1. Job Interviews
Lecture 9.4
University of Alberta
ALES 204
Nancy Bray
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2. Housekeeping
iClicker funny business and clarification
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3. iClickers
You can miss 3 lectures without penalty.
You can be late once without penalty. After that if you are late and
missed the question, you must come to me after class to explain your
lateness. Be prepared to show me the notes you took during class.
The number of questions that you answer will count towards the
grade.
Giving your iClicker to someone else to answer for you is academic
fraud. You and the person who takes your iClicker face an
investigation.
If you think your iClicker is not working, please come to sign in after
class. Be prepared to show me the notes you took during class.
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4. Lecture Outline
1. Before the job interview
2. At the job interview
3. After the job interview
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5. 1. Before the interview
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6. Know yourself
Your strengths Their needs
Education
Experience
Qualifications
“Fit”
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7. Example: conservation officer
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8. Example: conservation officer
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9. Know yourself
Record your “accomplishment
statements”
What + How + Result
Write down three things that
you did well
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10. P.A.R.
questions
Practice for P.A.R. interview
questions, i.e., tell me of a time
you faced a difficult situation
at work.
Problem
Action
Result
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11. Practice
Write a P.A.R. script from one of your accomplishment statements
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12. Know the organization
Research the organization
Print material
Internet
Friends
Organization statements
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13. Researching the organization
Organization structure
Type of product/service offered
Customer base and target market
Competition
Interview process and notification
Recruiting team and selection process
Dress code
Organizational culture / values
Training and development mandate
Promotional opportunities
Future goals
Trends in the industry
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14. Dress the part
You need the right costume
Find out about the organization’s dress code and match it
Conservative
Business casual
Casual
Creative fashion
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15. Before the
interview
1. Know yourself
2. Know the employer
3. Dress the part
4. Practice!
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16. 2. At the Interview
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17. Types of
interviews
Screening and selection
Structured interview
Unstructured interview
Panel interview
Serial interview
Telephone/video conference
interview
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18. Phases of an
interview
Introduction
Exchange of information
Your questions
Closing
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19. The
Introduction
Enter smiling, with confidence
Wait for the interviewer to
offer to shake hands
Wait for interviewer to offer
you a seat
Sit straight up, lean forward,
open body language
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20. The Interviewer’s Questions
Maintain eye contact
Watch your body language
Watch the tone and pitch of your voice
Keep your answers focused
Give examples to support your answers
Ask if your answer was clear
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21. Interview Questions and Answers
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22. Typical themes in questions
Can you do the job?
Will you do the job?
Will you fit in?
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23. 5 Types of Questions
1. Directives, i.e, How has your education prepared you for this job?
2. Non-directive, i.e., Tell me about yourself
3. Hypothetical, i.e., What would you do if...
4. Behaviour Descriptive, i.e., Tell me about a time when you...
5. Stress, i.e., Have you ever missed work due to stress?
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24. Top 10 Interview Questions
1. What is your greatest strength?
2. What is your greatest weakness?
3. How do you handle stress and pressure?
4. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
5. How do you evaluate success?
6. Why are you leaving or have left your job?
7. Why do you want this job?
8. Why should we hire you?
9. What are your goals for the future?
10.Tell me about yourself.
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25. 1. What is your greatest strength?
Keep a list of your strengths and examples to support your claims
For every interview, choose a strength that matches the need of the
organization
Sample answer: When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to
meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of
schedule.
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26. 2. What is your greatest
weakness?
Briefly state a weakness that is really a strength
Follow up with how you deal with this weakness
Sample answer: Being organized wasn't my strongest point, but I
implemented a time management system that really helped my
organization skills.
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27. 3. How do you handle stress?
Use the P.A.R. formula
Sample answer: If the people I am managing are contributing to my
stress level, I discuss options for better handling difficult situations
with them.
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28. 4. Describe a difficult work
situation
Use the P.A.R. formula
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29. 5. How do you evaluate success?
Use your accomplishment statements
Sample answer: I evaluate success in different ways. At work, it is
meeting the goals set by my supervisors and my fellow workers. It is
my understanding, from talking to other employees, that the GGR
company is recognized for not only rewarding success, but giving
employees opportunity to grow as well. After work, I enjoy playing
softball, so success on the field is catching the winning pop-up.
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30. 6. Why are your leaving or have
left a job?
Employers use this question to determine if you are a job hopper
Avoid criticizing your former employers or managers
Sample answer: I found myself bored with the work and looking for
more challenges. I am an excellent employee and I didn't want my
unhappiness to have any impact on the job I was doing for my
employer.
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31. 7. What do you want this job?
Choose reasons that will align with the organization’s priorities
Sample answer: I want this job because it seems tailored to my
competencies, which include sales and marketing. As I said earlier, in
a previous position I created an annual growth rate of 22 percent in a
flat industry. Additionally, the team I would work with looks terrific.
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32. 8. Why should we hire you?
Give concrete examples of your accomplishments and how they fit
with the organization’s needs
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33. 9. What are your goals for the
future?
Have a 2-year and 5-year plan of where you see yourself in that
particular organization
Don’t discuss personal, non-job-related goals
Sample answer: I see myself as a top performing employee in a well-
established organization, like this one. I plan on enhancing my skills
and continuing my involvement in (related) professional associations.
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34. 10. Tell me about yourself
Focus on experience, skills, personal strengths and values that relate
to the position
Be specific and provide specific examples
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35. Your Questions
Should demonstrate your commitment, your long term goals, your
willingness to learn, your flexibility and self-worth
Prepare a number of key questions before the interview
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36. Sample questions for you to ask
What skills are considered the most important for success in the
position I’m applying for?
What is the most urgent or difficult part of the job?
Tell me more about how this job fits into the big picture.
Describe the type of person who does best in the organization.
What style of management does this organization prefer?
What are the next steps in the job application process?
When would you like the ideal applicant to start?
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37. Closing
Ask the interviewer if there is any more info required
Restate your qualifications and how they would benefit the
organization
Reaffirm your interest in working for the organization and in the job
State when you would be available to start
Ask when the decision will be made
Thank the interviewer for their time
Send thank you letter to interviewer within 48 hours. (Not to
government jobs)
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38. Negotiating pay
Always research pay levels before your interview
Public sector pay levels are usually available online and there is little
negotiating room
Look at job ads for similar positions to find representative pay scales
Decide before the interview what salary range you are expecting and
why
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39. Negotiating Pay - During the
Interview
Interviewee should not bring up pay during an interview. Wait until
you are offered the job.
Interviewer may ask however:
What do you think you are worth to us?
We offer X for this position. Does that fit with your expectations?
We have had other candidates who will accept $X. Will you?
Back up your expected salary range with research from other
organizations and tie it to your qualifications
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40. Negotiating Pay - After the
Interview
Don’t raise the question of pay during the interview, wait until you
have been offered the job
Base your expected salary on your research of the industry and your
qualifications and state your reasoning
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41. Reasons that you didn’t get the
job
Your image doesn’t match the role you want to play
Your references are not stellar
Your expectations don’t match reality
One of the interviewers didn’t like you
They had someone else in mind
Another candidate was better than you!
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42. Take away
Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Practice, practice, practice!
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