| Handling
the Interview Itself
Arrive for your appointment
on time. The person you are going to see is probably on a tight schedule.
If you are late, the time lost might be subtracted from the time allotted
to you; but if you are early and the interviewer is ahead of schedule,
he/she may be able to devote extra time to you.
Don’t worry
about being nervous as you approach the interview because this is normal.
Try to remember that the interviewer is not the enemy and that he/she
wants to hire you if you have the qualifications he/she is looking for.
Greet the interviewer
by name as you enter his/her office. Many interviewers will use your first
name, hoping that this will put you more at ease. Don’t interpret
this as meaning that you have the same privilege. Play it safe and use
Mr. or Ms. unless he/she indicates otherwise. (A helpful way of knowing
if a woman interviewer is Ms., Mrs., or Miss is to ask the secretary before
the interview. You may already know this information if you’ve written
your cover letter to the person who is interviewing you.) Notice the name
on the door or desk.
Don’t stress
money in this first contact. Usually, the interviewer will give some indication
of salary. If it does not come up and you are unable to get salary information
before the interview, you might ask a question such as “What is
the salary range for this type of position?”
Occasionally, job
offers are made during the interview. If this occurs, you need not give
a response then, but thank the employer and indicate that you want a few
days to think it over. This will give you time to digest what you’ve
learned in the interview.
At the end of the
interview, thank the interviewer for his or her information and, if it
is genuine, specifically express your interest in the organization and
the job.
Answering
the Interviewer’s Questions
The
interviewer will ask you questions which are designed to get you
to talk about your qualifications and in so doing give an understanding
of your reasoning processes, your motives, and most important, your
personality. Answer questions briefly yet informatively. Be positive
and direct. Questions related to future goals should reflect self-direction
and motivation. |
The interviewer might
present you with a case problem to solve. In this situation he/she is
less interested in your solution to the problem that he/she is in the
way you develop the situation. Your answers to these questions provide
clues to your ability to work harmoniously and effectively with your co-workers
and superiors.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Listed below are questions
frequently asked by recruiters. It is extremely important that applicants
be prepared for such questions so that their responses reflect careful
thought.
Tell me about yourself/describe
yourself.
What are your long-term career goals?
What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?
Why do you feel that you will be successful in…?
What supervisory/leadership roles have you held? Outline the relationship
that
should exist between supervisor and subordnates.
How do you spend your spare time?
What have been your most satisfying and most disappointing school or
work
experiences?
What are your strongest (weakest) personal qualities?
Give me some examples that support your stated interest in…(field,
industry,
position, or firm).
Why did you select us to interview with?
What courses did you like best? Least? Why?
What did you learn or gain from your part-time and summer job experiences?
Relate to your goals.
Which geographic location do you prefer? Why?
Would you prefer on-the-job training or a formal program?
Why should I hire you? What can I do for you?
What are your plans for graduate study? In what way can you make a contribution
to our company?
Why did you choose your major?
Tell me about your extracurricular activities and interests.
Describe your most rewarding college experience.
The ability to answer questions quickly and intelligently is of great
importance. Avoid answers that seem confused and disorganized. The best
preventive against a disorganized answer is prior preparation. An effective
technique in answering questions is to put yourself in the place of the
interviewer prior to responding. In other words, the applicant should
think, “If I were in the recruiter’s place, working for the
company, what would I like to know about myself?” Always ask for
clarification or to have a question repeated if you don’t understand
a question.
Future Plans
One of the favorite questions of a recruiter, however phrased, concerns
employment desires in five or ten years. When this type of question is
seen coming, however disguised, it should be remembered that the purpose
is to determine ambition, ability to get ahead, and the soundness of one’s
thinking. In a large majority of studies of unsuccessful job applicants,
the reasons they were rejected at the initial interview were related to
their ill-defined career plans. Applicants must not convey the impression
to the recruiter of not being sure of career direction.
Accentuate
the Positive
Strong points impress employers and should be emphasized at every appropriate
opportunity. Answers must be factual and sincere without conveying conceit.
Be specific. Rather than saying “I am a hard worker,” one
might say “I have worked most of the time that I have been attending
college, plus working in the summer, and have taken some extra courses
to prepare myself better in my major area of study.” The second
answer is more effective than the first.
Asking Questions
As appropriate openings
develop in the interview, you might want to ask concrete questions about
the organization. Questions should be prefaced with statements that indicate
that homework about the firm has been done and now additional information
is needed. For example, a statement and question might appear as follows:
“I noticed in the job description printed in your employment brochure
that all candidates enter into a structured program in on-the-job training
and classroom instruction. With my prior experience in sales, would it
be possible to move any faster than two years into a marketing management
position?”
Here are other examples
of questions that you might want to ask:
- Describe the typical
career path I might follow in this job.
- Describe the training
program which new employees receive.
- Does your organization
support continued education or professional
development? If so, in what way?
- Describe the supervision
I will receive.
Questions should reflect
genuine interest in the organization and should reflect your sincere and
personal interest in your role within the organization.
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