Successful Interviewing
Interviewing…does the
thought strike fear in your heart? The best advice you could take at this
point is…Relax!
Interviewing should not be
viewed as a frightening ordeal. It is your opportunity to learn more about the
position while the interviewer learns about you.
Interviewing is a process. One
of the biggest advantages you can have in interviewing is an understanding of
the process. Use the following steps as your secret weapon to help you further
your competitive advantage. Invest some time before your interview and you
will be able to approach the event with more confidence.
Seven Steps to a Successful Interview
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Anticipate - Put yourself in the interviewer's position. What do you
believe the interviewer is most interested in? Why do you think you have
been invited to interview?
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Research - What are the primary functions of the line of business?
What are the success factors for the job? Is there a job description
available?
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Assess - Think about your skills, abilities, knowledge,
interests, traits, values and accomplishments. Match them to what you
know about the job. Consider which ones you should highlight.
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Prepare Answers - Think about what the interviewer may ask,
determine what the best answer is and write it down. Review the list
of Interview Questions to help you prepare.
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Prepare Questions - Interviewing is a two-way street. By
asking thoughtful questions, you communicate your interest and learn
a lot about the job. Review Interview the Interviewer and
choose 2 or 3 questions to ask your interviewer. Avoid asking a lot
of questions about vacation time, breaks, etc.
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Practice - It may seem awkward, but it is the best way to
come across well in an interview. Practice your own "great
responses" with others or in front of a mirror until you appear
relaxed and at ease.
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Follow-up - Send a brief follow-up letter to the
interviewer. Keep in mind that the many job searchers will not
send a follow-up letter . Sending one can become a competitive
advantage.
Interview
Tips
Keep these tips in mind to help
you master the interview process and prepare for "the big day".
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Show your value to the job
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Communicate your skills, abilities, behaviors and special knowledge
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Emphasize your strengths and skills
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Be yourself... be honest
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Prepare for new kinds of
interviews
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The telephone interview (the first interview may be via the telephone)
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The panel interview (more than 1 interviewer at a
time)
Light up your face/voice
with a smile
Watch your body
language
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Think "dignity" and "energy"
Remain
positive
Communicate clearly and
completely
Prepare by networking
inside the Bank
Master a short
"Infomercial" about yourself and career
Rehearse to
overcome nervousness
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Speak aloud
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Tape yourself
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Use a camcorder
Dress for the new
position
Compile a
"Success File" of accomplishments and record your
successes
Exude
confidence
Interview Questions
Take some time to review these
questions, prepare and practice your responses until they come easily and
naturally.
Commonly Asked Questions
Tell me about
yourself.
Develop a rehearsed response to
the "tell me about yourself" question. The response should be made up of 4
parts. Each part can be properly stated in less than 1 minute. Note that this is
only a guide and your responses may vary.
Early years and
Education—about 10 to 20 seconds
Where did you attend high school and/or college?
What areas of study did you enjoy most? (Make sure they relate to the job
you are applying for.)
Have you had experience in the military?
Early Career - about 10
to 20 seconds
What kinds of work did you do?
What size departments or employers did you work for?
What about your early career led you to know that the position you are
applying for is right for you?
Current Career - about
30 to 45 seconds
What is your current position?
What are the main skills required in the position?
What are your key accomplishments in the position?
What training or experiences in your current position will help you in the
job you are applying for?
Current Status - about
10 to 15 seconds
What is your current status?
What are you looking for?
Why are you
interested in this position?
Briefly discuss what you know
about the position and how it would be a good match for your skills and for
your growth and development. (use specific examples)
What are your
major strengths?
When discussing strengths, look
at what is most transferable to the new position. Don't be arrogant, simply
say it as you see it: "I'm great in a team setting". Then, tie the strength
back to the current job opening. "I understand that you use work teams here.
I've been a part of similar teams and I've had positive experiences with them
such as…."
Describe your
personality.
Respond by describing only the
positive traits as they might relate to the job opening.
