Interviewing Overview

Reasons why potential employees are rejected

Inappropriate background
Poor personal appearance
Lack of interest and enthusiasm
Failure to keep eye contact
Late to the interview
Asks no questions about the job
Too overbearing
Inability to epress self clearly
Poor communication skills
Lack of pose or self!confidence
"nrealistic salary demands
Lack of maturity ! no leadership potential
Lack of etra!curricular activities
#now nothing about the company
"nwilling to relocate
$cessive intrest in security and benefits
Interview preperation
%esearch the company
&onfirm time' place and name ()P$LLI*+,,,-
.ress appropriately and have several copies of your resume and cover letter
Practice responding to sample questions/
0aintain a positive attitude (1ery important/ .on2t get discouraged-
Possible interview question (listed by catagory)
Personal and Family Data
3hat are4were your parent2s occupations5
6ow far do you live from this company5
Is your spouse employed5 3ill there be a conflict5
ducational !ac"ground
3hy did you attend a particular college4university5
3hat was your major5
.o you feel you made the right choice5
#haracter$ Initiative$ and #reativity
3hat is your idea of success5
6ow do you cope with stress and pressure5
3hat did you do in your last job to make it more effective and more
challenging5
6ow do you go about making important decisions5
%anagement &bility
6ow do you go about establishing rapport with staff5
6ave you ever been in a position to delegate responsibility5
6ow well do you manage people5
#areer Objective and 'uitability (or )arget *ob
3hat do you picture yourself doing five to ten years from now5
3ould you be in a position to work overtime if required5
3hy are you interested in this job5
'alary +istory and Requirements
3hat salary are you worth5
3hat is your salary history5
,perience and )raining
3hat do you see as the biggest rewards in your career5
In what areas of your present job are you strongest5
3hat specific strengths4skills do you think you can bring to this position5
Outside Interests
3hat are you leisure time activities5
3hat sections of the newspaper do you read first5
3hat do you plan to do to improve yourself5
-uestions to as" the interviewer
3hat are the most important skills for this job5
3hat are the job responsibilities5
6ow would my performance be evaluated5
6ow would I be supervised5
3hat advancement opportunities are there5
6ow much travel is required5
3hat is the last person who had this job doing5 3here is she4he now5
3hat are the company2s goals5
6ow does your division fit into the organi7ation5
3hat is the management style of the company5
3hy did you decide to go with this company5
3ho was' in your opinion' the best person who ever held this position5 3hat
did he4she do that made you remember him4her so favorably5
Tell me about your opportunities for additional training5
Are new services or programs planned5
3hat is a typical day for this job5
3ith promotion' are transfer (overseas- opportunities available5
6ow long will it take to make a hiring decision5
3hat does the company consider the five most important duties of the
position5
Following the interview
I00$.IAT$L8 review the interview
o 3ho did you meet (names and titles-5
o 3hat does the job entail5
o 3hat are the first projects you want to tackle5
o 3hy can you do the job5
o 3hat went poorly5 3hy5
o 3hat is the net step in the selection process5
3rite a follow!up letter/
o $press appreciation of the interviewer2s time and comments/
o 0ake it clear that you are ecited about the job' can do it' and want it/
o #eep it short' type it and proof it carefully/
If you don2t hear anything after a reasonable time period (one to two weeks-
make a call to the lead interviewer and restate points made in the cover letter/
Interview 'tructure
0ost 9:!minute interviews consist of three parts; the introduction' the body and the
close/ The introducton generally includes the first < minutes of the interview/ It is
designed to put you and the recruiter at ease/ A question about your college activities'
the weather' or sports are topics often discussed during the first few minutes/
The body of the interview (usually =: minutes- is divided into two sections/ The first
>< minutes of this time frame allows the interviewer' usingquestions and answers' to
evaluate your employment qualifications/ The net <!minute portion is designed to
give you information about the organi7ation/ Also' the interviewer will usually answer
any questions you may have/
In the final < minutes (the close-' the interviewer will give you the information needed
to insure a clear understanding of what is to happen net' i/e/' he or she will request a
completed applicaton form' or he or she will contact you concerning a second
interview or a plant trip/ Also' once you leave theroom' the interviewer will make
additional notes about you and your qualifications/
Interview -uestions
3hether you have a direct' nondirective' or stress style interview' every question is
