Interviewing tips and tools

Everyone, uh, my name is AEL. I'm a career counselor who with Sax State. Thank you all for coming in for joining us on this presentation for interviewing tips and tools. We're going to go ahead and get started. Over this workshop, we want you to walk away being able to describe the different types of interviews that you may be encountering. We want you to learn best practices for interviewing. We want you to recognize behavioral interview questions among the other types of interview questions you may face. And then also, we want you to be able to identify some resources that can help you, uh, prepare for your interviewing, um, that you can find through the Career Center website.

So, we're going to go ahead and get started. This is interviewing tips and tools, the Career Center's guide. So, we're going to concentrate on the interview process and we're going to break it up into four sections: with, with, um, professional exploration, preparation, the actual interview itself, and then followup.

So, before we begin the actual interview, there are a couple things that we want to go over. So, we created this small checklist that you can use in your preparation before you even get to the interview section. We want to make sure that we keep our job search materials organized. This includes our job description, the job post, any information that we use to research the, the actual job itself. We also want to make sure we have an updated version of our resume or any of our documents that we have submitted. This will help us go back and review any information that has been deleted or has been pulled after the deadline has passed. We also want to consider professional attire, which we will go over. Um, we want to make sure that we check our email, our voicemail, and any social media for anything that may appear unprofessional or, um, you know, that we may not want an employer to see before we get, um, to the interview itself. And lastly, we do encourage you all to schedule an appointment with the Career Center for any additional help or support that you may need leading up to your interview.

So, we're going to go ahead and start with professional exploration. This is the section where we highly recommend researching the industry, researching the organization, and the position. Knowing what the role is and what your, um, what kind of skills, talent, and experiences from your own experiences that can help meet those, um, job posting qualifications or requirements. Basically, we want to align the most that we can to that information during the interview. So, having it, um, all ready to go is going to help you, um, through that process.

The next phase is preparation. So, this is where we prepare and we actually practice. Practice is important because during the pre, the interview itself, sometimes our nerves get the best of us. Sometimes, um, you know, we can start forgetting our, our some of the information that we want to explain or detail. Um, so we really highlight practicing. You also want to consider professional attire or the dress code for this. We do encourage you to do a little bit of research into the industry and seeing what kind of dress code is typical. And then we want to elevate that just slightly so that way when we approach, um, the interview, we do look like, um, we are ready and we are, um, excited for this opportunity to work within this industry. So, for best practices, if they typically wear jeans, you may want to wear slacks or a skirt in a, in a really nice blouse. Um, we want to align the approach with the position. So, we do want to review the job description, review the company website, find out any details that can help you as you approach, approach this interview so that way you can go back and recall some of that information and incorporate them into your responses.

Lastly, we, uh, we encourage you to know what you have to offer. This is where we have to really practice. Um, we have to consider all of our experiences up to that point valuable. Um, so when we look at some of our experiences that show that our qualifications or the job requirements, um, we're going to look back at our academic experiences. We're going to look at any paid or non-paid work experiences. This includes volunteer work or, um, any internships. We're also going to look at part-time internships, hands-on experience. Um, these can also look like any clubs or organizations that we've been a part of. And we also want to incorporate any life experiences. So, if you've, if you've been able to show adapting skills or, um, communication skills in your normal day-to-day life experiences, you can also include some of that information within your interview. Um, we also want to identify what makes you a good fit. So, again, going back to the job description, that's going to be our best friend during the interview process. Um, we want to identify what kind of skills, knowledge, experiences that, uh, the organization values and we want to try incorporate those within our responses.

And as I was mentioning, practice, practice is really important. Practice saying your responses to the typical questions that may be asked. And part of this is, we don't know what kind of questions will be asked. We don't know, um, you know, the industry may have specific questions that they're going to be asking. The organization may have their own set list of different questions that they may ask. But the main point is, we don't know what to expect. So, we want to, we really encourage you to avoid the feeling that you have to memorize or recite answers to these types of questions. Um, the main point is get comfortable presenting yourself and your qualifications to others based off of, um, you know, some of those skills and experiences that you have, but make sure that you're adaptable and that you're, um, present within these, the interview itself too. Um, we don't want to, you know, be asked a question then get thrown off. We want to be able to adapt, um, some of our skills and our experiences within any question that may be asked of us.

