Interviewing Skills Workshop

1
Interviewing Skills Workshop

• Presented by Nikki Schaper
• Director of Student Life
• San Bernardino Valley College

2
Getting the Call

• Be sure to change your voicemail message.
• Alert roommates that you may be getting calls for
  interviews.
• Be composed.
• Be prepared.
• Be nice!

3
Getting Ready

• Dress/Attire
• Grooming
• Copy of the Job Ad/Description for your review.
• Catalog you skills
• Extra copies of your resume and reference sheet
• Paper Pad Pen

4
GROOMING

• Wild Nail Polish -- for men or women. Extremely
  long or uncut nails are a real turnoff, too. Your
  nails should be groomed and neat.
• Jewelry That Jangles Don't wear more than two
  rings per hand or one earring per ear. No face
  jewelry or ankle bracelets allowed at the
  interview.

5
GROOMING

• Open-Toed or Backless Shoes And mules are a
  definite no-no. Out-of-date shoes should be
  thrown out or kept for other occasions.
• Bare Legs Wear stockings, even in humid, summer
  weather. Stockings can be in neutral colors or a
  fashion color to match your shoes.
• Out-of-Date Suits with lapels that are too wide
  (three inches or more) or too narrow (one inch or
  less). A good tailor can alter lapels. The style
  for men's jackets is full-body and looser rather
  than fitted or tight.

6
GROOMING

• Short Skirts Hemlines should not be more than
  three inches above the knee. Don't even think
  about wearing Capri pants or leggings to the
  interview.
• Leather Jackets for Men or Women Even leather
  blazers are not good for interviewing purposes.
  They look like outerwear.
• Turtlenecks for Men A tie is preferable, at
  least in the first go-around. At the very least,
  wear a collared shirt.

7
GROOMING

• Printed or Trendy Handbags Purses should be
  conservative and inconspicuous.
• Red Briefcases Briefcases, purses and shoes
  should all be conservative in color and in good
  condition.

8
Getting Ready Cont

• Facts to gather beforehand
• The company/org. mission statement.
• Key people in the organization.
• Major products or services
• Size in terms of sales or employees
• Organizational structure of the company
• Latest news reports on the company

9
Getting Ready Cont

• Develop 3-5 questions to ask the interviewer
• 1. What are the goals of the department or
  organization?
• 2. What would you consider an ideal candidate
  for the position?
• 3. What do you feel are the biggest issues
  facing the organization at this time?
• What is your timeline for the hiring process?

10
Inappropriate Questions

• Can we make personal calls at work?
• How much vacation do we get?
• Do you pay for overtime?
• How often are breaks?
• Dont go into too much personal information.

11
THE BIG DAY Get Into the Zone!

• Eat right
• Get enough sleep
• Listen to music to get you motivated
• De-stress
• Review your own resume

12
THE BIG DAY Body Language

• Scenarios
• 1. Laughing
• 2. Fidgeting
• 3. Lack of eye contact
• 4. Lack of expression

13
INTERVIEW FORMATS

• One-on-one
• Two-on-one
• Committee

14
TIPS

• Be quiet and focus.
• Remember to write down each interviewers names
  down to send thank you notes to.
• Take notes
• Its okay to ask the interviewer to repeat the
  question.

15
Follow Up

• Write a thank you letter
• More important is what you say and how you say
  it. A standard thank-you note should accomplish
  several things
• Thank the person for the opportunity to interview
  with the company.
• Recap some of the conversational highlights.
• Clarify any information you needed to check on
  for the interviewer.
• And most importantly, plug your skills. Use the
  last paragraph as the chance to state, "The job
  is a good fit for me because of XYZ, and my past
  experience in XYZ."

16
Follow Up Cont.

• Status of your application
• Feedback from interviewers
• What to do when you accept a job offer and you
  are still getting calls to interview?

17
Thank you for your time and attention!

• Good luck and Knock Em Dead!