important/ )tudy the following list of ?Frequently Asked Interview @uestions'? as
reported by .r/ Frank )/ $ndicott' .irector of Placement ($meritus-' *orthwestern
"niversity/ Also' talk to friends who recently have interviewed to get ideas regarding
possible questions you may be asked/
3hat are your future vocational plans5
In what school activities have you participated5 3hy5 3hich did you enjoy
the most5
In what type of position are you most interested5
3hy do you think you might like to work for our company5
3hat jobs have you held5 6ow were they obtained and why did you leave5
3hat courses did you like best5 Least5 3hy5
3hy did you choose your particular field of work5
3hat percentage of your college epenses did you earn5 6ow5
6ow did you spend your vacations while in school5
3hat do you know about our company5
.o you feel that you have received a good general training5
3hat qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be successful
in your field5
3hat etracurricular offices have you held5
If you were starting college all over again' what courses would you take5
6ow much money do you hope to earn at age 9:5 age 9<5
.o you think that your etracurricular activities were worth the time devoted
to them5 3hy5
3hat do you think determines a person2s progress within a company5
3hat personal characteristics are necessary for success in your chosen field5
3hy do you think you would like this particular type of job5
.o you prefer working with others or by yourself5
3hat kind of boss do you prefer5
Are you primarily interested in making money or do you feel that service is
your prime concern5
&an you take instructions without feeling upset5
6ow did previous employers treat you5
3hat have you learned from some of the jobs you have held5
&an you get recommendations from previous employers5
3hat interests you about our product or service5
.id you ever change your major field of interest while in college5 3hy5
3hen did you choose your college major5
.o you feel you have done the best scholastic work of which you are capable5
6ow did you happen to go to college5
3hat do you know about opportunities in the field in which you are trained5
3hich of your college years was the most difficult5
.id you enjoy you four years at this university5
.o you like routine work5
.o you like regular hours5
3hat si7e city do you prefer5
3hat is your major weakness5
6ow would you define cooperation5
.o you demand attention5
.o you have an analytical mind5
Are you eager to please5
3hat job in our company would you choose if you were entirely free to do so5
3hat types of books have you read5
6ave you plans for graduate work5
3hat types of people seem to rub you the wrong way5
6ave you ever tutored an underclassman5
3hat jobs have you enjoyed the most5 The least5 3hy5
3hat are your own special abilities5
3hat job in our company do you want to work toward5
3ould you prefer a large or small company5 3hy5
.o you like to travel5
6ow about overtime work5
3hat kind of work interests you5
3hat are the disadvantages of your chosen field5
Are you interested in research5
3hat have you done which shows initiative and willingness to work5
Di((icult and Illegal -uestions
Anyone who has had a number of employment interviews has eperienced the
difficulty of responding to questions which appear to be illegal/ These questions may
arise because the employer is unaware of the equal opportunity laws and regulations
or' in fact' intends to ignore the nondiscremination requirements of civil rights
legislation/ )uch questions pose a dilemma for job seekers/ %efusal to respond will
likely damage your chances of a successful interview/ An the other hand' responding
to these kinds of questons may divulge information which could be used to eclude
you/ This section provides eamples of questions which potentially discriminate
against an applicant based on se' race' or other protected class characteristics/ 8our
responses should be formulated to provide the relevant information the interviewer
needs in making a decision/
Problem questions which have occurred in interviews with women and minorities are
listed below/ The suggested appropriate responses that follow are not ?pat? answers/ It
is important to find a way to handle difficult situations/ Appropriate use of humor
might work for one individual' while confronting the interviewer would work better
for another individual/ 8our career goals will also influence the way in which you
choose to respond/ #eep these things in mind as you organi7e your thoughts/
@/ .o you know how to type5 (3hen applying for a managerial position-
A/ I did not understand that typing was required for this positionB I assumed that this
service would be available to assist me in my managerial role/
@/ 3hat will your marital status be in the future5
A/ I do not anticipate any change in my marital status in the near future' and I do not
believe it is related to my job performance/
