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Sell Yourself on a Job Interview

Panel Interview – Each applicant will simulate the interview with any organization of their choice. Each applicant is required to write a short paper about the organization. This, along with the applicant’s resume, is given to the recruiter a few minutes before the interviews. The recruiter is also given the following General and Interview instructions.

Applicant General Instructions

The applicant needs to bring a blank video, resume, and portfolio (not required) to the interview. The resume (and portfolio if available) will be used as visual aids during the interview.

Visual Aids - The resume (and course portfolio if available) serve as visuals that aid in creating the image of you as a creative, highly-motivated person who has thoroughly prepared for this interview and is very interested in obtaining a job with the organization. You will leave both the resume and portfolio with the recruiter. They will be returned to you after the interview. You are encouraged to develop other creative elements for your presentation.

Dress and Professionalism - I would encourage each of you to dress (nice school clothes) and act as is this was a real interview. This is a good opportunity to practice with friends and colleagues and prepare yourself for real life scenarios.

Organization - Each applicant will simulate the interview with any organization of their choice. Each applicant is required to write a short paper about the organization (No more than one page double-spaced). I would suggest picking an organization that you know something about. This, along with the applicant’s resume, is given to the recruiter a few minutes before the interviews.

Resume - Bring an original and 3 copies of your resume with you to the interview. Copies will be given to the panel interviewers before your interview. The original copy is to be used as a visual aid by you in your interview. During the interview, be prepared to point out one or more selling points in the resume that relate to the interviewer’s question(s) or to major point(s) you will discuss about yourself during the interview.

Portfolio (Not Required, worth 5 extra credit points if completed) - Create a bound portfolio of school, work, and organizational projects you have completed while at college. At the appropriate time during the interview, go over one or more of the projects that best relate to this job. If you have no projects, use a fake portfolio. Make up facts related to the project(s) for discussion with the recruiter.

Interview Selling Procedures

I Want the Job (Required) - Before the interview is over, consider letting the recruiter know "you are very interested in this job." The interviewer may not feel this is true if you do not show knowledge about the organization and job. However, if you can demonstrate in-depth knowledge about the company, job, products, and customers—such a statement will be taken positively by the recruiter. Some organizations will not hire someone unless they state: "I want this job." If true, you would declare this in a later interview.

Close the Sale (Required) - An applicant typically goes through several interviews before being offered a job. Consider this your first interview and you have never met the recruiter. What is your sales call objective for the first interview? It is to be asked back for a second interview! The end of the interview is an excellent time for you to illustrate your sales skills.

SELL Sequence (Required) – During the interview process, the recruiters will ask you tell them about yourself. Each of you should develop a SELL Sequence to demonstrate why they should consider you over the other candidates.

Closing Sequence (Required) - One way to demonstrate your sales skills is by using "Dr. Futrell's two-question interview closing sequence." At the end of most first interviews the recruiter will ask something like, "Do you have any questions?" You should respond,

• "Yes, I have two questions. What is the next step in the interview process?" Wait for the reply. Then ask,

• "Based upon my background, resume, and what we have talked about today, what is my chance of being asked back for a second interview!?"

Should the interviewer not ask if you have a question, you should say something such as, "I have two questions," or "May I ask two questions before I go?"

Interview Follow-up (Not Required for this exercise)

After the interview, create a professional "thank you" letter, not a card. In order to know the interviewer’s address, ask for a business card sometime during the interview. Within one day after the interview, mail the "thank you" letter to the recruiter. For the letters inside address and salutation, use the recruiter's name shown on the business card.

In a "real" interview, I recommend you bring a note pad. After the interview, write down the pertinent information that needs follow-up or thank you notes. Then type and mail your formal "thank you" letter, or E-mail, that same day. There is some debate on whether to use a letter or E-mail. Some recruiters travel so much that they may not read your letter for some time, whereas they read their E-mail daily. You might choose to do both a letter and an E-mail.

You Are Selling

Whether you are an applicant or an interviewer, imagine that you are placed in a sales situation. As an applicant you are selling yourself. As an interviewer you are not only selling yourself, but also your company and the sales job as well.

Interviewers are looking for indications that the applicant can sell or can be trained to sell. How can you—the applicant—apply basic selling procedures to the job interview situation?

You can look, dress, groom, and have the attitude of a successful person. Showing the interviewer you have prepared for the interview indicates how you might prepare to make a sales call on a customer. Using the resume and portfolio during the interview helps to distinguish you from others interviewing for the job. Finally, you should "close" the sale by asking for the order (job).

