Career and Leadership Services Guide for Interviewing Contents: Your Guide to Interviewing Behavior Based Interviewing & the STAR Method General Interview Questions & Tips An Ideal Candidate: An employer & human resources manager s perspective Interview Prep Worksheet
Your Guide to Interviewing You have secured an interview congratulations! Now the real work begins. The guidelines below will help you prepare for all aspects of the interview before, during, and after. Although interviews may seem easy on the surface, here are some critical tips to help you succeed! BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Research Yourself Anything on your resume is fair game to be asked about in an interview, so while it sounds obvious, be sure to know your experiences inside and out. Be prepared to give specific examples and tell detailed stories about each of your qualities and accomplishments. Have several examples ready and be able to draw from many diverse experiences to demonstrate how your experiences and coomplishments match the skills needed in the position. Research the Organization and Position Never skip this step. Nothing eliminates a candidate faster than when he or she cannot speak about the company or position for which they are interviewing. By doing your research, you will understand how the company is performing, what it prides itself on, and where the interviewer is coming from with various questions. By knowing what the organization values and what the position requires, you can tailor your responses accordingly. Doing your research can also help you develop a list of questions to ask at the end of the interview and there will be time to ask questions! Practice You may think you know everything you need to know about yourself and what is on your resume, but have you ever said those things out loud? It is very important to prepare answers to common interview questions in advance and to practice how you deliver your responses. Schedule a mock interview with a career advisor, sit down with a friend to practice, write out sample responses to questions, whatever it takes. Never underestimate the importance of practicing before the actual interview. THE INTERVIEW PROCESS The interview process can take many different forms. You may have an initial phone interview, or you may advance directly to an in-person interview. Either form can involve one or multiple interviewers. It is not uncommon to go through a series of interviews, sometimes all in one day, as employers search for the right person. In general, preparation for phone and in-person interviews will be the same. As an interviewee, your major objectives are to: Demonstrate that you have done your research on the organization and the position. Reinforce your skills and prove you are qualified for a position by talking about your past experiences and accomplishments. Assure the interviewer(s) that you are the right professional fit for the organization. Ask thoughtful questions to determine if the position and organization are a good fit for you. PERSUADE THE INTERVIEWER(S) THAT YOU CAN HELP THEM SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION.
Before the Interview Dress conservatively in a suit; keep makeup, accessories, and fragrance to a minimum. Know where you are going have the company address and room number on hand. Allow yourself plenty of travel time and plan to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early. Save the organization and/or interviewer s phone number in case you are running late. Know the name(s) and title(s) of your interviewer(s). Bring a padfolio, writing instrument, paper to write on, extra copies of your resume and reference page, and a list of questions to ask the interviewer. During the Interview Greet your interviewer(s) with a firm handshake and a smile. Maintain good eye contact and proper posture throughout the interview. Be mindful of your nonverbal communication be expressive, but don t fidget or make extensive use of hand gestures. Avoid filler words such as like, um, and you know. Be yourself and show enthusiasm for the position and your experiences. Ask for clarification on a question if you need it it is better to ask for clarification or to ask for a moment to develop an answer than to start talking before you have formulated a thought. Do this sparingly, however. Give detailed responses to questions, but do not ramble on once you have answered it. Always be positive with your answers, whether talking about yourself, your past experiences, former supervisors or coworkers. Some questions may get at negative topics, but you must always remain positive. Avoid topics like salary and benefits unless they are brought up by the interviewer. When prompted, ask questions you have prepared for the interviewer(s). If your questions have all been answered (which is unlikely), state that your questions have been answered and ask for permission to follow up if any other questions arise. Thank the interviewer(s) for his or her time and reiterate your enthusiasm for the position. Shake hands on the way out and ask for a business card to follow up. AFTER THE INTERVIEW Immediate Follow-Up Promptly send an email or handwritten thank you note to each interviewer. Briefly reiterate your interest in the position and organization, as well as your qualifications. Also include a something personal from the actual interview to refresh their memory about what was discussed (e.g., having graduated from the same college or university as the interviewer). Making it personal goes a long way in helping you remain a top candidate. Additional Follow-Up Sometimes the hiring process can take longer than expected, so it is acceptable to follow up if you were given a timeline for a decision and that timeline has passed. Simply contact the employer, express your continued interest in the position, and inquire about the status of the position. Do not ask if the job is yours, do not contact the employer before a decision was supposed to be made, and do not be a pest. Regardless of how long the process takes, the employer will eventually contact you with a decision.