@/ Are you married5 If yes' do you plan to go where your spouse locates employment
after graduation5
A/ I am looking for a career opportunity which I feel your organi7ation can provide/ If
I am hired' my spouse will attempt to locate a position near my job/
@/ Are you planning to have a family5
A/ I have no present plans for having children' but if I do' I would epect to take a
short leave of absence and return to my career/
@/ .o you think people find it difficult to work for a woman5 A minority5
A/ If a supervisor has received the proper training and has a mature' sincere approach
to supervising employees' which I feel I have' then potential difficulties can be
overcome/
@/ .o you think that the morale and harmony among peers could be adversely
affected by the presence of a woman or minority in an administrative positon5 A/ If
employees perform their jobs conscientiously and relate to others on a professional
basis' I feel that there should be no more problems than those associated with any
group of peers/
@/ .o you feel that as a member of a minority group you would have problems living
in a consevative community5 A/ I have been a member of a minority group all of my
life and feel able to cope with any difficulties and problems I may encounter/
Interview 'tyles
There are three basic styles of interviews that most interviewers follow/ The directed
interview is the most frequently used style for the first interview/ According to 6/
Anthony 0edley' author of )weaty Palms; The *eglected Art of Ceing Interviewed'
the interviewer using this style works from an outline and asks specific questions
within a certain time frame/ 6e or she usually has a predetermined checklist on which
he or she notes each candidate2s responses/ This predominate style is impersonal but
challenging to the interviewee/
The second tye of interview style is the nondirective/ It usually is unstructured and
allows the interviewee to talk about his or her choice of topics/ The questons are
broad and general/ It is a format which allows you to take control of the interview'
stressing your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses/
The third style is the stress interview/ If you understand the purpose of this type of
interview' it will help you feel more at ease/ In this interview' the interviewer may
lapse into long periods of silence or have an unfriendly or brusque attitude/
)ometimes the interviewer stares at you without blinking an eye' but at other times he
or she simply ignores you and concentrates on taking notes/ #irby 3/ )tanat' author
of Dob 6unting )ecrets and Tactics' says the purpose of this type of interview is that
the recruiter is trying to find out one of two things; (>- 6ow far you can be pushed
before you assert yourself5 or (=- 6ow do you assert yourself5
&dvice on Interviewing
I think learning to brag is an American!specific skill/ 0ales from other countries
(Asia' in particular- also have a similar problem here' though they have more of a
problem getting promoted once they are hired rather than getting hired in the first
place/ I think that is because the epectation of the interviewer is that they are smart
(not true in general about women-/ )o' unfortunately' we have to overcome that
negative epectation even more than men by ?bragging?/
0y main worry is that you will be uncomfortable with ?bragging? because that is not
your style (E the interviewer will pick up on it-/ I hope you get phrases to use for
certain types of questions that you are comfortable with/ Also' before an interview'
you need to psych yourself up with all the positive things about yourself so that you
really are confident about your abilities/ Then' if something unepected or
intimidating occurs in the interview' you still have confidence in yourself/ I think
feedback from systers will help with that/ (I wish I had had such a resource >< years
ago-/
Then' once you get the job or school acceptance' the bragging doesn2t stop/ 8ou still
have to keep up the image that you are really good E you know how to figure things
out yourself/ Image is especially important in the beginning/ Another problem women
have is to ask questions when they know 94F of the answer (or maybe all of the
answer' for some reason-/ I guess this relates to underestimating themselves in an
interview/ Also' you don2t have to reveal the source of your knowledge/ 0en seem to
be able to learn things' then act as if they figured everything out themselves or that
they always knew it/ I catch myself eplaining when I find that I know something that
someone else doesn2t/
There2s an $G&$LL$*T book' if you haven2t read it already/ It2s called ?)weaty
Palms?/ I think the author2s name is 0edley/ It2s relatively easy to find in a good
bookstore/
This book will tell you everything you need to know about interview preparation' and
almost everything you need to know about interviewing/
I interview well and it is my ability to talk which allowed me to get jobs I technically
was not qualified for/
'ome basics.
