Interview

1. How to Prepare for
an Interview
Elena González, Ed. D.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015

2. Objectives
• Assess how prepared you are for your interview
• Be aware of Paralinguistics
• Identifying your strengths
• Complete a One Minute Speech
• Observe a simulated interview
• Review Additional Materials at home
• Observe an interview video
• Examine a case study of a research internship interview

3. Introduction
What is an interview?

4. What is interVIEWING?
• It is a complex skill
• It improves with preparation and practice
• Use different strategies to improve your interviewing skills
• It is carried out in different stages
Source: Louise Giordano in The Ultimate Guide to Job Interview Preparation found
online at:http://www.quintcareers.com/job_interview_preparation.html
Note: Louise Giordano is a career consultant at Brown University since 1992 and
solely staffs the Providence College Alumni Career Advising Program

5. Stages in the Interview
Process
• Before the interview
• During the Interview
• After the Interview
Sources:
Louise Giordano from Brown University
Mary Ellen Guffey in Business Communication: Process and Product published 2010
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Summer Internship Program in
Biomedical Research
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/LabsAndResources/labs/training/summerInternships/Pages/pho
ne.aspx

6. Steps in the Stages of the Interview
Process
• Before the Interview
• Do a self assessment
• Update your resume
• Research the institution and interviewer
• Use your alumni network to the best advantage
• Practice typical and targeted interview questions
• Prepare questions to ask
• Prepare a business card
• During the Interview
• Select appropriate attire
• Know the location of your interview
• Bring extra copies of your resume or portfolio
• Collect business cards from interviewers
• After the interview
• Send a thank-you note within 24-48 hours of your interview
Source: Louise Giordano and Mary Ellen Guffey

7. Self-Assessment
• Assess how ready you are right now to be
interviewed
• Complete “Self-Assessment: How Ready Are You?

8. Paralinguistics
• “Paralinguistics are the aspects of spoken
communication that do not involve words. These
may add emphasis or shades of meaning to what
people say. Some definitions limit this to verbal
communication that is not words”.
• Example : “Body language, gestures, facial
expressions, tone and pitch of voice are all
examples of paralinguistic features.”
• Reference: The British
Councilhttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge
-database/paralinguistics

9. Paralinguistics
• Hand shake
• Eye contact
• How you sit and stand
• Where you place your arms and fingers
• What you do with your phone

10. Before the Interview
Self-Assessment (handout1)
A. reassess current skills, talents, abilities,
strengths, weaknesses, interests, and
work values
B. re-examine accomplishments and
achievements
C. keep an on-going accomplishments file or
portfolio
Source: Louise Giordano

11. Before Interviewing
Updating Your Resume
1. The accomplishments file or portfolio serves as a springboard to
reassessing your resume.
2. The file/portfolio serves to jog one's memory about recent
notable activities.
3. Bare-bone the resume by removing all superfluous and/or
irrelevant material, all articles (a, an, the), and work at getting it
onto one page.
4. Use functional headings in the resume to help focus the reader
on what you have done or what you can do for the prospective
employer.
5. Be absolutely sure it is error-free.
Source: Louise Giordano

12. Before Interviewing
Plan to Sell Yourself – One Strength
(handout 2)
1. Identify 3 to 5 selling points about
a. Skills
b. Training or abilities
c. Personal characteristics
d. Specialized experience (research)
2. Memorize them
3. Find a place in the interview to insert them
Source: Mary Ellen Guffey

13. Before Interviewing
Research, Research, Research
1. Learn all you can about the institution and the program
sponsoring the internship
2. Access books, journals, magazines, newspapers and
Web pages as reference materials
3. Checkout the research interests of your interviewer
Source: Louise Giordano

14. Before Interviewing
Use Your Alumni Network
1. Get in touch with our RISE alumni who have worked or are working
with the sponsoring institution
2. They can get you in contact with people who can help you
understand:
Institutional culture
Institutional history
Expectation
3. All alumni contacts are valuable for their insights as well as their
connections.
4. Always come away from any networking meeting with at least two
additional contacts.
Source: Louise Giordano

15. Before Interviewing
Typical Questions – Do the elevator interview or the one minute speech
• Tell me about yourself? (Elevator interview)
• What are your interests in science?
• What are your future goals?
• What type of research are you interested in?
• Why are you interested in this field of research?
• What research experience do you have? (One minute discourse)
• Why are you interested in the internship?
• What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• What related experiences do you have?
• What leadership experiences have you had?

