Job Interview Workshop

Job Interview Workshop

​Longhorn Center for Academic Equity

Roadmap

1) Before the Interview

• Types of Interviews

2) The Interview

• STAR Method

• Sticky Note Strategy

3) After the Interview

• "Do you have any questions for me?"

• Thank You Note

Before the Interview

Do your research

• Research the employer, employer's mission

• Review your work experience. Be ready to support your past accomplishments.

• Make sure to bring extra copies of your resume.

• Know the exact place and time of the interview. Look up where to park,
  estimated travel time in traffic, the interviewer’s full name, and the correct pronunciations of the interviewer’s title and name.

• Arrive early. Give yourself at least 10-15 minutes prior to the meeting time.

​Texas Career Engagement

Dress for Success

• Consider the climate of the organization where you are interviewing, and then dress at that level or slightly better.

• Avoid clothing that is distracting - no transparent, busy, etc.

• To aid in your decision, try to determine whether the organization you are interviewing at prefers business professional or business casual dress.

• It is better to be overdressed than underdressed~!

​Texas Career Engagement

UT Outpost - Career Closet

• UT Outpost Career Closet shopping is available for walk-in shopping during business hours

• Plus- size and pettite options are limited; reach out to LCAE (AKA Michelle!!)

• UT Outpost stocks gently used masculine and feminine professional clothing, ties, jewelry, shoes, purses, accessories and scrubs. Students can select, try on, and shop for any combination of items to meet their needs. Staff are available to help look for specific items and sizes.

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Business Professional

• This style tends to be more conservative. Suits or suit separates with a color coordinated skirt or slacks with dress shoes or heels are
  expected.

• Subdued colors such as navy blue, black, or
  gray are typically preferred. Ties can be similar in color to
  the suit or even contrasting if they complement the suit

Business Casual

• This style indicates that dress options can be a little more varied.

• Suits are not necessary, but slacks, conservative skirts and dresses, collared shirts, polos, and blouses with dress shoes, heels or flats are appropriate.

• Avoid jeans and T-shirts. Ties are not necessary.

​Is this business professional or business casual?

​Is this business professional or business casual?

​Is this business professional or business casual?

​Is this business professional or business casual?

Types of Interview

• Virtual Inerviews

• Panel Interviews

• Group Interviews

• For those in STEM and business fields you may also encounter technical

  interviews which include tasks or projects to complete individually or

  in a group format to demonstrate level of skill.

Virtual Interviews

Usually done through zoom or other videocall apps

Challenges:

• Can't see faces of all people

• Present yourself as excited on screen

Advice:

Sticky note next to computer camera so it seems you are maintaining eye contact

Set computer up high - stack books

Talk with your hands - shows you naturally with emotion and energy

Panel Interviews

• More than one interviewer

• Employers with a high demand for teamwork and group
  decision making might make use of a group or panel
  interview.

• When answering questions, initially make eye contact with the person who asked, then make eye contact with the rest of the panel

Panel Interviews (cont.)

Challenges:

• A bunch of people asking you questions

• Can't connect with anyone individually

• Each person may have a task during the interview - might be uncomfortable or overwhelming

Group Interviews

• Have more than one interviewee

  Challenge:

• See your competition

  Advice:

• Do not get thrown off (stay grounded)

• Do not try to outshine or copy answers

Task/Presentation Interviews

• Demonstrate a lesson, project or presentation

  Challenge:

• Demonstrate your competence

  Advice:

• Might get questions during

• Employers may be reviewing your material and criticizing it

​For people in education, business, communication and STEM

Multiple Round Interviews

• Screening Interviews - 15 minutes of information and conversation

• Can be 2-6 interviews

• Contain disqualifying questions to strike out candidates

  Challenges:

• Can be exhausting

• Keep a variety and build upon your last interview

Multiple Round Interviews (cont.)

Advice:

• Be optimistic and conversational

• Keep a variety and build upon your last interview

  Sick of the rounds and want to turn down an interview?:

• "Thank you so much for this opportunity. However, at this time, I will be declining this interview. I appreciate the consideration."

Interviews that require travel

• Request virtual

• Request different interview date

Tips and Tricks

• The most common is a traditional one-on- one interview with a supervisor or

  hiring manager and an interviewee.

• When answering questions, initially make eye contact with the person who

  asked, then make eye contact with the rest of the panel.

• Request rooms - Call the center to reserve a conference room

Mock Interviews

Career counseling is available to all currently enrolled
undergraduate and graduate students. To make an
appointment, visit careerengagement.utexas.edu/
career-counseling.

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General Open-Ended Questions

• These questions allow you to expand and give specific descriptions of your past experiences.

• The key to answering open-ended questions is depth, not breadth.

General Open-Ended Questions Examples

• "Tell me about yourself"

• "Why should I hire you?"

• "Why do you want to work for this organization/us?"

Behavioral Questions

• Focuses on questions about how the candidate has behaved in the past in specific work situations.

• This can give interviewers a sense of how you might handle similar situations in the future.

• Might include questions about how you’ve responded to challenges similar to those you might face in that specific job, or when and how you’ve used skills they think are most important for that particular job.

Behavioral Questions Examples

• “Tell me about a time you worked with a team effectively.”

• “Describe a significant project you have had to complete. How did you manage your time?”

• “Describe a time you faced a conflict with a supervisor. How did you handle it?”

Case Questions

• Candidates are asked to analyze a real business, management, technical or data science problem and provide a solution based on the information given.

• Many consulting and technology firms use the case interview as part of their interview process. The interviewer is looking for the candidate’s ability to analyze, present information, and perform under pressure.

Case Questions (cont.)

