Chapter 16 - Interviewing and Following Up

Stress Interviews:

are meant to test your reactions to nerve-wrecking situations and are common for job in which you will face significant problems.

What are some illegal/innoproriate questions to ask?

are questions that are related to any personal information that may lead to discrimination, such as "Have you ever filed a worker's compensation claim?" Federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of gender, age, religion, color, race, national origin, and disability. If you think the question is harmless and will help you get the job, go ahead and answer it. However, if you think your answer might hinder your chances of being hired, deflect the question tactfully. Questions about your future goals and salary expectations are appropriate and should be expected in an interview.

What additional employment documents may you need to prepare?

*Application forms* - Carry a card summarizing your vital data so that you can prepare application forms accurately *App or resume follow up* - consider sending a follow-up message if your resume or app generates no response within a reasonable time *Rejection follow up* Consider a follow-up if you didn't get the job *acceptance message* - if you do get the job *Job rejection* - if you have to turn down a job *Resignation message* - when leaving a job, send a tactful and graceful message documenting your resignation

What kind of question is this: "Describe a time when you....?"

*Behavioral questions*

What kind of question is this: "If you were aware that a coworker was falsifying data, what would you do?"

*Situational Question*

Before the interview: *Traveling to and arrive at your interview *

-Allow plenty of time to groom and dress. -Arrive 5 or 10 minutes early. -Don't smoke, eat anything smelly, or load up on perfume. -Be courteous and congenial to everyone. -Greet the interviewer confidently, be at ease and unrushed.

During the interview: *Sending positive nonverbal messages and acting professionally*

-Control body movements -exhibit good posture -practice appropriate eye-contact -use gestures effectively -smile enough to convey good attitude -listen attentively -turn off cell phone -Don't chew gum -sound enthusiastic and interested - but sincere. -avoid empty words -be confident, not cocky

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *Look Sharp, Be sharp*

-Dress professionally to feel confident -Be ready for questions that gauge your interest, explore your experience, and reveal your skills -Practice using STAR method to answer behavioral questions

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *Know the interviewing sequence*

-Expect a telephone screening interview -If successful, expect the hiring interview -Be prepared to answer questions in one-on-one, panel, group, or video interview

Before the interview: *Ensure professional phone techniques*

-Invest in good answering machine or voice mail service. -Tell family members or roommates how to answer. -Don't answer cell call unless you are prepared to talk. -Use voice mail to screen calls so that you are in total control.

Before the interview: *Make the first convo impressive*

-Keep a list near the phone of positions applied for. -Treat any call like an interview: be professional, businesslike, enthusiastic. -Have your résumé, reference list, calendar, and notepad handy. -Confirm date and time of interview, get accurate directions -Verify the spelling of the caller's name

Before the interview: *Fighting fear *

-Prepare thoroughly. Those who wing it suffer the worst butterflies. -Practice answering questions in mock interviews. -Look sharp to feel confident! -Breathe deeply.

Most outrageous interview behavior:

-Providing a detailed list of how the previous employer angered the employee. -Hugging the hiring manager at the end of the interview -Eating all the candy from the candy bowl while trying to answer questions -Blowing nose

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *Prepare Thoroughly*

-Rehearse detailed but brief success stories -Practice stories that illustrate dealing with a crisis, handling tough situations, juggling priorities, and working on a team -Clean up your online presence

Before the interview: *Prepare and Practice *

-Rehearse success stories. -Clean up any digital dirt. -Remove questionable content. -Be selective about your list of friends. -Set up a professional social networking page or a personal website.

Before the interview: *Research the target co*

-Search the company's website, news sources, trade journals, and industry directories. -Learn about the company's history, mission, goals, size, locations, number of employees. -Analyze its products, services, advertising, competitors. -Use social media sources to discover the company's social presence. -Try to connect with someone currently employed.

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *Follow up*

-Send a note thanking the interviewer -Contact your references -Check in with the interviewer if you hear nothing after five days

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *Research the Target Co*

-Study the company's history, mission, goals, size, and management structure -Know its strengths and weaknesses -Try to connect with someone in the company

Anatomy of the Job Interview Process: *End positively*

-Summarize your strongest qualifications -Show enthusiasm; say that you want the job! -Ask what happens next

During the interview: *Ending positively*

-Summarize your strongest qualifications. -Show enthusiasm for obtaining this position. -Ask what action will follow. -Thank the interviewer. -Ask for the interviewer's business card.