What are your
greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?
A common strategy for answering
this question is to describe a weakness that is really a strength, for
example, "I'm practically obsessed with working hard and doing a good job".
The only problem with answering in this way is that it is easy to see through.
Instead, answer the question as
if it had been asked, "What are some things you do not like very much?" For
example: "I don't much care for spending hours in meetings. I'd rather be on
my feet doing actual work."
Can you work
overtime or on weekends?
Be honest. If working overtime
or on weekends is impossible for you or would only be possible when given
prior notification of an extended schedule, it is better to communicate this
now. After you respond, you may ask the interviewer "What is a typical work
week here?"
Can you
travel?
Be honest. If traveling is
impossible for you, it is better to communicate this now. After you respond,
you may ask the interviewer "How much travel is involved with the position?"
Why are you
leaving your current position?
First tell the interviewer what
you like about your current position. Then describe how you would like to make
a greater contribution, expand your skill or take on greater responsibility.
Define what
you feel would be the ideal job/boss/department.
Describe situations in which you
would have the opportunity to bring into play your experience and strengths.
Describe the kinds of opportunities, challenges, motivators and work that
interest you most.
Where do you
want to be 5 years from now?
The classic bad answer to this
question is "I want your job!" It appears cocky and presumptuous.
Instead, talk of your desire to
be committed to a company for the long term. You may discuss some of the
skills or opportunities you would like to pursue, but don't sound too
inflexible. Assure the interviewer that you believe that by doing your best
work, opportunities will present themselves.
Behavioral
Questions
What is a behavioral interview?
It is a structured pattern of questions designed to probe the candidate's
behavior in specific situations, selected for their relevance to critical job
events. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. That means how
people behaved last week, last month, last year, is a fairly good indication
of how they are going to handle current situations during the next week, next
month, and next year.
Although there is no way you can
be totally prepared for every possibility, you can be ready for behavioral
questions—questions the interviewer may ask to see how well you think on your
feet. When a behavioral question is asked, answer it by sharing a related past
experience. The most important thing you can do is be very familiar with all
of your accomplishments.
Answer the question by first
sharing what was the situation, secondly what was the action you took and
finally what was the result of your action(s).
If an interviewer were to ask
you each of the following questions, which of your experiences would you use
to respond?
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Tell me about the last time you came up with an idea that improved a
situation or solved a problem.
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Tell me about the last time you had to go above and beyond the call of
duty in order to complete a job.
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Tell me about the last time you made an unpopular/quick decision with
little information. What happened?
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Give me a specific situation where you had to deal with a difficult
customer. What did you do?
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Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult
feedback. How did you handle it?
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What have you done for your professional development in the last
three months?
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Describe your most significant accomplishment for which you
received recognition? What was it? What did you do? And what was
the result?
Interview the Interviewer
Your interviewer is not the only
one looking for information. You are trying to decide whether or not this
position is a good fit for you as well. Here are some questions you can ask,
which have the added benefit of presenting you as proactive and interested.
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Tell me about the job.
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What characteristics would make a person successful in this position?
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What are some of the challenges I would face?
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What are some of the accomplishments you would expect the successful
candidate to make in the first year?
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What kind of training and/or development will I receive?
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Tell me about some of the people that I would be working with?
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What excites you about this job?
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What is your background?
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What is the career path for this position?
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Do you have any further questions about my
qualifications?
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What's the next step?
Sample
Interview Follow-up Letter
June 10, 2007
Mr. Ravi
Solanki
Manager, Corporate
Administration
Total Banking
Corporation
1234, Single
Street,
Second colony, New Delhi-110035
Dear Mr.
Ravi:
Thank you for taking the time
to discuss the Customer Service Supervisor position with me today. I
learned a lot about the job, the department and the people who make it all
happen. The information I received gave me good insight into your
needs and made me feel very positive about how I could contribute.
As I remember some of the
points in our discussion, I feel that my experience in the Direct Banking
Call Center as a team leader of Customer Service Representatives and my
educational background in Management make me a perfect fit for the position.