So, now that we're practicing, we want to know what we're going to practice for. What kind of interviews can we encounter out there? Um, so we have a, a nice little list of different types of, uh, of interview, um, situations that you can, uh, find yourself in. Um, the first one is an elevator pitch. These are sometimes like different life situation, um, interviews where, you know, you may encounter an employer in an elevator, in a hallway, um, you know, at a grocery store. So, we want to have a good, um, you want to have an example of different types of skills, qualifications that may show that we're flexible or adaptable for certain types of jobs. Anything that you want to highlight. Um, again, this is going to be more general since this can happen anywhere and we don't have a specific job description that we're going to be using. Um, so we're really going to highlight skills, qualifications, and some life experiences or job experiences that, that can help us.

Um, then there's going to be some that we can use with technology. So, telephone, video interviews. These are typically not in-person, um, experiences where now you can connect via Zoom or by phone. Um, and you can still have the opportunity to connect with an employer with a list of questions that they may have for you. One-on-one interviews are more typical. These situations tend to be face-to-face with one employer. You can also meet with several employ, or representatives of an employer, um, in a panel interview, or you can also have several interviewers interviewing many interviewees in a group interview. Lastly, the job fair, career fair interview. This is kind of like the elevator pitch except that it happens typically at a job fair, career fair, um, site where you get a chance to meet with several employers, ask them questions, and they may have some questions for you. But generally, making sure that you hit your skills, your qualifications, and your experiences, that way you can, um, possibly get to the next step, which would be either an interview via telephone, video, or in person.

Now that we've covered what kind of interviews you may be facing, we're going to look at what kind of questions you can be, um, asked. We have here five of the more typical types of questions. There's behavioral questions. These are the types of questions where they, an employer may ask you, "Tell me about a time," or "Have you ever faced this type of situation?" Um, so we really want to have a detailed response where we can adapt different types of skills and incorporate qualifications, experiences, um, so we can detail how we would respond to certain situations from previous experiences. Technical questions. These are definitely more, um, involved questions that you may face, especially in certain industries. So, it's really important to know your industry as you prepare for, uh, an interview. Technical questions is a good example. Um, they may ask for a, somebody in engineering, "Can you describe how a, uh, certain system can work?" And you should be able to describe that system. You know, if it's an AC unit or whatever, um, you should be able to identify key components, um, and how they all work in collaboration. So, that's a good example of technical questions. Critical thinking questions are similar to behavioral questions where you have to kind of walk through a process using critical thinking skills. So, definitely incorporating skills, knowledge is going to be helpful in critical thinking type questions.

Then we're going to find ourselves, um, possibly facing some of these inappropriate or illegal questions. These are questions that may align to things such as family life, uh, age, uh, sexual orientation. These are inappropriate questions and you do not have to respond to these questions. Um, just know that they should not be asked and you do not have to respond or feel forced to respond to these questions, as they can be discriminatory.

Finally, questions for the interviewers themselves. This is a good opportunity for you to get a better understanding about the role, about the, um, company culture. So, definitely have some questions prepared to ask the employers themselves as well.

All right, so we've gone over some of the, the important information that, of what we've, what to expect. Now we're going to look at what can we do during our interview? So, here we have a top 10 interviewing tips list, um, where we're going to just read them real quick, going from one to 10. Um, primarily, make a good impression. Generally, we just want to make a good impression. We want to, to conduct ourselves, um, professionally. That means come in early or come in on time. Um, you know, if, if you feel comfortable or if you feel that the interviewer is open to it, shake their hands. Um, you know, have a good attitude. I know it's a nerve-wracking situation, but we generally just want to make a good impression.

Number two, keep your answers brief and concise. Um, definitely, we want to be conscious about time. We want to be able to explain in detail our skills, qualifications, and knowledge, but we want to make sure that it stays on target and we're not giving, we're not just rambling.

Number three, prepare some success stories. You can also include some stories where maybe you're not successful as well. Um, that can also just show your strengths and adaptability, but always turning it back into a positive. Um, so definitely using success stories is helpful to, um, to detail some of those skills, qualifications, and knowledge that make you successful.

We want to make sure that you repeat your strengths. This is something that we want them to walk away knowing. You know, cuz anybody can, um, can do this job, right? Uh, they're going to do training. We want to make sure that you show your strengths, your skills, and knowledge that shows that you will be trainable.

Number five, research the company. This is really important because we want to know what kind of values they have. We want to make sure what their mission statement is, and then we can start aligning to these, um, these pieces of information within our interview as well.