STAR Method for Behavioral Based Interview Questions Behavioral interviewing is a technique employed by interviewers to evaluate your past behavior in order to predict your future behavior in a particular situation. Answering behavioral questions is not an easy task, but proper preparation will assist you in answering them successfully. Past behavior predicts your future behavior Utilizing the S.T.A.R. Method will help you construct an organized, specific, thoughtful, and concise answer. Remember: Spend most of your time talking about the Result-that is what employers are most interested in hearing! STAR Method During the interview, your responses need to be specific and detailed. Tell them about a particular situation that relates to the question, not a general one. Briefly tell them the situation, what you did specifically, and the positive outcome or result (aka: what did you learn). Your answer should contain these four steps: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Situation: Task: Action: Result: Think of a situation in which you were involved that had a positive outcome that relates to the question asked. It can be something from class, an internship or a volunteer experience. Describe the tasks involved in the situation. Think about what goal were you working toward? What did you do specifically to make an impact? What was your role? Describe what happened as a result of your actions. What did you learn? Spend more of your time explaining the So what about this situation, and your answer will make much more of an impact. The result is what they are really looking to hear in your response, so spend the most time talking about the result. Example question: Tell me about a time when you took on a difficult project? What were the results? Example of STAR answer: Situation: Task: Action: Result: During my internship last summer, I was charged with managing and improving events. I noticed attendance was dropping each summer and wanted to improve attendance and event quality. I designed a new marketing campaign and focused on social media and other free venues. I surveyed focus groups to hear what our target population would like to see changed with our events and made recommendations to the event manager. We utilized some of the ideas we gathered and promoted things daily. Our attendance grew by 80% last summer, and this resulted in more money raised. Our board of directors was very pleased with this increase.
Frequently Asked Interview Questions (in no particular order of importance or frequency) 1. What are your long-range and short-range goals and objectives; when and why did you establish these goals; and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them? 2. What specific goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you established for yourself in the next 5-10 years? 3. What do you see yourself doing five years from now? 4. What do you really want to do in life? 5. What are your long-range career objectives? 6. How do you plan to achieve your career goals? 7. What are the most important rewards you expect in your career? 8. Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing? 9. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses? 10. How would you describe yourself? 11. Tell me about yourself. 12. How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you? 13. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort? 14. How has your college experience prepared you for your career? 15. Why should I hire you? 16. What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in your career? 17. How do you determine or evaluate success? 18. What do you think it takes to be successful in a organization such as ours? 19. In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization? 20. What qualities should a successful manager possess? 21. Describe the relationship that exists between a supervisor and those reporting to him or her? 22. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why? 23. Describe your most rewarding college experiences. 24. If you were hiring a graduate for this position, what qualities would you look for? 25. Why did you select the UW-Madison to attend. 26. What led you to choose your field or major study. 27. What college subjects did you like best? Why? Least? Why? 28. If you could do so, how would you plan your academic study differently? Why? 29. What changes would you make in your college or university? Why? 30. What is the difference between teaching and coaching? 31. What is the biggest mistake you ever made? What did you learn? 32. What two or three things are most important to you in a job? 33. What is your criteria for evaluating the organization you want to work for? 34. Are you seeking employment in an organization of a certain size? Why? 35. What are your feelings about relocation? 36. What do you know about our organization? 37. Do you know anyone that already works here?