16. Before Interviewing
Prepare Questions to Ask
1. These questions should reflect your research on
the company and position.
2. Never include questions to answers that are
readily available in company literature or Web site.
3. Do NOT ask about salary or benefits!
Source: Louise Giordano

17. During The Interview
What is an interview designed to assess?

18. During the Interview
The interview is designed to assess
• Professionalism
• Demonstrate professionalism by
• Selecting appropriate attire
• Knowing the location of your interview & arriving on time
• Bringing extra copies of your resume or portfolio
• Collecting business cards from interviewers and giving them
your business cards
• Interest in the job
• Fit for the job including applicable skills
• Personality

19. During the Interview
• Establish the relationship *****
• Act confident and natural ******
• Don’t criticize
• Stay focuses on your strengths
• Find out about your responsibilities in the internship
• Be ready for inappropriate questions
• Ask your own questions
• Conclude positively
Source: Mary Ellen Guffey

20. After the Interview
• Take notes on the interview
• Write a thank-you letter

21. Observe a Simulated
Interview
• Let’s have 4 groups simulate an interview situation
• One group will volunteer to make their interview
public

22. • Materials to Be Review at Home

23. Videos of Interviews
Let’s watch an interview video on do’s and don’ts.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ucmfPOBV8
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MLW-joUNbY
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjn_rOTgRTo&fe
ature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAY4TKIvSZE

24. The Internship Interview
“Attire: Dress professionally.
Notes: You've researched the company and know quite a bit about it, but not all you’d
like to know. Take notes about the unanswered questions with you to the
interview and be sure to ask them. Talk about what you do know regarding the
company and what you see as the opportunities it offers its people, especially in
relation to your goals. Also ask clarifying questions and make certain that your
interpretation of the internship objective is correct.
Quality of Work: Make certain there's an understanding about the type of work to
be done, the challenges it will offer and discuss how the challenges will escalate as
time passes and you prove yourself worthy.
Guidance: Discuss how the company’s mentoring program works and how you
might meet others within the company/industry to round out your industry
perspective.
Attitude: A winning attitude is everything -full of confidence and self assuredness.
You're certain of your facts and the knowledge that you gained in school and
previous work experience. You're willing to demonstrate that knowledge by using
critical thinking and listening skills, analysis, and proper argumentation.”
Rutgers University Biomedical Engineering Industrial Internship Program Page 13 The Internship Interview

25. Case 1
How to prepare well for a research
interview
How to prepare well for a research
interview? | LinkedIn Answers …
“I have an interview on Tuesday the 16th with a research professor
at SUNY-Upstate. She does research on retina development in
fruit flies and mice. I have done many "normal job" interviews
before and know the general protocol and types of questions that
will be asked. I'm wondering if anyone has other questions that
are specific to research positions, or things that I might want to do
to prepare. I have already begun reading her papers. Is there
anything else I should do?”
(posted June 5, 2009 in Biotech, Job Search by Kim
M.Research Assistant at The Ohio State University)

26. Let Your Personality Shine
Through
“This is probably the hardest thing to do, but relaxing
will help. I think others on here said this before me,
but since the person has already seen your
credentials a large part of what they are interested in
is your personality. Also, since it is a research
interview at a university, the position is probably in a
casual environment and the interview will likely be
relatively casual as well- remember, interviewing is
not a normal part of this person's job.” (posted June 5,
2009 in Biotech, Job Search by Kim M. Research
Assistant at The Ohio State University)

27. Talk about Your Lab Work
• “The interview is not all about personality though- I've
been told by professors that they see lots of people that
look good on paper but are completely incompetent in
the lab. That doesn't mean they expect you to know how
to do everything, but be able to demonstrate that you can
learn, preferably with examples of hands-on work. If
you've worked in a lab before, be able to talk about the
research you did and the techniques you used- I've found
it especially helpful to prepare for that part beforehand
because I get very flustered talking about my own work
to people who are experts in my field.”
(posted June 5, 2009 in Biotech, Job Search by
Kim M.Research Assistant at The Ohio State
University)

28. Focus on Your Work and
Education
“So, rather than focus on knowing the person's work,
I'd suggest focusing on your own work and
educational history. Show that you are smart,
competent, and eager to learn. Know enough about
her work to express why you are interested in the
lab's research. And don't get so caught up in nerves
and preparation that you don't seem genuine in the
interview. Good luck!” (posted June 5, 2009 in Biotech,
Job Search by Kim M.Research Assistant at The Ohio
State University)

29. Be Familiar with the Research
of Your Interviewer
“While it is probably good to be familiar with her work
so you can express interest in it, I highly doubt that
she is going to quiz you about it or expect that you
know much detail. In fact, she'll probably really enjoy
explaining it to you. Don't spend too much time
trying to read everything she's ever published- just
reading abstracts may be more than enough- and be
ready to ask some intelligent questions.” (posted June
5, 2009 in Biotech, Job Search by Kim M.Research
Assistant at The Ohio State University)

30. Anticipating Questions and
Answers
Review the job description
Make a list of questions on
• job responsibilities requirements
• expectations
Think about tough questions that might be asked, and how you will answer them
give examples of what you have already done and/or learned. The examples will
justify your claims of specific experience and skills.
Try to engage her in conversation Ask her questions about herself - take sincere
interest, and it will not only relax her, but engage her in the conversation with
you.
Stuart F. Career Coach, Speaker, Networking and LinkedIn Expert, and Mortgage Banker

31. In Conclusion
• Plan, research, and sell yourself effectively.
• You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.