Mastering Job Interviews: Impressions and Pre-Employment Testing

1. Focus Questions • In what setting do employers usually make hiring decisions? • What are three things you should do to get ready for a job interview? • What are six things you can do to make a good impression in an interview?

2. Interviewing and Pre-employment Testing

3. An interview is the formal meeting in which you and the employer discuss the job and your qualifications.

4. Making a Good Impression • Learn as much as you can about the company • Practice what you will say • Dress appropriately • Arrive a few minutes early • Have a list of good questions to ask

5. Go alone • Smile and make eye contact • Answer questions thoughtfully • Handle illegal questions carefully • When it’s over, go! • Write a thank you letter

6. Pre – employment Testing • Psychological tests • Personality tests • Medical tests • Drug tests

7. Checking Your Credit Score • A credit score is a number based on information in your credit report, and it indicates your credit risk • The information comes from credit card accounts and loans, late payments, bankruptcies, and recent inquiries • FICO scores are most often used and range between 300 and 850 • http://www.myfico.com/

8. Definitions • The process of building professional relationships that assist both parties in reaching their goals • Someone who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of owning a business • Pay that is figured at an hourly rate • A questionnaire in which a job seeker answers questions about personal information and job qualifications • A summary of a job applicant’s personal information, education, skills, work experience, and special interests

9. Pay that is the same each month, regardless of the number of hours worked • A business with co-owners • A list of the steps needed to reach a career goal • A voluntary payment that a customer makes to an employee, figured as a percentage of the bill • A short document introducing a job applicant to the employer and explaining why he or she would do a good job for the company

10. A percentage of the total sale, paid instead of, or in addition to, salary or wages • A business owned by one person • A business owned by a group of stockholders • An outline of the information usually requested on a job application form • Payments given to people or institutions, which do not have to be paid back

11. Percentage of sales in dollars paid to the creators of a work, such as a song, when copies of the work are sold

12. Assessment • What is the difference between a wage and a salary? • Why is it important to start thinking about investing even before you start doing it? • Describe the step that is missing from this procedure for choosing a career: daydream; make a self assessment; gather information; set a realistic goal; make a decision. • If a business is not advertising its job openings, how might you find out about them?

13. Name three traditional sources of job leads. • Name three online job sites. • When you are doing an online job search, why is it a good idea to use a portal site? • Why should you follow up a job lead as soon as possible? • When preparing an electronic resume, why should you save it as a text only file? • List two reasons you should be careful about posting information on a job search site or resume bank

14. What is a work permit? Why might you need one? • What is the difference between a job application and a resume? • List six things you can do to make a good impression during a job interview. • Why do some employers do pre – employment testing.