General Interview Questions Below is a list of common questions with a brief explanation of the employer s intentions or reasons why they are asking each question. (NOTE: When interviewing someone fresh from college, questions may be tailored toward the courses taken and their major instead of previous jobs held.) 1. Briefly describe your past work experience and tell us about the kinds of responsibilities you had. (Candidates are expecting this question and it serves to warm them up and give us a bit of background.) 2. Why do/did you want to leave your current/last job? (Looking for reasons that show a desire to do better or for someone just out of college to give us an idea of career goals.) 3. What do/did you like best about your current/last job? (Gives us an idea of what types of job duties they like.) 4. What has been the most interesting job or project you have had in your working career so far? (More interested in the reasons than the answer may give us some idea of what the person wants from a job.) 5. What are some of the more difficult problems that you have encountered during your working career? (Gives us an idea of what types of situations they have had to deal with in the past and how they might handle them in the future.) 6. If you were going to pass on a piece of advice based on your experience to a new person in your current position, what would you tell them? (Shows us what types of information they consider important to know in the old job.) 7. If you could have made an improvement in your last job, what would it have been? (Looking for creativity, not bitterness and bad mouthing.) 8. How do you think your former co-workers would describe you? (Gives us an idea of how they want to be perceived.) 9. Describe to us the best person you for whom you have ever worked. What were they like? (Gives us an idea of what type of supervisor with whom they work well.) 10. What types of people annoy you the most? (Frequently the traits discussed do not apply to the candidates themselves.) 11. If you could tailor make a position for yourself, what would you include? (Gives us an idea of what makes a job enjoyable to them.) 12. In this tailor made job, are there things that you would want to exclude from it? (Looking for those things this person does not like to do or have in a job). 13. Do you have other skills or experiences that you would like to use on a job that you think are valuable? (Can they be available to do other things?) 14. If you were going to pick an area you would like more training in or would like to improve upon, what would it be? (Gentler way of asking 'what are your weak areas. ) 15. Do you have questions for us? (Shows us that the candidate prepared for the interview.) If you receive the questions below, there is a strong indication that you may be offered the position. 16. How does this position fit in with what you want from a job? (Gives us an idea if this is a job where they will stay.) 17. Do you have a salary range you are trying to reach or maintain? (Allows candidate to demonstrate flexibility, but also helps employer determine if available salary range will be sufficient for this candidate.) 18. Is there anything you would like us to know about you that we have not covered in the interview? (This question leaves the applicant with the feeling that they have been given every opportunity to sell themselves). 19. If you were offered the job, when could you start? 20. Is it OK to contact your current employer as a reference?
The Ideal Candidate: An Employer & Human Resource Manager s Perspective by Bruce Hellmich (Assistant Dean, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) Anytime you have an interview, employers/hiring managers/grad schools expect you to demonstrate the following: 1. Talents and sufficient knowledge necessary to be successful at the job. 2. Enough intelligence to solve problems. 3. Manageability ability to receive feedback and direction as needed. 4. Willingness, energy level, and sense of responsibility to do the job reliably. 5. Interests, career objectives, and income requirements consistent with the conditions of the job. 6. Personality and attitude compatible with the other people with or for whom the person will be working. The ONLY reason someone will hire you is because they think you will be able to solve their problems. Spend SIGNIFICANT time researching the typical problems an employee may have in the type of job for which you are applying and think about how you would handle them yourself. Do you have the knowledge that is necessary to do the job? How will you demonstrate it when asked interview questions? What constitutes a compatible personality for this job and workplace? What example will you use to demonstrate that you have that personality. Every job wants a team player. What example will you use to demonstrate that that you are not only a team player, but also a leader? THE INTERVIEW PROCESS Falls into 3 categories o Preparation o Actual interview o References and follow-up Interview counts for over 75% in getting a job offer. What counts during the interview and what you will need to present to the interviewers (in no particular order) Appearance Problem-solving skills Self-confidence Direction and goals Communication skills Grades Work interests Relevant courses Prior work experience or volunteer Willingness to relocate experience
How to Prep for an Interview Before the Interview Do your Research!! List Facts and Important information about the organization and those who are interviewing you: Top 5 Skills Identify skills you want the interviewer to know you have 1. 2. Practice using STAR use 1 of your skills and experiences. (Situation, Task, Action, Result) S 3. 4. 5. T Experiences/ Stories how are you going to prove those skills Identify 1-2 experiences per skill A R Questions to ask: REMEMBER: 4 RULES of Interviewing: Examine intent, tell a story, keep it relevant, be positive STAR: Situation (setting), Task (problem), Action, Result Created by Megan Watt