Resume, Letter, Interview
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Preparing for Interviews: Tips for a Successful Interview
There is a new trend in interviewing. We are seeing movement away
from interviewers using the standard "50 most asked questions by college
recruiters" to behavioral or situational questions. Employers feel they
can better gauge a candidate's fit for the position from hearing the
responses it the behavioral/situational interview questions. The
rationale for this type of interviewing is that past performance may be
the best predictor of future performance, i.e., success on the job. As
for the candidate, successful behavioral/situational interviewing
requires slightly different preparation techniques. You must be prepared
to answer the interviewer's questions with stories and examples that
demonstrate your assets and qualifications for the position.
Preparation Hints:
- Think of and select 15-20 stories illustrating your assets.
- Practice telling your stories until they are brief and concise,
one to three minutes long.
- Let others help you out - use examples of quotes from bosses or
customers, i.e., "My boss gave me a good performance review, she/he
liked the way I stepped in to get the job done without being told
to."
- A Good story sets the stage, demonstrates the appropriate skill
in action and has a positive outcome, that is, shows how you solved
a problem or overcame an obstacle. When setting the stage paint a
bleak picture of the situation so that when you show how you solved
the problem your impact becomes bright and clear.
- A good story can also combine work experience with a non-work
experience (shows you can use the skill in a variety of settings).
- A good story can also combine a distant experience with a recent
experience demonstrating the same skill (shows you've had the skill
a long time).
Here are sample behavior/situational interview questions that may be
asked during an interview.
- Describe the duties and/or responsibilities during your work
and/or academic experience demonstrate you ability to do the job for
which you are applying.
- Describe situations during work, school, and campus affiliations
where you demonstrated leadership qualities.
- What skills and attributes do you bring to the job?
- Give examples from work experience, classroom, and/or
organizational involvement which demonstrate that you are creative.
- Give examples from work experience, classroom, and/or
organizational involvement which demonstrate that you are a
self-starter.
- Describe situations that demonstrate you have the ability to
work with other people.
- Given the opportunity, list the areas with respect to yourself
that you would improve and how you would improve these areas.
- Tell me about a time when you made a major sacrifice to achieve
a work-related or personal goal.
- Tell me about a time when you failed or failed to accomplish a
goal you set for yourself and how you handled that situation.
- Describe a time when you were under a lot of stress and how you
handled it.
More on preparing for an job interview:
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