• The majority of cases don’t have a specific “right” answer; instead, the interviewer is evaluating skills such as communication, analytical and reasoning skills, the ability to organize and present information, the understanding of relevant principles, creativity, and the ability to solve problems under pressure.

Tips and tricks

• Speak in your every day language

  • Negative impact if you are stumbling searching for words to impress people

• Think before you respond to a question. This will help you calm your nerves, focus your response and avoid rambling. To prevent any awkward pauses, simply let the interviewer know you thinking about it.

• Always be honest. Never lie about or embellish your experience and qualifications.

The Interview

STAR Method

What is STAR?

S - Situation

T - Task

A - Action

R - Results

• Strategy to craft an answer to a question!

S - Situation

• Set up the situation for the interviewer.

• Include enough details to paint a picture, but keep it succinct.

• Example: “My communications capstone course required a
  large group project and I was selected to be the leader
  of our team.”

​“Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership.”

T - Task

• Describe what was to be completed, or what the outcome needed to be.

• “We had to develop a full marketing plan for a local
  business.”

​“Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership.”

A- Actions

• Describe the actions you took to resolve the situation.

• “I coordinated group meetings and stayed in constant communication with members, the local business, and our professor. I monitored the progress of each member on a variety of tasks, from creating ads to designing a

  website. I edited the design and text contributions from the team into a final portfolio and developed the presentation we made to the

  class and business.”

​“Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership.”

R- Results

• Describe what results came about from your actions.

• Example: “The business was so pleased with our plan that they
  used two of our print ads, web design, and our group
  received an “A“ on the project.“

​“Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership.”

Now it's your turn!

Pick a neighbor and practice

1) Ask a question from the Typical Interview Questions Sheet

2) Utilize the STAR Strategy you just learn to craft an answer - if you'd like, write down your answer before you respond!

Sticky Note Strategy

• ​Use memorable, concrete examples to illustrate your skills and knowledge. Examples that show at your core who you are.

  • Ask friends

  • Think of classes, students orgz., high school

• Utilize at most 10 sticky notes

• Personal, profession, and emotional - allows you to present the information you want

Now it's your turn!

Answer this question: "Tell me about a time you didn't succeed in something"

1) Craft three sticky notes that respond to this question

2) Utilize the STAR Strategy you just learn to craft an answer

"I don't know"

Okay to say you don't know

"I don't know." (blank) ---> TRASH

"I don't know" (gives similar situation or relevant example) --> GOOD

"I don't know but my initial response is X and X would be my next step" --> EXCELLENT

"Do you have any questions for me?"

1. "What are the opportunities for growth?"

2. "What kind of training does the organization provide?"

3. "Why do you enjoy working at this office?"

4. "What does a typical day look like?"

5. "Who would I report to? What would I expect from them as a supervisor?"

​Stick with 2-3 questions at the end. Be sure to say that if you have more questions, you will follow up via email.

Closing

• Will the interviewer contact you? Or, will you make the next contact? If so, make sure you get the information you need to follow-up.

• Be sure to get a general timeline for the hiring process. Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references or background
  information.

• Re-state your interest in the position.

After the Interview

Follow up email

• It is highly recommended to send a follow up thank you letter after the interview.

• If you have an email address for the person or persons that interviewed you, then

• an email thank you note is appropriate.

• Send it shortly after the interview, within 24 to 48 hours. In the follow-up letter,
  include your appreciation for the interviewer’s time, your interest in the position,

• and why you are a strong candidate.

• Also include any conversational highlights that will help them remember you.

Pay

• Salary - a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a monthly or biweekly basis but often expressed as an annual sum

• Per hour - paid at a set hourly rate which is multiplied by the hours worked during a pay period.

• It is best to ask about pay once you are offered the job. If the pay for the position isn’t posted, it is something you can ask BUT it can be considered in bad taste. Once offered a job, you have the upper hand to negotiate because you know they want you.

Pay (cont.)

• Once the pay is discussed, you can ask if pay is firm or open for discussion? If they say firm, you can take time to think over whether or not it is worth it for you. You can also ask questions about insurance benefits, parking coverage, or additional perks of being an employee of ________ office/company.

• The more your skills EXCEED the required descriptions of a job description, the higher you can attempt to negotiate your pay. Generally it is helpful to know what “industry average” pay for a position of a title is before going into an interview, so that you know how far off or above average a position is. A great place to find this information is speaking to someone in their college’s career services department, or google searching and looking at sites like glassdoor or O*net.

Pay (cont. 2)

• Generally, you never want to make LESS pay taking a new job, so to negotiate you can say: "My current position pays me $1500 more than what your company is offering….I am very excited at the opportunity to join your team, but with the reduction in pay in comparison to my current role, I might not not be able to accept. Would your team be willing to cover the difference in pay in order to secure someone with my skills and expertise?”

• Oftentimes, they will need to go speak with someone to clear this. Ask what is an appropriate amount of time to hear back, and thank them for taking the time to look into it. You can also ask for 10-30% OVER your current role if you are EXCEPTIONALLY qualified for a position, but as a recent graduate that might be difficult to pull off. You can also use things like additional gas to cover a commute, moving expenses, etc. as a reason to ask for more money.

Pay (cont. 3)

• Important to know: they can always say no. And you can always ask for a few days to think about the offer. You can also ask if the employer could promise you faster appraisal reviews, extra duties, or opportunities for promotion than are typically offered, to quickly escalate you to where you were hoping to be.

 

Additional last advice

• When interviewing for more than one position"

  • Figure out what is your preference and what you can pass on

  • Be honest

• If you haven't heard back:

  • Reach out - "Am I strongly being considered for this position or not?"

  • Half of the time it is not about you, but rather that they are looking for a fit

• Remember, they can always say no

Feedback Form (4 Questions)

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