*erdy types do not like to interview you any more than you want to be
interviewed by them/ Talking' even to the point of mono! poli7ing the 2talk
time2 is good' but you shouldn2t talk just to hear your voice/ The time should
be spent finding out about the interviewer' what role he4she plays and
2bragging2 about yourself/ The purpose of finding out what the interviewer
does is to help you focus the interview towards your qualifications and how
you can solve The Problem/
0anagers' however' also like to talk/ Let them/ $ven if they tell a bad joke'
laugh/ 0anagers are looking for someone who fits the bill technically (that2s
why he4she has nerds interview prospects- and is someone who has a
personality fitting with the group dyn! amics/ )mall talk' like hobbies'
frequently enter the discussion/ +ood chemistry with the manager is essentialB
the general rule I follow is to be sociable' but not ingratiating' and brag only
when necessary/ 0anagers know your resume2 has some fluff and a good
manager can usually figure out where it is/ This is especially true if a
headhunter arranged the interview/ Another rule is to tell the truth on a
resume2 but tell it in such a way that )A"*.) better than you are/
The 6% person or higher more senior type manager wants to know who you
are/ *ot what you know/ 3hat school you went to and do you have a family
are information they frequently ask/ The 6% person wants to know because
he4she has to arrange relocation if the company had to fly you in for the
interview/ The senior manager wants to know because the money for that is
coming out of his budget/ 8ou are not obligated to answer those questions
since Federal Law technically prohibits it' but if you do have a family or
spouse and relocation is a problem' you should say so/ If the same is true' or
you have a same se marriage or living arrangement' and relocation is not a
problem' say that relocation is not a problem/ Ce tactful and polite but firm if
you think the 6% person is overstepping the boundaries of what you wish to
divulge/ )mall talk helps' but try not to divert the conversation to a discussion
of the person2s children if you see pictures of them on the cubicle wall or desk'
unless the interviewer started it/
+enerally an interview will consist of >!= managers' > 6% per! son and 9!F
technical people/ The whole process takes about F hours and you might want
to consider bring chewing gum to help water your throat/ It is a HlotH of
talking/ The second inter! view is less gruesome' will not usually involve the
6% person or the managers/ The 6% person is the one stuck checking out your
references/ A good thing to put on your resume2 is re! ferences furnished upon
request/ That way you could line up references which are suitable for the job
for which you are ap! plying/ +raduate students should have not only the
advisor' but the senior researcher as one of the references/
'ome assumptions about this strategy.
8ou are a fast learner/ *o one is a perfect fit for a jobB man! agers take the
path of least resistance and find the best fit/ *ever brag more than you could
learn in three months/ That is usually your trial period/ 8our friend is right
when he said to brag more/ $veryone else is doing itB so should you/ This
takes practice/ If you don2t brag 2correctly2' you will sound like an arrogant
hothead///and no one wants to work with those kind of people/
Perhaps you could take a hypothetical technical question or ask someone for
one' assess your knowlege base for that question and formulate an answer/
Ask people to write down their imp! ression of your knowlege based upon
your answer/ Then judge their description according to what you wanted to
say and the job description/ $!mail is not a good forum because $!mail
removes the face!to!face social dynamics of interviewing/ If you were in the
)F bay area' I could help you with developing interviewing skills/ I2m sure
others on this list who live or work near you can also help/ Ask/
&n e,ample o( bragging.
