The Job Interview
The job interview is the most important part of the job search process.
It is through the interview that you will have the opportunity to sell
your skills and background to a potential employer and to get to know more
about that employer. The most important part of an interview is your preparation. By
preparing for the interview you can maximize your chances for success.
There are four key areas of preparation:
1. Know yourself
2. Know the organization with which you are interviewing
3. Know the details: time, location, and appropriate dress for the
interview
4. Practice
Know Yourself
To effectively sell your qualifications to an employer, you must first
know what they are. Review all aspects of your resume. Know why you chose
your major and your university. Know what classes you liked and disliked.
Know what skills and accomplishments you have developed through your
coursework, your work experiences, your activities, and your life
experiences. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be able to talk about
yourself and your personal characteristics. Know what you want to do and how your career goals relate to the
organization with which you are interviewing Know the Organization
There are several sources of information about organizations. Most
organizations provide homepages on the Internet. Read these carefully,
especially the annual report. You can often detect trends that are
developing and changes that have occurred. If you are interviewing through
the HR-manager, there may be an information session prior to your
interview. If you are having problems finding information about an organization,
the HR-staff may be able to offer suggestions to assist you. Know the Details
Part of your interview preparation is to know the day, date, time, and
location of your interview. Do not assume. Check to be sure that you have
the right information. Be certain there have been no last-minute changes. Know what the appropriate dress is for the interview. Most of the time
you should err on the side of typical professional dress-a suit and tie
for men and a professional suit and blouse or dress for women. Some
employers may accept more business casual dress for the interview. If so,
they will state so in their interview notice. Again, part of your
preparation is to plan ahead so you will be comfortable with what you are
wearing and feel good about your appearance. Practice
Athletes who excel in their sport share one common characteristic-they
practice, practice, practice until they get better. The same is true with
interviewing. Practice will help you get better. There are several ways to
practice for an interview. One way is to conduct an information interview with an employer
in your field. The information interview should take place before the job
interview. In an information interview, you are not applying for a job,
but asking a potential employer questions about your field and positions
in their organization. Ask concise and direct questions that will
help you derive the desired information during an information
interview. You can use that information in preparing for an actual job
interview. This also gives you practice at one-on-one interviewing. A second way to practice is through a mock interview.
Participating in a mock interview can help you become familiar with the
interviewing process. It can also give you practice at providing
spontaneous, logical answers to an interviewer\'s questions as well as
learn how to handle the pressure of an interview. Following the mock
interview you are given a critique of your answers to help identify fatal
mistakes as well as strengths and weaknesses in your communication skills. Another way to practice is to anticipate questions. Take an
employer\'s perspective and think about what questions you might be asked
based on skills needed for that organization or position. Become familiar
with and develop specific examples to talk about for all aspects of your
background. This is called the S.T.A.R. interviewing technique.
Specific questions about your background will be asked. You will need to
relay the situation, the task, the actions, and the results of your
experiences. Your answer should be focused on the actions-what you did.
Your answers to these questions help the interviewer understand what
skills you can offer the organization. You are ready to interview
Show up to your interview early so you can relax and collect your
thoughts before the interview. There are four basic components to an
initial employment interview. They are:
1. Introduction
2. Questions by the Interviewer
3. Questions by the Interviewee
4. Closing
Introduction
The introduction will be very short, but a very important part of the
interview. Good body posture, a firm handshake, and steady eye contact
should all be displayed during the introduction. Small talk will be on
informal topics of discussion to show your spontaneity and personal
interests. Questions by the Interviewer
Your preparation and practice will pay off during this portion of the
interview, which will be the longest part. Most interviewers will ask
good, open-ended questions that will let you give information about your
background. This is the time to present those specific answers that were
talked about in the practice section. General answers, such as "I am hard
working and motivated," don\'t mean anything to an interviewer until you
tell them why you say that. What past experiences have you had that make
you say that about yourself? If you do not understand a question, be sure
to ask questions that will help you focus your answer. Questions by the Interviewee
Again, this is where your preparation and practice will pay off.
Prepare a list of questions for the interviewer ahead of time. Be certain
you don\'t ask questions that were answered in the literature or at the
information session the night before. However, it is fine to ask for
additional information or interpretation of information. Clarify any
aspects of the position through your questions. Closing
As with the introduction, the closing will be a small part of the
interview, but also a very important part. Before you leave, verify
contact information for the interviewer. If you have not received a
business card, ask for one. Also, verify the next step in the hiring
process. Will they follow up with you or should you follow up with them
and how soon? Express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview
and leave with a smile and a handshake. After the Interview
Send a brief thank you note to the recruiter within a day or two of
the interview, if you are interested in pursuing a job with that
organization. In the note, thank them for their time, express excitement
about the organization or position, and tell them you look forward to
hearing from them. Four Final Tips for a Successful Interview
1. Be Prepared
2. Be Yourself
3. Be Positive
4. Be Enthusiastic
Good luck, Interviewees!
Ten Rules of Interviewing
To help with the interview process, keep the following ten rules in
mind: 1. Keep your answers brief and concise.
Unless asked to give more detail, limit your answers to two to three
minutes per question. 2. Include concrete, quantifiable data.
Interviewees tend to talk in generalities. Unfortunately, generalities
often fail to convince interviewers that the applicant has assets. 3. Repeat your key strengths three times.
It\'s essential that you comfortably and confidently articulate your
strengths. Explain how the strengths relate to the company\'s or
department\'s goals and how they might benefit the potential employer. If
you repeat your strengths then they will be remembered. 4. Prepare five or more success stories.
In preparing for interviews, make a list of your skills and key assets.
Then reflect on past jobs and pick out one or two instances when you used
those skills successfully. 5. Put yourself on their team.
Ally yourself with the prospective employer by using the employer\'s
name and products or services. For example, "As a member of __________, I
would carefully analyze the __________ and __________." Show that you are
thinking like a member of the team and will fit in with the existing
environment. 6. Image is often as important as content.
What you look like and how you say something are just as important as
what you say. Studies have shown that 65 percent of the conveyed message
is nonverbal; gestures, physical appearance, and attire are highly
influential during job interviews. 7. Ask questions.
The types of questions you ask and the way you ask them can make a
tremendous impression on the interviewer. Good questions require advance
preparation. Just as you plan how you would answer an interviewer\'s
questions, write out specific questions you want to ask. Then look for
opportunities to ask them during the interview. 8. Maintain a conversational flow.
By consciously maintaining a conversational flow-a dialogue instead of
a monologue-you will be perceived more positively. 9. Research the company, product lines and competitors.
Research will provide information to help you decide whether you\'re
interested in the company and important data to refer to during the
interview. 10. Keep an interview journal.
As soon as possible, write a brief summary of what happened. Note any
follow-up action you should take and put it in your calendar. Review your
presentation. Keep a journal of your attitude and the way you answered the
questions.
UNKNOWN WORDS
to conduct - вести, руководить; проводить
concise - краткий, лаконичный
to derive - извлекать, получать
mock - пробный
to anticipate - предугадывать; предвидеть
attire - одежда, наряд
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