Career Transition Resources - St. Louis
The Art of Interviewing
Main Points
- Know yourself
- The bottom line
- Type of interviews
- Sample questions: theirs and yours
- Being prepared
- Salary strategies
- After the interview
Know yourself
- Meet with a career consultant
- Attend workshops
- Take self assessment inventories to clarify your skills, interests and values
- Know what makes you special and valuable to prospective employers
Make their bottom line your top priority
- Every question an interviewer is really asking is:
- " What can you do for our company?"
- " How can you contribute to our operation making it easier, better and more efficient?"
Various interview approaches
- Structured or unstructured
- Behavioral
- Psychological or stress test
- One-on-one vs. group vs. multiple
- Screening interview vs. second interview
- Telephone or teleconference
- Plant visit, tour or lunch
Preparation
- Personal appearance and habits
- Punctuality
- Preparedness and enthusiasm
- Good communication skills
- Articulate clearly and succinctly
- Use active listening skills
- Body language and non-verbal communication
Sample practice questions
- What do you do when a deadline can't be met?
Response: I normally do whatever I need to do in order to meet the deadline. However, if it's virtually impossible, I'll discuss alternatives and recommendations with my boss - Give me an example of a time when? (Example: you served on a team)
Response: State your role on the team, the challenge(s) involved and the outcome - How have you handled a situation in which you have made a mistake?
Response: Indicate that you accepted responsibility, apologized and corrected the error. State what you learned from the experience
Sample questions to ask
- To whom would I report?
- Why is the position open?
- What are you looking for in the successful candidate?
- When do you plan to make the hiring decision?
Salary strategy
- Take the interviewer's lead in money-related discussions. Try to defer salary discussions until you've been offered the job
- Know YOUR marketability
- Remember compensation is more than just money
- Know your market value
- Focus on market data if your salary isbelow the market rate
After the interview
- Self-evaluation
- Thank-you notes
- Follow-up
- Phone call
Next steps
- Prepare answers to common questions.
- Develop questions you will ask interviewer
- Practice:
- With friends and associates
- Conduct a mock interview with a CTC consultant
- Select your interview wardrobe
Contact Career Management and Transition Services for more information and referrals to other sources of interviewing and salary negotiation tips.