This document provides tips and guidelines for preparing for and participating in a job interview. It recommends researching the employer, reviewing one's resume and portfolio, and preparing stories to demonstrate core competencies. During the interview, common questions focus on past experiences using the STAR framework and describing one's background and skills using PAWS. Questions should be kept around 90 seconds. Illegal questions should be avoided. Follow-up includes sending a thank you note and self-reflecting on the interview.

1. By Alnoor Damji

2.  Mutual exchange of information between
employer and candidate for a desired
position(s).

3.  Research the employer.
 Review your portfolio, resume.
 Go over the job description and create two
stories for each core competency.
 Research salary ranges (never bring this up;
however if you are asked at the interview
then state a range.

4.  Arrive 10 – 15 minutes early.
 Dress well, appropriate for your industry.
 Greet everyone you meet.

5.  There are various interview questions an
interviewer will ask; the most common are the
Behavioural Descriptive Interview (BDI)Type
questions and Situational Type questions.
 Interviewers can also ask Skill Testing questions
and Problem Solving Questions.
 Tip – keep your answers around 90 seconds.

6.  BDI questions ask about a past event. Your
response should include a short explanation
of the circumstances, your evaluation of the
event and the outcome.
 BDI questions usually begin with "Tell me
about . . . ," or they will ask about
accomplishments, conflicts or stress
management.

7.  Remember the S.T.A.R. acronym
 S – Situation
 T – Task
 A – Action
 R - Result

8.  An interviewer will use
situational/hypothetical questions to
establish how you would react to and handle
real-life situations on the job.

9.  Employers also rely on a series of standard questions.
 Tell me about yourself?
 Why should I hire you?
 What strengths would you bring to the team?
 Remember P.A.W.S. acronym when answering classic
questions such as "Tell me about yourself.“
 P - Profile
 A - Academic
 W - Work
 S - Skills

10.  Race
 Place of origin
 Citizenship
 Religion
 Gender
 Age
 Sexual Orientation
 Marital Status
 Disability

11.  The interview is a two way process! Examples of
questions you can ask the interviewer:
 What sets this company apart from others?
 What is the greatest challenge to this job?
 What are some traits of people who have been
successful in this position?
 What do you most like about this organization?
 Please describe a typical day on the job?

12.  If the interviewer has put down their pen or
signaling the end of the interview; ensure you
have covered key points prior to leaving the
room.
 Find out who calls whom and when.
 Get their business card.

13.  Send a hand written thank you card to the
interviewer.
 Complete an interview assessment on
yourself, and ask yourself:
 Based on the interview, would you hire yourself?
 Write down the questions you were asked.
 Did you answer the questions using the STAR and
PAWS technique.
 Congratulate yourself on getting short listed!

14.  Alnoor is a career coach, workshop facilitator, human resources c
consultant, ESL teacher, community volunteer, and board member. He is
also a life long student. Alnoor dedicates his life to helping individuals
and organizations create engaged and energized teams.
Alnoor is heralded for his powerful, interactive and entertaining classes
and workshops. His students and workshop participants claim that he
has been by far the best teacher and trainer they have ever had. His
enthusiasm is contagious.
With almost ten years of training experience with non profit
organizations, teaching institutions, presenting at conferences for
professionals in private industries, he continues to deepen his
understanding of adult learning and group dynamics within teams and
organizations.
Alnoor’s current interests are presenting workshops focused on team
building, career development, leadership, communication, and diversity
at the workplace.