Interview strategies workshop for college students.

1. Interview
with
Confidence!
Danielle Mello, MS, NCC
Lead Career Adviser
UCSC Career Center
dmello@ucsc.edu

2. How do you feel about interviewing?
Happy
Confused
Anxious
Excited
Worried
Prepared
Stressed
???

3. The Right Frame of Mind
• Be confident--you are worthy of the position
• They wouldn't have called you for the
interview if they didn't already like your
resume!
• Remember that you are interviewing the
company as much as they are interviewing
you.

4. What Are Employers Looking For?
• Personality
• Communication skills
• Confidence
• Poise and leadership skills
• Career goals
• Good match for company culture

5. Types of Interviews
• One-on-one - a single person interviews you
• Panel - a group interviews you
• Group - you are interviewed simultaneously
with several other candidates
• Case- you are given a situation and are asked
to present a solution
• Phone – could be one-on-one or panel
• Video– could be one-on-one or panel
• Over meals or other unique settings

6. All successful interviews require
The 2 P’s
Preparation &
Practice!

7. The Interview Process
Five Phases of an Interview
1. Before you go
2. The Day of
3. The interview itself
4. Closing
5. Following up

8. Be sure you know and can talk about your:
• Qualifications
• Skills
• Experiences
• Values
• Education
• ...and how these relate to the job you want

9. Phase 1 : Before you go
Research
• The organization's mission statement
• Product line, industry, service, clients, potential markets
• Size of the organization
• Location of facilities
• Structure of organization
• Past, current, and potential growth
• The competition
• Recent news items, trends, problems

10. Websites for Company Research
• Their own website
• SlugQuest:
– www.glassdoor.com
– Career Shift
– Career Insider
• Linked in: www.linkedin.com
• Search news

11. Phase 1: Before you go
Rehearsal
1. Be ready for “Tell me about yourself”

12. “Tell me about yourself”
(AKA “Elevator Speech”)
Basic Formula:
1. Relevant past experiences
2. Relevant strengths and abilities
3. What you’re looking for
4. “Is there anything else you wanted to
know?”

13. Elevator Speech Topics
• Name, year in school, major, relevant classes
• Your career goals
• Your key strengths/skills related to this type of employer
• Adjectives that describe your personality
• Work & internship experiences
• Classroom or student organization experiences/projects.
• Leadership roles you have taken on.
• Problems you have solved/contributions you have made.
• Reasons you are interested in the organization.
• Personal information only if it is relevant to the work.

14. PRACTICE!
• Find a partner you don’t know
• Introduce yourself
• Tell him/her your target job or
internship
• Give your “elevator” speech
• Give & receive feedback

15. Phase 1: Before you go
Rehearsal
2. Have a few “Tell me about a time….” stories
prepared for behavioral questions.

16. “Tell me about a time when…”
• You developed creative ways of dealing with a problem.
• You accomplished something important to you.
• You showed initiative.
• You reached a goal you set.
• You promoted teamwork.
• Your ideas were criticized.
• You failed at something.
• You didn’t get along with someone.
• You solved a problem.

17. S.T.A.R
Use the STAR method to tell these stories
• S – Scene (set the scene)
• T – Task: what was the task or challenge
• A – Action: what you did, skills used,
characteristics
• R – Result: outcome, what happened

18. CRAFT, DRAFT & PRACTICE
Pick a new partner
Take turns at being interviewer
Ask your partner 2 behavioral questions from the list below
Give your partner constructive feedback
“Tell me about a time when…..”
• You managed multiple projects.
• You developed creative ways of dealing with a problem.
• You accomplished something important to you.
• You showed initiative.
• You reached a goal you set.
• You promoted teamwork.
• Your ideas were criticized.
• You failed at something.
• You didn’t get along with someone.
• You solved a problem.

19. Phase 1: Before you go
Rehearsal
3. Be prepared…PRACTICE out loud!!!
4. Career Center – Mock Interview (recorded)
5. Trial run to company
*6. Clean up your social media

20. Phase 2 : Day of
Appearance: Dress
Rule of thumb:
Whatever the office style is,
dress one step higher

21. Dress Appropriately
Business Casual
Business Formal
Business
Conservative
Casual
Offices fall under four general styles of attire:

22. Business Casual
For men: Sweater, polo,
button-up. Tie – optional.
For women: Skirt, slacks,
sweater, blouse. Jewelry fine,
but not too flashy.
For both: No jeans, no t-shirts,
no gym clothes.
Colors: Subtle shades of many colors
such as blue, gray, white, tan, rust

23. Business Formal
For men: Matching pants and jacket
Long sleeve shirt
Dark socks
Polished dress shoes
Tie
For women: Matching skirt/slacks and
jacket
Jewelry minimal—nothing
dangly or flashy
Avoid short skirts &
low cut tops
Colors: Black, dark blue,
light blue, white, gray, tan

24. Phase 2 : Day of
Appearance: Grooming
Hair, Facial Hair Clean, trimmed, and neatly combed
or arranged
Fingernails Neat, clean, and trimmed.
Teeth Brushed and fresh breath. Beware of
tobacco, and coffee odor. Use a
breath mint if needed.
Make-up Use sparingly and be natural looking.
Perfume/Colognes NONE!

