Interview

Tolentino, Diane M.
BSBA 3
Immaculate Conception College

An interview is a conversation
between two or more people
where questions are asked by the
interviewer to elicit facts or
statements from the interviewee.

Often companies request an initial
telephone interview before inviting you in
for a face to face meeting in order to get a
better understanding of the type of
candidate you are. The one benefit of
this is that you can have
your notes out in front
of you.

This can be a meeting between you
and one member of staff or even two
members.

These interviews involve a number of
people sitting as a panel with one as
chairperson. This type of interview is
popular within the public sector.

Several candidates are present at this type of
interview. You will be asked to interact with
each other by
usually a group
discussion. You might
even be given a task
to do as a team, so
make sure you speak
up and give your
opinion.

These are several interviews in turn
with a different interviewer each time.
Usually, each interviewer asks questions to
test different sets
of competencies.

This type of interview gives the
employer a chance to assess your
communication and interpersonal skills as
well as your table manners!

Though the candidate's resume,
cover letter and job application give
interviewers an overview of her
background and skills, the interview
may be the best chance the candidate
has to make a favorable impression.

The job interview serves as a two-way
street for the exchange of information.
The interviewer has the opportunity to
learn more about the candidate's
background and can also impart more
in-depth information about the
company and the various duties the
job entails.

The interview provides a selling
opportunity for the organization as
well as the candidate. The interviewer
can highlight the positive aspects of
working for the company, such as how
plans for growth can lead to future
opportunities or how the company is
recognized as an industry leader.

In situations where companies receive a
heavy volume of applicants for a job
opening, interviews are a valuable tool for
narrowing the field. In particular, a round of
preliminary interviews helps the company
to weed out unsuitable candidates so it
can then pay closer attention to the "cream
of the crop" in subsequent interviews.

Communicate information about
yourself, your experience and your
abilities
Seek further information about the
position and the organization
Evaluate the match between your
needs and what the job offers

 Interview preparation - interest in and
knowledge of the industry, the position
and the organization
Communication skills - oral presentation
skills and the ability to interact with
others

 Qualifications - academic, work,
volunteer and other experience
 Leadership potential and teamwork -
demonstrated ability to work with
others and to get others to work
together

 Clear and realistic career goals -
future plans and awareness of career
paths
 Self awareness - realistic appraisal of
self

 Motivation and success potential -
enthusiasm for the position;
demonstrated patterns of
accomplishment
 Work ethic - acceptance of
responsibility, ability to keep
commitments and attitude of the
importance of work

Preparation
 Practice
Presentation
Perseverance

1. RESEARCH
You’ll want to make sure that you understand
exactly what that company specializes in,
what kind of industry they are, who they
typically employ, where they are what is the
history of the company, who is the
president/CEO/owner, how many employees
do they have, etc. An important piece of
information to find out is what the
company’s MISSION and VALUES are.

2. Questions
In almost every interview you will be
asked at the end if you have any questions
for the interviewers. You NEED to have
questions! It helps you to appear prepared
and interested in the position to have
questions ready.
Ask questions at the end of
every interview!

3. Make Copies
Always bring extra
copies of your resume,
so that you have
Enough for multiple
interviewers,
just in case! Know your
resume before going
into an interview.

4. Drive-By
you must do a simple drive-by where
your interview is taking place.

5. Attire
It’s a good idea to have
a suit (pants or skirt for
women) that is a
professional
color.
Black, brown, navy, or
camel are all completely acceptable
colors for interview attire.

When in doubt, always go the
conservative route. You want YOU to
stand out, not the clothing, jewelry or
makeup you wear.

Ensure you’re well-groomed before an
interview. This means having clean and
manicured nails, showering, wearing
deodorant/anti-perspirant, brushing your
teeth and neatly styling your hair.

Whether male or female, your jewelry
should be understated and should
complement your outfit. Men should
stick to no more than a wedding band
and a watch, while women should
choose conservative jewelry.

Bring a briefcase, portfolio or
simple tote bag to carry your work
samples, a notepad, pens,
research materials, etc.

Pants or skirt suits are acceptable.
Skirt suits should be no longer or
shorter than knee-length.
A sweater set with a knee-length skirt
or dress pants is also acceptable.
Hosiery (neutral nylons or tights,
depending on the season) is a must.

Shoes should be sensible pumps or
low-heeled dress shoes.
Natural-looking makeup.
Hair should be out of your face. A
neatly placed bun is a good way to
ensure hair isn’t distracting.