Ask the questions. Ask your questions to the interviewers, um, as well. Um, so this is not a one-way situation. You have the opportunity to ask questions to the interviewer, um, and sometimes this can really make you stand out. This can really help you out, especially like if your interviewer, if your interview is not going that great, asking questions can show that you're prepared, that you're committed to this, um, job opportunity, and that you know your information there, that you can ask questions.

Number seven, maintain a conversational flow. So, this is, it sounds simple, but when all your nerves are working, uh, maintaining a conversational flow and being present can definitely be, um, difficult, and we recognize that. But we want to try to stay as calm and present as possible.

Number eight, represent yourself. So, definitely, this is an opportunity to really give yourself credit for some of your, um, your experiences, any of the skills and knowledge that you want to highlight. This is the best time to do it. So, do not hold back.

Number nine, keep an interview journal. This is a good way to review any progress from any previous experiences with interviews, um, where you can make adjustments. So, if you had a bad experience, write those down so that way you can address those in your preparation for the next interview.

And finally, number 10, make a good final impression. So, just as we started off with making a good impression, we want to make sure that we end the interview with a good final impression. Always remember to keep practicing and believe in yourself because you are there for a reason. We made it through the application phase, um, and then we also just want to highlight, take a few breaths, and you got this, right? This is, um, this is one situation that's going to help you get to your end goal, which is getting that dream job of yours, or the job is going to help you get that dream job.

So, now we have a list, um, of the top 10 skill sets that employers are seeking from college grads. This list is very important because we talk about all the skills and qualifications and knowledge that we want to highlight, but what does that really mean? These are the top 10 skills that employers are looking for. So, we have teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving, written and verbal communication, professionalism and work ethic, leadership and initiative, analytical and quantitative skills, flexibility, adaptability, detail-oriented, strong interpersonal skills, and technical and computer skills. I would even argue DEI skills as well. Um, these are all skills that definitely we will have to build, if, and we have to show how they, um, how we have built these skills through our experiences. Um, so we really got to look at not just work experiences. We can also pull some of these skills from our academics, um, any organizations or clubs that we're a part of, any internships or volunteer work that we've built, that we've been a part of. Um, so these are the top 10 skills employers are looking for. Very important to go back and review this and try to sprinkle them in throughout your, your interview, throughout your resume, any documents that you have. Probably the most important set of, um, important lists that you should probably be reviewing prior to an application or interview.

All right, so for those of you that have the time, go ahead and pause this. Think about a career goal of yours and try to align two to three of those skills or abilities that we saw from that list that you feel that you possess that can help you in a potential role, um, as you explain it to an employer. Try to think of a story or, um, a situation that highlights these skills and abilities. So, if you like to go ahead and pause this, try to think about how you would frame that in a response, um, and we will see you on the next slide.

All right, now that we're back, uh, this is during the interview. We've highlighted some of those skills, some of those knowledges that we want to highlight. How do we build a response? So, this is the STAR method. The STAR method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results. Situation, we're going to describe the, the W questions though: who, what, where, when. Task is going to be, so, situation going to set up, you know, the framework for this, uh, response. Task is going to be our specific, um, role within this situation. So, what task did you have? And we're going to highlight the challenge. Action is going to be, uh, where we explain what were our action steps that we took. What did you do? And how? And finally, the R in the STAR method is going to show results, arguably one of the most important sections of this, um, of this method, um, because we can have a, you know, a job anywhere, but the results is what's really going to make us stand out. So, um, share the end results. What did you accomplish? You know, um, it will continue from there.

So, this is just another version of the STAR method. This one is going to show, uh, showcase an example of the STAR method. So, situation: Last semester, I had a group project in my biology class. The assignment required, and then task: So, this is my specific role. I noticed little communication within the group and I wanted to increase engagement on the project. Action steps: What did I do to, um, address this challenge? The, um, the limited engagement in the project? So, for the action steps that I took was, I created a group chat and a Google Drive folder. I also organized weekly meetings so we all stay, uh, connected and on track. And then finally, results: because this is what we really want to see. Communication increased among the group members. We provided updates and feedback every other day, and we were able to review our project before submitting it and getting an A on the project. This is a great example of how to utilize the STAR method to develop a better result, um, of better response to an interview question. Um, typically, this is where we would respond to behavioral questions.

All right, another activity. Um, so your turn of practice. Tell me about a time when you had to work in a team and what role did you play and what was the outcome? So, we'll go ahead and give you a minute. You can pause this and we'll see you on the next slide.

