aspect of the "first impression" during the interview process?

It sets the tone for the interview.

When on a A lunch or dinner interview should you order alcoholic drinks if everyone else does?

No.

What are the seven steps to a stellar interview?

Prepare for the interview, first impression, face-to-face interview, closing, follow up, job offer and negotiation, and making your decision.

How do you remove doubt or negative thoughts (or mind chatter) from your mind?

Replace doubting statements with confident statements, even if you do not feel confident.

When answering competency-based or behavior-based questions, you can follow a three-step acronym technique known as

S.T.A.R = Situation/Task, Action, Result.

The Three-Step Formula for Answering Competency-Based/Behavioral-Based Interview Questions

Step 1: Present the Situation or describe the Task. Step 2: Explain the Action you took with examples to support it. Step 3: Describe what happened. What was the Result of the action you took?

What should you take into the interview?

The essentials. Take a padded portfolio for your legal pad, nice pen, resume, and networking business cards (NBCs). Either do not bring your cellphone in or turn it off before entering.

Preemployment Testing/Computerized Testing

These screening tests can take place at the company, or more often, online. Types of tests include the IQ or aptitude test, behavior-based test, technology-based test, knowledge-based test, honesty and integrity test, personality test, drug testing, background check, or a test with a variety of objectives.

Speed Interview

This interviewing format is often used to quickly screen candidates down to a smaller pool or for a large recruitment drive. Candidates typically receive a very short (5- to 15-minute) rapid-fire interview. If the speed interview is successful they will move to a longer, more traditional interview.

True or False: It is customary to send a thank you message for an interview, the same day or next day of the interview.

True

True or False: You could ask for the job before leaving the interview.

True. Examples of what to say include: "I want you to know that after our discussion today, I want to join your firm. I want the job."

How can you "do your homework" prior to the interview?

Visit the company website, check out the companies presence on social media, do a news search on the company, and/or call the company's human resource department.

At the end you should ask questions to demonstrate your interest in the job. Three examples of questions you SHOULD NOT ask are:

What is the salary for this position? When will I get a promotion? How soon would I receive a raise?

The competency-based interview, or behavioral interview, is

based on the premise that your past employment behavior will dictate your future behavior in the new position. You will be asked scenario questions where the interviewer wants to know how you handled past workplace situations.

Behavior that tends to be helpful during the first impression and interview is:

eye contact, comfortable presence, and positive attitude.

The interview is about

how you can benefit the employer, not what the employer can do for you.

A screening interview, or prescreening interview,

is used to evaluate and narrow a large applicant pool. This type of interview could be in person or on the phone. The goal for the hiring manager is to establish your qualifications and to determine if you are a good fit to proceed to the next step.

A nondirective interview, or work sample interview, is

often used in fields where the candidate needs to demonstrate his or her skills or wares.

How long should you look the interviewer in the eye?

periodically look them in the eye and count to two. Don't stare. Don't avoid their eyes.

The _________________ includes candidates who made the first cut and have been screened down to a small pool of people in which the company is truly interested. The questions may be deeper and the candidate may be interviewed by a panel or supervisor at this point. This could also be a peer or group interview, to make certain you fit into the culture of the organization.

second interview

When a person walks into the office to meet with an employer, the candidate should:

stand until asked to sit down.

The goal of a ______________ is to see how you actually handle stress in the workplace, rather than just asking you questions about how you handle stress.

stress interview

A lunch or dinner interview

takes place during a meal and may be part of a daylong interview process, or it may be the interview itself.

During a technical interview

technical questions are asked in order for you to demonstrate that you have the specific knowledge or skills the employer is seeking

While contacting the employer prior to the interview you should:

thank them for the opportunity to interview, reconfirm the date and time, and ask where to park.

Panel interviews often use _________________ or ___________ interview questions. Take time to review this format before the interview.

competency-based; behavioral

What kind of questions should you expect to be asked during a standard interview a.k.a traditional interview?

"Why do you want to work here?" "What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?"

An appropriate voice message for prospective employers to hear would be:

Your professional voice saying your name and your current unavailability, please leave a message.

A mock interview is

a simulated interview used for practice.

It is harder to fool the interviewer about whether or not you have the skill or qualification in this type of interview.

competency-based interview or behavioral interview

In a structured interview

each job candidate receives the exact same questions. With the increase of lawsuits, many companies resort to this type of interview style to avoid criticisms of bias from applicants who did not get the offer.

The panel interview, or group interview

usually takes place around a conference table, where a group of individuals will collectively ask the candidate questions.

The job offer is about

what the employer can do for you

The standard interview, or traditional interview, is an interview during

which the applicant is asked a variety of typical questions. Expect questions like, "Why do you want to work here?" "What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?"