Neat hair style with hair away from face
Remove visible
body piercings,
except for one
conservative
earring in each ear
Pants or skirted suit
with skirt length or
just above the
knees
Low to medium
leather heel with
closed toe
Single or double-breasted
jacket
Navy, black or charcoal
gray are preferred suit
colors
Neutral hosiery
Professional briefcase or portfolio instead of backpack or purse
Breakdown of Professional Attire for Women

A tie that coordinates with your
suit and that avoids wild colors
and patterns is necessary.
Dark socks should be worn and
should be long enough to cover
legs fully at all times.

Neatly groomed
hair
Long-sleeved,
nicely pressed
white shirt
Navy, black or charcoal
gray are preferred suit
colors
Dark socks that
coordinate with outfit
Simple tie that matches
suit
No flashy
jewelry
Neutral hosiery
He forgot his professional briefcase or portfolio. Make sure you don’t!
Breakdown of Professional Attire for Men

Well-tailored, clean, pressed suit in
conservative shades, such as navy
blue, gray or brown.
Pressed white or light-colored, long-sleeved
shirt underneath suit.
Shoes should be plain black or brown
leather and should coordinate with
outfit.

 Low-cut necklines
 Mini-skirts
 Loud prints and patterns
 Open-toed shoes and spike heels
 Dramatic makeup
 Fragrance of any kind
 Excessive or flashy jewelry

 Baseball or any other kind of hat
 Low-cut necklines
 Sleeveless tops and sheer fabrics
 Mini-skirts
 Loud prints and patterns

Open-toed shoes
Dramatic makeup
Excessive or flashy jewelry
Gum, mints or other objects
Flaunting designer labels too much

Try looking in a mirror! Talk to yourself
while looking in the mirror. Take notice
of your hand movements, your facial
movements, your stance, etc. Non-verbal
movements will come through
in an interview just as they do in
normal conversations.

Handshake…Yes make sure your
handshake is powerful and
purposeful. Be confident in your
abilities, which will also give you
confidence in your
handshakes. No one
wants to shake hands
with a wet noodle.

Appearance…Dress for your interview!
Wear professional clothing!

Non-Verbal & Verbal Habits…
Try to control your leg shaking,
nail biting, hair twirling, “umm’s”,
“well’s”, “like’s”, and “and’s”.

Sounds
(e.g. laughing)
Ways of talking
(e.g. pauses,
stress on
words)
Posture
(e.g. slouching)
Appearance
(e.g.
untidiness)
Head
movements
(e.g. nodding)
Hand
movements
9e,g. waving)
space’) Non-verbal
Eye
movements
(e.g. winking)
Closeness
(e.g. ‘invading
someone’s
Body contact
(e.g. shaking
hands)
Facial
expression
(e.g. frown)
communication/
body language

Confidence…This one’s a no-brainer!

After any interview you should always send
a THANK YOU email to your interviewers.

You should also send FOLLOW-UP emails if
you haven’t heard anything after 2 weeks.

You don’t want to put all your “eggs in one
basket”, as they say, so make sure that
you continue actively searching and
applying, even after having interviews.
Don’t put all your
interviews “eggs
in one basket”.
Keep job
searching!

You need to have a short
statement prepared in your mind.
Limit it to work-related items unless
instructed otherwise. Talk about things
you have done and jobs you have
held that relate to the position you are
interviewing for. Start with the item
farthest back and work up to the
present.

Stay positive regardless of the
circumstances. Never refer to a major
problem with management and never
speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or
the organization.

Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a
positive reason such as an opportunity, a
chance to do something special or other
forward-looking reasons.

Speak about specifics that relate to
the position you are applying for. If
you do not have specific experience,
get as close as you can.

"5 years is a long time, I would like to
learn more about banking industry
and perhaps be in a position of
responsibility in this field."

You may say that you thrive under
certain types of pressure. Give an
example that relates to the type of
position applied for.

This question is one reason to do
some research on the organization
before the interview. Find out where
they have been and where they are
going. What are the current issues
and who are the major players?

This may take some thought and
certainly, should be based on the
research you have done on the
organization. Sincerity is extremely
important here and will easily be sensed.
Relate it to your long-term career goals.

A loaded question. A nasty little game that
you will probably lose if you answer first.
So, do not answer it. Instead, say
something like, That’s a tough question.
Can you tell me the range for this position?
In most cases, the interviewer, taken off
guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can
depend on the details of the job. Then give
a wide range.

Specifics here are not good.
Something like this should work: I’d
like it to be a long time. Or As long as
we both feel I’m doing a good job.

Point out how your assets meet
what the organization needs. Do not
mention any other candidates to make
a comparison.

Numerous answers are good, just
stay positive. A few good examples:
Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving
skills, Your ability to work under
pressure, Your ability to focus on
projects, Your professional expertise,
Your leadership skills, Your positive
attitude

Be honest. If you are comfortable in
different roles, point that out.

Interview

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Interview

Recently uploaded

Interview