Effective Interviewing Techniques for All Chemical Professionals

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Effective Interviewing Techniques for All
Chemical Professionals
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Lets Talk About It!

• What is the
• most important thing
• youd like to take away
• from this workshop?

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What Well Cover Today

• Purpose of the interviewing process
• Types of job interviews
• What industry is looking for in successful
  candidates
• Types of questions you may encounter and why they
  are asked
• The day visit and seminar
• Preparing for interviews

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Why Do Interviews?

• The purpose of interviewing is to determine if
  the person
• Can do the job
• Will do the job (and do it well)
• Fits into the company

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Key Points to Remember About Interviewing

• Accept the need
• Dont be defensive
• Interviewing works both ways!
• You may not want the job after the interview
• Your technical competence alone wont land the
  job!
• Its not sufficient to land most jobs
• soft skills count!

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Types of Job Interviews

• Screening interviews
• On campus or at a clearinghouse
• Telephone interviews
• Site visit a comprehensive interview
• Evaluation by everyone you meet!
• Industrial interviews vs. academic interviews

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Characteristics Purpose of Screening Interviews

• Done on campus, by phone, or by clearinghouse
• Interviewer is not typically the hiring manager
• Purpose
• Identify applicants for site visits
• Verify resume and evaluate against a list of Key
  Performance Factors
• obtain sufficient information to support your
  candidacy

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The 30-Minute Interview

• Interviewer introduction and expectations
• The research summary
• Build a CAR
• Context
• Action
• Results
• Use handouts, if appropriate
• Interviewer gathers data for key performance
  factors
• Company information and
• wrap-up

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Handling Telephone Interviews

• Treat as a face-to-face interview
• Its ok to reschedule for a more convenient time
• Avoid using a cell phone
• Be vocally enthusiastic!
• Keep your resume and some notes at hand

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Why Screening Interviews?

• They eliminate all but the top
• 10-15 of candidates!
• Your goal
• Survive the cut!

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Characteristics of the Onsite Interview

• Also known as the day visit
• Its the next assessment step
• A typical day includes
• Introduction
• Research seminar
• Comprehensive interviews
• Lunch/tour
• Project discussions
• Debriefing (wrap-up)

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The Comprehensive Interview

• Part of a typical day visit
• 45-60 minute interview further evaluates Key
  Performance Factors
• Technical mastery
• Problem-solving
• Innovation
• Risk taking
• Collaboration
• Capacity
• Leadership

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Key Performance Factors

• Defined consistent and objective company
  standards
• Past strength in these areas correlates with
  future success
• Candidates are formally rated against these
  factors

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Key Factor Technical Mastery

• Solid understanding of your field
• Professional independence
• Technical skills ? practical applications
• The reasons youre hired without it you wont
  get the job.

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Key Factor Problem-Solving

• Are you able to
• Identify/define problems and evaluate
  alternatives?
• Sort through complex data and draw appropriate
  conclusions?
• Integrate data and intuition from a range of
  sources?
• Implement next steps?

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Key Factor Innovation

• Are you able to
• Go beyond accepted ideas?
• Make connections, reapply knowledge and
  approaches?
• Go from new ideas ? workable experiments or
  solutions?
• Create better ways to do things?

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Key Factor Risk-Taking

• Are you able to
• Take informed risk?
• Set specific, stretching goals?
• Display a sense of urgency in achieving goals?
• Be assertive in making decisions in the face of
  uncertainty?

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Key Factor Collaboration

• Are you capable of
• Working in a team environment ?
• Effective interactions with a diverse group of
  colleagues?
• High personal standards and integrity?
• Solid oral communication skills?

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Key Factor Capacity

• Do you
• Have a demonstrated ability and motivation to
  work hard?
• Pursue learning, keeping up with emerging trends?
• Set appropriate priorities?
• Demonstrate strong initiative and follow-through?

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Key Factor Leadership

• Do you
• Recognize opportunities ? vision?
• Recognize issues ? strategies?
• Set direction and capture commitment?
• Identify and use resources effectively?
• Resolve conflicts effectively?

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What Leadership Really Means

• Can you
• Envision
• Engage
• Energize
• Enable
• Execute

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Behavioral Interviewing

• How the interviewer obtains information about
• key performance factors
• A process that predicts future job performance
  based on past behavior
• Based on an established correlation between
  behavior and job success
• Specific questions probe candidates behavior in
  certain situations

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Questions You May Encounter

• Be prepared for
• A behavioral assessment
• Questions that demonstrate you know yourself!

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Be Prepared With Answers for Questions Like

• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about your research.
• Describe for me a personal weakness you have.
• Give me an example of a time when you exhibited
  leadership.

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And Like These

• Tell me about your experiences with group
  communications or formal presentations.
• Give me an example of how you handled a
  disagreement with a
• co-worker or your boss.

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The Most Important Question

• Why should
• we hire you?
• In other words
• What makes you the best choice of all the
  qualified candidates?

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Tell Me About Yourself

• A common ice breaker used by many interviewers
• Does not mean tell your life story!
• If you plan for it, this is a softball question
• Start with the big picture
• Address your strengths and accomplishments
• In finishing, ask if the interviewer has the
  information needed

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Your Turn To Answer
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Handling Illegal Questions

• Its illegal to ask questions related to
• Age
• Marital status
• Religion
• National origin
• if they might appear discriminatory

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Handling Illegal Questions (cont.)

