Interview skills/Content and readings/Fall 2017/Week 2

Week 1 + Week 2 - Pre-Interview: Research Thyself, Research Employers

Research Your Background, Skills & Experience

Tip: A vital, often overlooked part of the interview process is researching your own background, skills and experience to create stories that succinctly communicated what you've achieved in quantifiable and qualitative terms, who it has impacted, and why it was important. These are called CAR Stories (Challenge, Action, Results).

Readings

• Transferable Skills - Assess & Rank  |  Google Doc Available - Make a Copy
• 10 Resume Accomplishment Samples
• United Nations Careers: Competency Based Interviewing

Video

• How to Prepare for a Competency-Based Interview at the UN

Develop CAR Stories

Tip: Regardless of the acronym used (CAR, PAR, STAR, SOAR), these stories are a powerful way of communicating your experience and 'can-do' abilities - in your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and in behavioral interviews.

Readings

• Behavioral Interview Techniques: The STAR Approach, Wayne State University
• CAR Story Explained - simple & effective
• PAR / STAR Stories, Nova Southeastern University.

Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers)

Tip: Practice answering some of these standard interview questions. Preparation is the key to success!

Readings

• Fifty Standard Interview Questions (and Awesome Answers), from CollegeGrad. Retrieved August 9, 2017.

Videos

• Video: Best way to answer "Behavioral Based" interview questions (13:53). Don Georgevich

Research Employers - Candidate + Hiring Manager's Perspective

Tip: As you are researching the organization on LinkedIn, DO NOT ask for connections to people who you don't know. You could seriously jeopardize your chances of success - because you don't know them.

Researching employers (organizations) you want to work for is also very important. It gives you insight into the news, leadership and financial health of the organization, the strategic priorities, values and mission and culture. Also, you can learn about the products and services the organization provides and its key stakeholder audiences. An important resource is the Information Interview with someone who works in the organization, who can give you insight into the company culture, its hiring practices, norms and expectations. Also of importance is the Organization Chart, as well as an organization's employees on LinkedIn. You can learn about job titles and responsibilities, who reports to whom, career paths, and more.

Readings

• The Ultimate Guide to Researching a Company Pre-Interview, in Forbes. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
• Step-by-Step Guide to Researching Companies: How to Conduct Job Research, in LiveCareer.
• 7 Things to Research Before Any Job Interview, in GlassDoor.
• How to Research the Company Before the Job Interview, from WikiHow.
• Informational Interviews, Wikipedia
• 3 Steps to a Perfect Informational Interview, The Muse.

Managing Your Expectations

Tip: The average time to hire is 44 business days

Preparing yourself for interviews is also about managing your expectations throughout the hiring process. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Throughout the interview process, candidates have to take care of themselves mentally, emotionally and physically to ensure peak performance and recall of important facts and responses. There will be times that you perform your best and others less so - it's very important to not lose your momentum or focus if you've had a bad interview. Acknowledge what happened, debrief the experience and move forward - don't stop, obsess or engage in self-recrimination. Simply learn from the experience. This is not a positive or productive use of your time, energy and resources.

Readings

• 30 Business Days To Your New Job (Google Doc)
• Rowboat / Breathing Technique, in CollegeGrad.
• Using Mental Rehearsal to Prepare for Interviews from University of California Berkley Career Center.
• Best Bet for Job Interview Prep: Rehearsed, Mock, and Video-Recorded Interviews by Katherine Hansen. (Google Doc)
• Rutgers Resource: Rutgers Career Services Mock Interview System

Video: Learning from the Hiring Manager's Perspective

• Video: Moishe Lettvin - What I Learned Doing 250 Interviews at Google (1:00:24) - A Hiring Manager's Perspective.
• (: Additional videos and readings are available from the Hiring Manager's perspective later in the course: (1) Nonverbal Interviewing Skills (Body Language); and (2) Cultural Fit).