For an "*IG 0emory management job and the techie asks you about
segmented memories/ 8ou never worked on a segmented memory system' but
you know what a segment is/ This is for a HIJ!based computer/ 8ou know
how the hardware works/ If you were to just say that the HIJ has a segment
register which you load in the T))' etc' the techie would probably reject your
resume2 when asked by the man! ager for feedback/ An alternative is to say
that you2d divide the address space into four segments' the highest of which
would be for system tables' so the system2s part of the user address space
would always be there/ Then when you made the contet switch' the system
base register would never change values' blah' blah blah/ (I don2t know if this
is a technically good answer since its been a while since I last worked on an
Intel processor-/ The difference is that the first said nothing new/ The second
implies without saying so' that you2ve actually done this before and if it
sounds technically feasible' then the techie is far more like! ly to buy your
answer/
8ou don2t necessarily have to actually written a "*IG!like memory manager
for a HIJ' but it is essential that you know something about Intel processors
and "ni memory management/ The rest is ad!hoc and defines in your own
mind what you have to learn/ Cut the techie is convinced that he4she could
work with you given your knowlege/ )uch a tactic could work with a network
protocol position' or even databases' where there is some ramp!up but the
difference of knowlege is relatively small/ 6owever' for a job which involves
a language you do not know' perhaps a F+L for a database' then this tactic
will fail because you may have to eplain some code/ Its not necessarily buggy
codeB the techie just wants to know if you know the language/
a long time ago i was helped by info on interviewing in the book 3ho2s hiring who !!!
author' 5555
I agree that it is very important to emphasi7e your accomplishments during an
interview/ The eercise of writing a good epressive resume does wonders to remind
yourself and your interviewer of true meat of the accomplishments/ It takes a much
more talented interviewee to get out the valuable parts of your eperience at the
crucial moment if you haven2t already made this crystal clear both in your mind and in
the resume (so they will prompt you for details-/ 8ou have to really distill each piece
of eperience and think about what you got from it' remind yourself what was
required to get there etc/ If you are like me' it2s easy to forget a stressfull application
process' or how good the competition was for a job or grad school' or how difficult a
technical challege was after you succeed at doing what you were aiming for/ I usually
breathe a quick sigh of relief' and look for what2s coming net/ I also think if you put
things in the right terms at your interview you don2t have to come out sounding like
you are bragging ! which is what most of us are afraid of and what we were told while
growing up was not polite/ I like phrases like ! GG was a great opportunity for me
because it gave me the chance to learn 8 and K and to find out that I had a lot of
insight into these types of problems/// That is ! give the facts that support the claim
instead of just the claim/ Then you also have the chance to throw in something they
might not have asked about/ Also saying you really enjoyed something and why often
comes out with the same effect as saying you are really good at it/ $ven the other way
works ! something like 2I wasn2t really looking forward to that project4class but it
turned out to be very valuable because I was the only eperienced technical person
involved and I had responsibility for///2 or maybe for classes 2/// all the other people in
my project group dropped the class and I finished the project on my own///2
I think the confidence aspect is more subtle and comes naturally from believing that
your accomplishments are valuable' deserved and as a result you are worthy of their
attention/ As serious as this sounds' I don2t think you need years of therapy to achieve
this/ I think a good old fashion pep talk goes a long way/ I would try to sit down with
a good friend who knows your field and discuss what was challenging about your past
few projects' what you know better than your collegues ! because everyone has their
specialties' and what aspects of your past eperiences you want to find in your new
job ! just in general to remind yourself of what you do well/ $nthusiasm about the
work you are discussing is at least I:L of confidence/ If you display ecitement
about things you learned or work you did you will naturally discuss some details of
the project that will sound impressive ! because that was what made the project
interesting' right5 8ou will also convey the feeling to the interviewer that you have
the energy as well as the eperience to tackle new things/
Practice alot too/ )ign up for a lot of interviews' even some you aren2t as thrilled
about,
3hen I was interviewing' I used a book called ?#nock 2em .ead' Answers to Tough
Interview @uestions?' I2m afraid I2ve forgotten the author and I lent the book to a
friend so I can2t look it up' but I know it is a very popular book and really goes over
how to sell yourself/ I think the same author has another book called ?6ireing the
Cest? which is all about the other side of the interview and it can be very helpful to
read that one as well/
I was recently given a copy of &omputerworld' campus edition' oct 9> 2M=' v< NF/ It2s
titled &omputer &areers and contains several ecellent sections' including
a list of questions to ask the interviewer
suggestions on answering questions
a couple profiles of senior women
a salary survey that discusses the gender gap in pay
but check out this quote;
Dames 6ackett' director of legislative data systems at the %hode Island +eneral
Assembly in Providence' says he believes women tend to assume traditional' lower!