25. Phase 2: Day of
Before you leave
1. Breakfast
2. Keep rehearsing (out loud)
3. Gather:
– (4) copies of your resume
– list of references
– a portfolio
– samples of your work (if applicable)
– performance reviews, appraisals, letters of
recommendation, certificates (if applicable)
– Your list of questions for the employer
– Printed out directions
– Cash for parking

26. Phase 2: Day of
Before you leave
4. Review your route/map, set your GPS
5. Tissue or two in your pocket for sweaty palms or
sneezes.
6. Leave yourself more than enough time to get there
7. Don’t smoke a cigarette before or on the way to your
interview!

27. Phase 2: Day of
When you arrive
1. Arrive 10-15 minutes before
2. Turn OFF your cell phone (not vibrate – OFF!)
3. Take an opportunity to freshen up and check your
appearance
4. Get rid of any gum you might be chewing
5. Breath mint
6. Be very pleasant to the person greeting
you/checking you in. Small talk!
7. Don’t play with your phone

28. Phase 2: Day of
Opening moves

29. Phase 2: Day of
Opening moves
• Handshake
• Eye contact
• Confidence
• Smile
• Posture

30. Practice
• Shake hands with a partner
• Good posture & head up
• Make eye contact & smile
• “Hello, I’m Danielle Mello. It’s nice to meet you”
(Say name slowly & clearly)

31. Phase 2: Day of
Opening moves
During the first few minutes….
• Wait to be invited to sit down!
• Be formal – no first names unless you are asked to use it
• Smile! Look and sound happy to be there!
• Posture: You look more interested if you lean forward
• Hands: fold on your lap
• Look around for something you can compliment or have
in common.
• Don’t cross your legs or arms

32. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
General Tips
The DO’s
• Mirror the interviewer
• Each employer will have a different style of conducting
themselves.
• Some interviewers will just want the answers and that’s
what you should give them.
• Others will want to have a casual conversation and, if they
do, schmooze with them.
• Use your intuition.

33. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
General Tips
The DO’s
• Use humor when appropriate.
• Have a high confidence and energy level
• Use “please” and “thank you” when appropriate.
• Be yourself
• Show enthusiasm

34. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
General Tips
The DO NOT’s:
• Interrupt the interviewer.
• Get off subject or give rambling answers.
• Volunteer more information than necessary.
• Ask about salary or benefits.
• Fidget.
• Give one word answers (Yes. No.)

35. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
General Tips
The DO NOT’s:
• Don’t discuss personal issues, family/ health
problems.
• Use generalities and cliches. Give concrete examples
when describing your work experience. And always be
positive.
• Be critical of previous co-workers or bosses.
• Use slang and pause words (such as "like," "uh," and
"um").

36. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
Communication
Verbal Communication
• Provide structured answers
• Provide examples
• Positive references
• Enthusiasm
Non-verbal Communication
• Tone of your voice - confident, positive, energetic
• Posture
• Eye contact
• Smile!!
• Enthusiasm

37. Phase 3: The Interview Itself
Types of Questions
The 4 common types of interview questions
• Behavioral
• Traditional
• Situational
• Non-traditional

38. Phase 3: The interview itself
Behavioral Questions
• Used to determine how you would operate on the job.
• Remember to use the STAR method for your answers
Tell me about a time when you set a goal and
were able to meet or achieve it.
Give me an example of a time when you had to
juggle multiple tasks.

39. Phase 3: The interview itself
Traditional Questions
• clarify points on your resume
• evaluate your accomplishments and goals
• assess your knowledge of the company
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why did you choose XYZ major?
Why should I hire you?
Why do you want to work here?

40. Phase 3: The interview itself
Situational Questions
Places the interviewee in a hypothetical situation.
What would you do if you were given a deadline and
could not meet it?
What would you do if a client
started to yell at you?

41. Phase 3: The interview itself
Illegal Questions
These types of questions should not be asked but sometimes are:
• Age • Disability status
• National origin • Marital/family status
• Arrest record • Military discharge
• Religion • Race
• Gender
You can:
• Ask how the question is related to your qualifications
• Say that you do not see the relationship between the question and
your qualifications.
Illegal: Are you a U.S. citizen?
Legal: Are you authorized to work in the United States?

42. Phase 4: Closing the interview
What should you do at the end
of the interview?

43. Phase 4: Closing the interview
Questions for the employer
“Do you have any questions for me?”
• Ask 3-5 Questions
• Do NOT miss this opportunity!
Common questions you can ask an employer:
• What is a typical day like for the person in this position?
• Why did you choose to work here?
• What would make an ideal candidate for this position?
• Is this a new position?
• What are the expectations for new hires?
• Can you tell me about the training I will receive?

44. Questions NOT To Ask Employers
• What does this company do?
(Do your research ahead of time!)
• When can I take time off for vacation?
(Wait until you get the offer to mention prior commitments.)
• Can I change my schedule if I get the job?
(Figure out the logistics of getting to work… don't bring it up
during the interview.)
• Did I get the job?
(Don't be impatient. They'll let you know.)

45. Phase 4: Closing the interview
Thank you…what’s next?
• Ask for business card(s).
• Ask what the next steps are in the process.
• Reiterate your interest.
• Thank them for their time.
• Extend another handshake.

46. Phase 5: The Follow Up
Send a thank you email the day of your interview.
• Mention some things that were discussed and
anything that might help you stand out in his/her
mind.
• Describe in one or two sentences why you are the
best applicant.
• Make a phone call about a week after your
interview to find out if a decision has been made.

47. Wrap Up
What were the“take-aways” for you?
New ideas or information?
Reinforcement of prior knowledge?
QUESTIONS?