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How to InterviewThe hiring interview is arguably the most challenging and the most critical part of the hiring process. It is your opportunity to articulate both your fit with the organization you’re hoping to work for and the value you plan to bring to the role.Though the outcome of an interview depends on many uncontrollable factors, there are common mistakes that can be avoided by appropriately preparing for this stage in the hiring process.Preparing for the InterviewChoose Fields of Interest and Do Your ResearchThe Occupational Outlook Handbook - ooh/ - and O*Net Online - - are great sources of information about potential career fields.Be sure to carefully read through the company’s website – paying careful attention to their “About Us,” “Mission,” “Values,” or “Our Team” pages. Get to know their philosophy, their target audience, their partnerships, their organizational structure and their reputation in the field. After you’ve perused their website, be sure to search for news or blog articles about the company to get more perspectives about their work.Know Your Own Background Inside and OutBe sure to review your resume, because the employer might ask questions about any part of your experience. Prepare a few good stories to tell about your work or education: projects you’ve completed, any kind of leadership experience, classes you’ve particularly enjoyed.Refine Your MessageCarefully read over the position description. Identify 3 strengths that you have that would be particularly valuable in this role. For example, if the role is a customer service position, and you happen to be excellent at relationship building, head into the interview with this in mind as a potential talking point. Your strengths are your strengths - be honest, but keep in mind that what you choose to mention should relate to the organization or position.Prepare QuestionsBe sure to have 3-5 insightful questions about the organization prepared to ask during the interview. If they ask if you have any questions, always have something ready. Here are some great examples: What is the culture like at this organization? What is your role here? What would be especially rewarding about this position? What might be challenging?Know How You Will Get ThereMap out how you will get to the interview, what you will wear, and what you will bring with you. Prepare to dress in business professional wear. You will almost always want to wear a full suit for a professional interview.On the DayArrive EarlyPlan to arrive 15-20 minutes early to your interview.Be Courteous to Everyone You EncounterThis includes employees of the organization and fellow candidates. If you have multiple interviewers, collect their business cards or names and contact information if you can.Be OpenInterviews, especially for fellowships and leadership roles, can involve unexpected challenges. Go in with an open mind and a positive outlook.Be Aware of Your Non-Verbal CommunicationPosture, eye contact, dress and facial expression can communicate just as forcefully as what you actually say. Remember to be friendly, polite and engaged. Remind yourself that you liked this organization enough to apply, and bring this enthusiasm with you.Challenging Interview Questions“Tell me about yourself.”This question is difficult because it is open-ended. To answer, consider the following model: PRESENT – PAST – FUTUREBegin by telling them the relevant basic details for what you’re currently doing: your university or current organization, when you graduated (if relevant), what you studied or your area of expertise. Then briefly describe your past relevant experience. Finally, finish by describing what your future interests are and therefore, why you are interested in this role and organization. Typically, it is best to avoid personal information like family details or relationship status.“What are your future professional goals?”Give them some real information about your goals, but keep them open enough so that they don’t foreclose relevant paths within the organization. For example, you might say that you are considering pursuing a law degree in the next 5-10 years, but avoid stating that you plan to apply to law school within the next 10 months unless they’ve already indicated support for this choice. Plans can always change.“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”Prepare 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses in advance. The strengths should be relevant to the position and true for you as an individual. Avoid general traits like “hard-working” in favor of specific capabilities such as “adapting quickly to new situations,” or “approaching problems strategically.” Always provide examples of any strength you mention. For weaknesses, choose 3 types of tasks or situations that are challenging for you. Be sure to have examples ready for these, and finish your answer by describing how you manage each of these tasks or situations. They want to know that you are aware of your challenges and know how to manage them.“Why should I hire you?”When you hear this question, imagine they are asking “What makes you unique as a candidate for this job?” You can reiterate your strengths or name two of your unique strengths to describe how they are especially effective when paired together. You might think of this as your professional “superpower.” For example, you might say: “My ability to remember specific details about customers’ lives and my expertise in using databases allow me to build relationships quickly and track them overtime.”Behavioral Questions – “Tell me about a time when…”This is an increasingly common question type. It is often more reliable to ask for evidence of strengths, than to simply ask candidates to name them. For these questions, remember the STAR acronym. SITUATION – TASK – ACTION – RESULT. This is a device to help you tell an effective story. Begin by describing the situation and naming the task you were asked to accomplish. Describe how you executed this task and what the result of the project looked like. Be sure to end by telling the interviewer what you learned from the experience. Here is an example:“During my Introductory Business class last year, we were asked to conduct a literature review on the topic of trust in organizations. I worked with a group of 3 other students and we divided the sections of the paper. I worked with another group member to conduct research on trust within schools. We met weekly, but I found that we weren’t working productively together. I decided to have a direct conversation with my partner, and we spoke about our particular personality styles and split up the remaining pieces of the project based on strengths. This was a much smoother arrangement, and our paper was chosen as one of the top 2 in the class. I learned that everyone has different working styles and that identifying these before starting a collaborative project can make the work more efficient.”Follow-UpThank Your Interviewer(s)Send a thank-you email within 24 hours of the interview and/or deliver or send a handwritten note. Email thank you notes are faster and more common, but occasionally a hand-written note can be a nice touch. Keep your message brief: reiterate your interest in the position and let them know that they can contact you with any further questions. If you met with more than one person, you can either send emails to each individual you met with, or politely ask if your main interviewer can pass on your thanks to the rest of the team.If You Don’t Hear BackIdeally, the interviewer gave you a date by which you should expect to hear from them. If so, and you have not heard back by this date, give them 2 business days and then send a short and polite email to check on the status of your application. If no date was provided, give the organization 2-3 weeks, and then follow-up. Keep in mind that a large organization, a college or university for example, may take several weeks to produce an offer. ................
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