Grade Begins-Ends

Your grade for this exercise begins when you knock on the door to enter the recruiter's office and ends when you leave the office and close the door behind you. You should act in a professional manner this entire time. Dress is school clothes for applicant and recruiter.

Grade(s) for This Exercise

No partial credit will be given for this exercise. You must complete all of the above activities for a grade of up to 20 points.

Assignment—What the Applicant Turns in For a Grade February 28. The Recruiter Does Not Turn in Anything.

1. Video of your interview is for your own reference and is not required to be turned in.

2. Resume. – Please try to keep it to one page. Most recruiters do not look at resume’s longer than one page.

3. Project portfolio. (Not Required but is encouraged – 5 extra credit points if completed.)

4. Sell Yourself Grading Sheet

5. Student Critique of your appearance and performance on the video.

6. Exercise Critique of the entire Sell Yourself Exercise. Was it worthwhile? Why? Why not?

Be sure to have a cover page.

Exercise Aids to Make the SALE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome and encouraged!!!!!!!!!!!

For a guide to help you create your resume, follow-up letter and E-mail, go to pages 582-592 in the Textbook.

Format and Content. To maximize your grade, it is important you follow the format and basic content of the resume, follow-up letter, and E-mail examples in constructing your materials. Much time and effort has gone into creating these examples to follow in learning our Sell Yourself interview process. The major criticism recruiters have of an applicant's materials include:

• Poor writing skills, such as lengthy sentences and spelling and typing errors. Try writing shorter sentences of less than 25 words.

• Incorrect format causing the letter and/or E-mail to be hard to follow.

• Over use of personal pronouns, such as, I, me, and my. Limit your personal pronouns to three to five, or less, in your follow-up letter and E-mail.

Sell Yourself Grading Sheet

|Student Name: | |Date: | |

After the interview, take a moment to review the video tape and watch the interview take place. Look for things you did well and areas that need improvement. Work on the areas that need improvement to prepare yourself for a real life interview when the opportunity arises.

Take a few minutes to fill out the self-evaluation form below. This should be turned into the next class or February 28th.

|Your Score Point Value |Total Points Available |

|_________1. Entered in a positive, enthusiastic manner  |1 |

|_________2. Resume/Portfolio (to be turned in along/with videocassette)  |3 |

|_________3. Brought VHS and recorded interview  |2 |

|_________4. Asked for recruiter's business card |1 |

|_________5. Completed/turned in Student Critique questionnaire  |2 |

|_________6. Completed/turned in Sell Yourself Project Critique  |1 |

|_________7. Shook hands while introducing yourself to interviewer  |1 |

| 8. Stated, "I'm very interested in working for Name of  |2 |

|                    Organization." Use a close sequence. | |

|________ 9. Used resume/portfolio as a visual aid |1 |

|________10. Used the SELL Sequence when describing yourself |2 |

|________11. Asked Dr. Futrell's 2- question interview closing sequence |2 |

|________12. Positive non-verbals throughout  |1 |

|________13. Exited in a positive, enthusiastic manner |1 |

|________Total |20 |

Recruiter’s General Instructions

1. Review the applicant’s resume.

2. Quickly read the description of the organization.

3. Review the “Recruiter’s Interview Instructions” sheet.

4. When applicant knocks on the door, ask them to come into the room. Greet them and then ask the person to take a seat.

5. Now start the interview. It is OK to read what you are to say.

Recruiter’s Interview Instructions

Once the applicant is seated, the recruiter says the following to the applicant:

I’m here today just to meet people to see who has a real interest in a sales job with us. We have the company “information session” tomorrow night, so I will not answer specific questions about the job today. This is a short, get to know each other meeting. Tonight we will call and invite some of the people we interviewed today to our “information session.” Let’s begin with this question:

1. In no more than one minute, tell me about yourself.

2. What is something you have done in your past that helps me better understand how your qualifications relate to this job?

3. Ask the three “SITUATION, ACTION, RESULTS QUESTIONS” on the next page. After the applicant has left the room, or while answering questions, do the following for this question:

a. Write the person’s name at the top of the paper.

b. Circle EVALUATION score at the bottom of the page.

c. Write comments to the applicant on ways to improve responses.

4. Ask the “SITUATION QUESTION” on SELLING SKILLS.

a. Also evaluate the answer and provide written feedback.

5. Ask one question about something from the resume.

Now say to the applicant something like:

"This is all the time we have. Thank you very much for coming in today. I really enjoyed talking with you. We will get in touch with you soon."

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