• Answering questions that seem illegal is
  optional
• Uncomfortable about answering?
• Ask for an explanation of the questions relevance

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Youre Interviewing, Too!

• The interviewer should ask if you have any
  questions
• Have some prepared!
• Ask questions related to the job
• AVOID questions related to salary and benefits

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Tips For Successful Interviewing

• Be confident and relaxed
• Listen well
• Think before you speak
• Show your enthusiasm
• Be ready with questions!

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Preparing for Interviews

• Think about personal activities and
  accomplishments
• Jot down accomplishments and the skills that led
  to them
• Remember CAR!
• Group accomplishments to fit Key Performance
  Factors (KPF)
• Identify accomplishments/examples
• for each KPF

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Preparing for Interviews

• Think in-depth about strengths and weaknesses
• Prepare
• a 5-minute summary of your research
• answers to potential questions
• questions to ask the interviewer
• Practice as much as possible
• ACS mock interviews can help
• Practice with a friend

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Preparing for Day Visits

• Prepare your seminar and practice it!
• Research the company
• Ask your host whom you will be meeting
• Think about company-specific questions you may
  have

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Back to the Onsite Interview

• Also known as the day visit
• Its the next assessment step
• A typical day includes
• Introduction
• Research seminar (depending on level and
  position)
• Comprehensive interviews
• Lunch/tour
• Project discussions
• Debriefing (wrap-up)

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Characteristics of the Day Visit

• Youll have a host find out the details for
• Travel arrangements
• Schedule for the day
• Who you will be meeting during your visit
• Details of seminar, including audience
• Remember youre evaluated throughout the visit!

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The Day Visit The Research Seminar

• A very important element!
• A key means of evaluating technical competence
• Also provides information on
• Communication skills
• Drive, motivation, and stamina
• Interpersonal skills

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Seminar Tips General

• 45-60 minutes usually allotted
• Stay within time limit leave time for questions
• Use high-quality visual aids.
• Stick to one medium
• Ensure necessary equipment will be available
• Remember the onion rule
• Keep it simple
• Leave openings for questions you
• can answer
• Practice. Practice. Practice.

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Seminar Tips The Audience

• Know who will be in the audience
• Tailor your seminar to them
• There may be an expert out there dont try to
  bluff
• Be prepared to defend everything you present
• Know the literature
• Teach them about your area of research

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Seminar Tips Contents

• Background material
• Concise statement of the problem
• Description of your approach
• Experimental design
• Techniques you used and why you used them
• Conclusions
• Next steps, if pertinent
• Acknowledgments

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Seminar Tips Presentation

• The ol speaking adage
• Connect your presentation to the companys
  strategic goals
• Dont read!
• Maintain eye contact with the audience
• Be animated, enthusiastic, natural
• Emphasize what you did, and share credit
  appropriately

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Seminar Tips Handling Questions

• Repeat or rephrase the question
• Make eye contact with the person asking
• the question
• Involve the entire audience in your answer
• Dont know the answer? Its okay to
• say so

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The Day Visit Project Discussions

• Company scientists will tell you a little about
  their work
• Be familiar with some of the companys
  publications
• Ask questions, make comments

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Following up is Important!

• During the interview day
• Collect business cards
• Find out when youll hear back, and from whom
• After the interview
• Send a thank-you note to everyone you met
• Handwritten to key people, email to others
• Emphasize your interest in the job
• Reflect on how the day went

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A Few Words About Academic Interviews

• Questions are likely to be of different types
• More emphasis placed on your CV
• Seminar(s) will be somewhat different
• Typically a chronological presentation of your
  research
• Be prepared to talk about future research ideas
  and to present a lesson on a given topic
• Prepare a Statement of Teaching Philosophy

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Preparing for Academic Interviews

• Learn everything you can about the department
• Think about what YOU can add to its work
• Develop your needs for and questions about
• Start-up funding
• Available equipment
• Standing of department within the college

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Lets Talk About It!

• What behaviors, actions, or non-actions might
  prevent you from getting a job offer?

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Tips for Successful Interviews
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Before the Interview

• Review your resume and be familiar with it!
• Practice presenting your personal credentials
  doing so gives you confidence
• Practice your answers to potential questions the
  night before

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During the Interview

• Promote your talents, and be cautious of
  over-doing it
• Answer cleanly and concisely the questions that
  are asked
• Avoid overly detailed responses
• When uncertain about how to answer, ask to have
  the question repeated
• Avoid interrupting the interviewer

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During the Interview (cont.)

• Observe good etiquette at all times you are
  always on stage
• Control any nervous habits
• Avoid saying anything negative about previous
  employers or co-workers
• Show your enthusiasm for the job!
• Leave the impression youll accept the job
• Your enthusiasm could make the difference

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Tips for Foreign National Candidates

• Write out your answers to potential questions
  ahead of time
• Practice answering questions aloud the night
  before
• Ask a friend to play interviewer
• Speak slowly to ensure youre understood

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• Thank you
• for your attention!ACS is here to help
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  and more.
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