So, um, now we've practiced the STAR method. We're going to look at some common questions to ask the interviewer. So, again, this is a two-way situation where now we have an opportunity to ask an interviewer some questions about the role, about the company. Um, so these are the common questions that you can ask. "Can you tell me about the office culture?" "What do you enjoy most about working for this organization?" So, the first one we're looking at, you know, the office organization, the culture within the office. The second one is going to be more targeted towards the actual employer and their feelings about working within the organization. Um, and then you can ask, "What do you feel are essential factors for success for this position?" This is a question that's going to help us gain insight about the role and, uh, to be more successful. And then finally, "What are the next steps? When should I expect to hear from you or contact you?" So, this is going to give us some information about the next steps within the hiring process, and you're able to clarify what, um, to expect further in the process, um, and if you should contact them for any additional information or, um, follow-ups for after the interview.

And again, we are highlighting making a good impression. So, to make a good impression, be on time and prepared. Read the room. See if they're open to shaking hands. I know after COVID, some people may feel uncomfortable, so try to read the room. See if you see any body language of, you know, going for a handshake or any, um, you know, physical touch such as a handshake. Um, be sure to be conscious about your non-verbal communication. So, you know, um, your posture, um, avoidance from, you know, uh, avoiding eye contact. All of those non-verbal communications can put an an employer off in an interview. So, make sure that you're conscious about your non-verbal communication. Um, again, look at your interview with higher. We want to make sure that we are using, um, a more elevated version of their dress code that they use, um, in general practices. Ask great questions. This can really help you stand out. Remember to say thank you. And lastly, and most importantly, promote you. This is your chance to really showcase your skills, your qualifications, your experiences to show that you align the job description that you are applying to.

After your interview, now we're looking at the followup. So, um, after the interview, be sure to send a thank you note. You can do this, um, via email. Um, make sure to thank them for their time. State something that was specific for you, um, or something that you enjoyed from the interview. Maybe you had a good, um, you know, conversation with an employer, or maybe you learned some great information from the employer that you could use at a later time. Um, those are all some things that you can, um, include within the, the thank you note. And lastly, we wanted to just incorporate in there, "I hope to hear from you soon." And we also want to check in for appropriate time for a followup, um, message, right, right.

So, those are the different, the four different steps for preparing for an interview and things to do in an interview. Next, we want to highlight any helpful tools that can help you prepare and practice for your interview. So, we have a couple, um, really great tools that you can find through the Career Center website. First, we have Big Interview. Big Interview, you have an opportunity to review any of the most common questions that are asked in an interview, and if you're able to, you can also record yourself and go back and review how did you respond to certain questions through your, um, recorded responses. Um, if you notice that your responses aren't as great as what you hoped they would come out to be, you have an opportunity to go back and revisit that and then practice how do you respond.

The second one is a Career Center Job and Internship Handbook. This is a great resource. There are so many different things that you can, uh, use within this handbook. There are sections for resume development, cover letter development, um, interview prep. Um, there's a lot of really great information in there. Um, all really great, um, resources that you can find on the Career Center website.

And lastly, the Sax State Career Network. This, this is an opportunity to connect with different employ, um, different professionals within the profession that you may be interested in. Um, so if you're interested in building your network with people that are currently in the types of jobs that you are interested in, you can create a profile and set an appointment with one of these professionals, and they can potentially become your mentor or give you some great insight to prepare for your interview. Um, so that's, it's a great resource. Um, you can also do something similar through like LinkedIn. That's also another great, um, resource, but one of the pros for the Saxi Career Network is these are all professionals that have already signed up to be a resource for you. Um, here you can find Big Interview where it's located under the featured tools. You can also highlight, um, the Sax State Career Network, which is found just directly below it.

And we do want to just help you stay informed and get reminders for any of our upcoming events, including, um, things such as our career fairs, which you can find every semester. Um, so be sure to follow us at the Saxi Career Center, um, Instagram for any updates on, um, reminders and information for upcoming events.

And then we'll leave this open for questions. If you do have any questions, you can feel free to connect with us. We are located at Len Hall, Room 1013. We are housed with the Academic Advising Center, and we are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00. And we are also available for drop-ins and, uh, full appointments. Drop-ins, just as a reminder, we have 15 minutes. It's available for drop-in sessions. If you want to take some time to really go over mock interviews or resume development, anything like that. Um, these are, um, you can schedule for up to 45 minutes with one of our career counselors, and you have a lot more time to go in depth on certain things that you want to practice or strategies that you want to practice.

And that's our presentation. If you have any questions, we look forward to seeing you here at the Career Center. Again, my name is AEL. Thank you all for joining this presentation on interview tips and tools.