When we discussed my computer
skills, I am not sure I made it clear that I will be concluding my training
on Microsoft Word next week. I know this will be useful in the
supervisor role.
Enclosed is a list of
individuals who may help you better evaluate my qualifications. I have
worked with each of these individuals on either corporate or volunteer
projects. Please feel free to contact any or all of
them.
My interest in the position
is very strong. I look forward to hearing from you next Tuesday as you
indicated.
Sincerely,
Varun Jain
Enclosure
The Big Day
Here's some helpful
information for the day of the interview.
Take With
You
Take a briefcase or folder to
hold and protect papers. Some of the important papers you should include are
copies of your resume, a list of questions you want answered during the
interview and a writing pad to jot down important information or to schedule
the next interview.
Don't take extensive notes
during the interview. This prevents good eye contact and distracts
attention.
How To
Dress
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Dress appropriately for the job you are applying for; if in doubt, dress
on the conservative side.
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Clothes should be clean and pressed, shoes polished.
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Your hair and nails should be clean and cared for.
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Use only a very small amount of fragrance.
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Use an anti-perspirant and a breath freshener.
Arrival
Remember that the interview
starts as soon as you walk in the door!
Arrive 5 to 10 minutes early. There is nothing worse than beginning an
interview by apologizing for being late. Upon arrival, speak to the
secretary or receptionist. This will help to relax you and give you
confidence. Getting there too early may cause inconvenience to the
interviewer.
While waiting, sit up straight and look confident. Look for any materials in
the waiting area you can read that might provide you with valuable
information about the department and allow you to converse with the
interviewer more knowledgeably. Observe others around you. How are
associates dressed? Is the atmosphere tense, lighthearted, and professional?
As Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching."
The First
Meeting
First impressions are
important! When the interviewer comes out, stand and give them a firm
handshake, establish eye contact and SMILE as you would when greeting anyone
for the first time.
The
Interview
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Relax.
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Always be truthful.
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Smile.
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Maintain eye contact without staring at the interviewer.
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Speak with animation, but don't rush your words.
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Try to determine what the interviewer wants to know before
answering.
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Think before answering.
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Relate your work experience, education, training and
personality characteristics to the particular job for which
you are applying. Stress what value you can contribute to
the job. Don't oversell.
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Expect an explanation of the job and the qualifications
needed.
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Ask your prepared questions when appropriate.
Wrapping
Up
When wrapping up make sure you
understand what happens next. Ask: Is there any other information you can
provide to help the interviewer? Ask the interviewer for a business card if
they have not already given you one. This will make addressing the follow-up
letter easier. Leave with a handshake, a smile and a "Thank you".
Evaluate
Promptly after the interview,
summarize your performance and what you learned from the interview. Think
through what seemed to go well and what didn't. Reflect on whether there is
still some unfinished business such as important information you need about
the job. While the interview
is still fresh on your mind, write down some of the questions you were
asked—especially the ones for which you felt unprepared. Practice responses
so you'll be prepared when they come up again in future interviews.
Follow-up
What you do after the
interview is as important as what you do before and during the interview.
Sending a thank you letter is
an absolute must after an interview. The letter should be sent out the same
day that you completed the interview. Most people know this is proper, but
very few actually do it because they are not sure what to say or just don't
think it is important. IT IS IMPORTANT!
A manager may interview many
qualified candidates for a position. A thank you letter is one of the little
distinguishing things that can give you the competitive advantage.
Your letter should be short,
upbeat, neat and error free. Consider including the five R's:
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Remember to thank the
interviewer for their time.
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Reinforce, in a sentence
or two, your skills, accomplishments and experience that make you right
for the job. Reinforce your interest in the job.
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Recoup. If there is
something you wish you had made clearer or forgot to say in the
interview, you can add it to your letter.
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References. This can
be a good occasion to use your list of references
proactively.
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Remind the
interviewer of a promise or agreement on next steps.
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