The Interview

1. The Interview

2. Dress appropriately for the industry; err on the side of being conservative to show you take the interview seriously. Your personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable. • Know the exact time and location of your interview; know how long it takes to get there, park, find a rest room to freshen up, etc. • Arrive early; 10 minutes prior to the interview start time [or earlier if the event or employer instructs you to do so]. • Treat other people you encounter with courtesy and respect. Their opinions of you might be solicited during hiring decisions. • Offer a firm handshake, make eye contact, and have a friendly expression when you are greeted by your interviewer. • Listen to be sure you understand your interviewer's name and the correct pronunciation. Interview DOs

3. Even when your interviewer gives you a first and last name, address your interviewer by title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name, until invited to do otherwise. • Maintain good eye contact during the interview. • Sit still in your seat; avoid fidgeting and slouching. • Respond to questions and back up your statements about yourself with specific examples whenever possible. • Ask for clarification if you don't understand a question. • Be thorough in your responses, while being concise in your wording. • Be honest and be yourself — your best professional self. Dishonesty gets discovered and is grounds for withdrawing job offers and for firing. • Treat the interview seriously and as though you are truly interested in the employer and the opportunity presented. • Exhibit a positive attitude. The interviewer is evaluating you as a potential co-worker. Behave like someone you would want to work with.

4. Have intelligent questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Having done your research about the employer in advance, ask questions which you did not find answered in your research. • Evaluate the interviewer and the organization s/he represents. An interview is a two-way street. Conduct yourself cordially and respectfully, while thinking critically about the way you are treated and the values and priorities of the organization. • Do expect to be treated appropriately. If you believe you were treated inappropriately or asked questions that were inappropriate or made you uncomfortable, discuss this with a Career Services advisor or the director. • Make sure you understand the employer's next step in the hiring process; know when and from whom you should expect to hear next. Know what action you are expected to take next, if any. • When the interviewer concludes the interview, offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Depart gracefully. • After the interview, make notes right away so you don't forget critical details. • Write a thank-you letter to your interviewer promptly.

5. Don't make excuses. Take responsibility for your decisions and your actions. • Don't make negative comments about previous employers or professors (or others). • Don't treat the interview casually, as if you are just shopping around or doing the interview for practice. This is an insult to the interviewer and to the organization. • Don't give the impression that you are only interested in an organization because of its geographic location. • Don't give the impression you are only interested in salary; don't ask about salary and benefits issues until the subject is brought up by your interviewer. • Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment. • Don't make the interviewer guess what type of work you are interested in; it is not the interviewer's job to act as a career advisor to you. Interview DON’Ts

6. Don't be unprepared for typical interview questions. You may not be asked all of them in every interview, but being unprepared will not help you. • A job search can be hard work and involve frustrations; don't exhibit frustrations or a negative attitude in an interview. • Don't go to extremes with your posture; don't slouch, and don't sit rigidly on the edge of your chair. • Don't assume that a female interviewer is "Mrs." or "Miss." Address her as "Ms." unless told otherwise. (If she has a Ph.D. or other doctoral degree or medical degree, use "Dr. [last name]" . • Don't chew gum or smell like smoke. • Don't allow your cell phone to sound during the interview. (If it does, apologize quickly and ignore it.) Don't take a cell phone call. Don't look at a text message. • Don't take your parents, your pet (an assistance animal is not a pet in this circumstance), spouse, fiancé, friends or enemies to an interview. • Don't falsify application materials or answers to interview questions.

7. Question 1: Can you tell me something about yourself? You should focus on work related things in your answer. That means, what you do, what you are good at, what you have done before, what are you looking for in your career, etc. You can mention your personal life and hobbies briefly, but it is not what the employer is interested in. Example: “I like to manage people and work on interesting projects. I have been working for IBM for the past ten years, but am looking for a new challenge right now. I like to do sports, especially football and spend my free time with my wife. Interview Questions

8. Question 2: Why did you apply for this job? Interviewers need to understand your intentions. If you prepare a good answer to this interview question, you can convince them right in the beginning that you are the best person for the job. The key thing is to speak about the company, not about you Example: “I really like the job description and the working duties for this position. I believe that I am the perfect match for the job and can be an asset for your team.”

9. Question 3: Why did you leave your last job/ Why are you planning to leave your job? It is important to stay positive and do not mention any negative things about your previous employers. You should simply focus on the future, not on the past. Example: “There was a downsizing in our company and similarly to most people in my department, I was fired. However, it is the past. I am ready to utilize the knowledge and experience and start to build my new career in your corporation.”

10. Question 4: Can you tell us something more about your working experience? You should always pick the most related experience. You should briefly describe what you did in your last job and what you learned there. Example: “In my last job I worked at McDonald’s. I learned a lot about how to work with other people and how to work at a fast pace.”

11. Question 5: Why should we hire you? You should simply focus on your USP (Unique selling point). It will show the employer something special other candidates can not offer him. To use general phrases will not help you. Example: “Well, I have experience in this field and I am strongly motivated to work for your company.”

12. Question 6: What are your strengths? Interview questions about strengths and weaknesses are typical. And it is easy to answer it. All you have to do is to pick one or two strengths that are relevant for the job. Example: “I am very responsible person and always accomplish all my duties.” “I am a very organized person, what is strongly reflected in my work.” Question 7: What are your weaknesses? Don’t stress about what weakness you list, define how exactly you try to get rid of your weakness. Secondly, you should choose the weakness that is not so important for the job you are applying for. Example: “I am not very patient. But I am working on it every day, doing various exercises.” “Sometimes I struggle to concentrate. However, I practice every day and my concentration has improved over the years.”

13. Question 8: What are your biggest achievements so far? Everyone of us has some achievements. Employers can be impressed by both tangible and intangible achievements. If you were a heavy smoker before and was able to quit smoking, it shows that you have a strong determination and will. Example: “I was able to run marathon under 3:30. I trained for it very hard and it strengthen me both physically and mentally.” “I became a better person over the years. I learned to listen to the others and see the good in people. I consider this as my biggest achievement.”

14. Question 9: Do you have any questions? It is good to ask one or two questions. You should definitely not ask about something that was already answered in the interview or something from the job description. Example: “What are the next steps of the recruiting process?” “Can you tell me something more about the working environment?”

15. It is illegal for an interviewer to ask questions about the following: • Race • Sex • Religion • National origin • Birthplace • Age • Disability • Marital/family status Illegal Questions

18. How To Respond To Illegal Interview Questions • Say “Help me understand why this matters, because I want to better understand the job I’m interviewing for.’” • Go ahead and answer the question. If you don’t feel uncomfortable and you think your answer is in your favor, • Say politely “I don’t feel comfortable answering the question can we move on. • Say “I prefer not to answer.” • If you tell an interviewer they are being inappropriate then you put them on the defensive and they can get combative. • Redirect the question • Example: • If a woman is applying for a job at a bridal boutique, a logical question might be to ask if she is married and has experience with weddings. • A good response might be: • “I have been a part of many weddings, and I have experience planning weddings.”