During the actual interview: example *Challenging Questions*

-What is your greatest weakness? -How would your former (or current) supervisor describe you as an employee? -Describe your ideal work environment.

During the actual interview: example *Questions about the future*

-Where do expect to be in five (or ten) years from now? -If you got this position, what would you do to be sure you fit in? -How do you think you can contribute to this company?

During the actual interview: *Questions to gauge your interest*

-Why do you want to work here? -Why are you interested in this position? -What do you know about our company?

During the actual interview: example *Questions about your experience and accomplishments*

-Why should we hire you when we have applicants with more experience or better credentials? -Describe the most rewarding experience of your career so far. -Why did you leave your last position?

After the interview, what should you do?

-Write a thank you message to each interviewer -contact your references to let them know that someone will be contacting them -follow up with a call if you hear nothing after 5 days.

What information will your previous employee need to provide in order for you to write an effective recommendation?

-contact info and a deadline. -specific info about the position *You don't need to know the expected salary and benefits*

Purpose of an interview as a job candidate?

-to convince an employer of your potential -to learn more about the job and the company -to expand on the information in your resume -to decide whether this is a good place to work.

Most Common Interview mistakes:

71% answering a cell phone or texting 69% dressing inappropriately 69% appearing uninterested

How can one reduce the anxieties and expect to ace an interview?

By.. Learning what to expect Preparing thoroughly

An initial interview can:

Convince an employer of your potential.

Hiring/Placement

Goal: To evaluate candidate Types: One on one, panel, group, sequential, stress, online, video

Screening interviews:

Goal: To weed out unqualified candidates Types: Telephone (most often), online, job fairs

If an employer wants to clarify salary expectations, what might they ask?

How much are you presently earning?" Remember that nearly all salaries are negotiable, depending on your qualifications. Make sure you know the salary range for the targeted position, and delay salary discussion until you know exactly what the position entails. Questions about whether you have children are inappropriate. Once you have been hired, employers may request information about your dependents for tax purposes. Questions about your future goals will not clarify salary expectations.

What does STAR Mean?

S - Situation: Briefly explain the background and context of a situation. What happened? When? Where? T - Task: Describe the problem. What needed to be done? Why? A - Action: What did you do? How? What skills or tools do you use? R - Results: Explain the results: savings, greater efficiency. Try to quantify.

What technique do you use to answer behavioral questions?

S.T.A.R

Two kinds of interviews are:

Screening interviews hiring/placement interviews

Sending thank-you letters, who gets them?

Send a thank-you message to each interviewer, the person who arranged the interview, and the receptionist, if applicable. Be sure to refer to the date of the interview in your message. Do not show preferences by e-mailing your favorite interviewer. Sending thank-you messages to prospective coworkers who did not interview you would be inappropriate.

After the interview, what should you do before you exit the room?

Shake the interviewers hand with confidence and to ask for a business card.

During the actual interview: example *Questions about salary*

What salary are you looking for? How much are you presently earning? How much do you think you are worth?

Online, Video, virtual interviews:

many co's use this when distance is an issue.

one-on-one interview:

most common type, where you can expect to sit down with a co rep. and talk about the job and your qualifications. *If the rep is the hiring manager, questions will be specific and job related. *If rep is from H.R, questions will be more general.

Group interviews:

occur when a co interviews several people for the same position at the same time. -Some do this to measure leadership skills and comm. styles. -During these interviews, stay focused on the interviewer, and treat other candidates with respect.

panel interviews:

typically conducted by people who will be your supervisors and collegues. -expect to repeat shit -maintain eye-contact with the questioner as well as other panel members

Sequence Interviews:

you meet individually with two or more interviewers one-on-one over the course of several hours.

Purpose of an interview as a recruiter?

•To assess the candidate's abilities in relation to the position •To discuss the candidate's training, experience, and knowledge •To see what drives and motivates the candidate •To decide whether the candidate would fit into the organization