level I) roles and lack aggressiveness/
/I0m critical o( 1women2 that wor" (or me that don0t demand more/
I know this sounds cliched' but P%A&TI&$' P%A&TI&$' P%A&TI&$,, 3hen I was
interviewing several years ago' a friend and I would go out to dinner' and we2d
pretend that it was a job interview (he2d interviewed a lot of people-/ 6e asked me all
his hardest questions' which made the real interviews a bree7e/ If you have a friend a
few years ahead of you in your field' offer to buy her4him dinner in echange for
giving you a really tough interview/ )ome college campuses also have a career
counseling center with a staff which will do mock interviews/ These are useful for
general interviewing skills' but the staff member will probably not know much about
your field' so there2s a limit to how technical the questions will be/
I couldn2t tell from your address where you are' but if you are in the Cay Area' I
highly recommend the &areer Action &enter in Palo Alto/ They give seminars on
interviewing and other job search and career!related topics' and they have counselors
moderating job search groups where people looking for work talk about issues that
have come up in their interviews' ways for tracking down jobs leads' or whatever is
on their minds/ I learned a couple of thousand tricks from the job search groups there,
A good book to read is; Interviews that #nock2em .ead (or something like that-/
)ome people don2t like the author2s blunt ?here2s what people want? attitude' but the
advice is very good/
Finally' my favorite interview preparation technique; 3rite down the three questions
you are most afraid of being asked at an interview/ (It doesn2t matter if they are
questions that are generally asked' the idea is to get at what you2re really afraid of
when you go to an interview/- Then practice answering those questions in front of a
mirror in the most confident' professional tone you can maintain/
There was one thing I did when I first graduated from college that helped with my
interviewing/ A friend of the family was a head hunter and he volunteered to give me
a practice interview/ I went for the interview as if it was ?the real thing? and he gave
me an honest critique/ After that eperience' I have been much more successful at
interviews/ Abviously not everyone has a friend that is a recruiter' but there are
enough recruiters out there who would be willing to give feedback on their prospects
interviewing skills/ I definitely think it helped to get feedback from someone actually
in the business of getting people jobs/
Ane point that has always been helpful to me was to keep in mind that interviewing is
a sales pitch/ 8ou2re there to convince them that they want to hire you/ .on2t tell them
reasons why this job would be good for you' tell them reasons why hiring you would
benefit them/ $ven if they ask you questions about why the job would benefit you' try
to turn it around so that you tell them how hiring you would benefit them/ Ance you
have the job offer' worry about whether the job is right for you/
+iven that you have already acquired a certain amount of savvy about what your job
market is looking for' and how much you are willing to put out to impress' then you
are your own best teacher/
Corrow or rent a camcorder and have someone interview you in front of the
camcorder/ Then see how you come across' what you do well' what you want to
improve' etc/
If you think you need raw eposure4practice to be comfortable' film someone asking
you interview questions' and then play those questions back to yourself' with remote
in hand' answering the questions as you go/ If you think you could have done better'
then back up and try again' just as you would if you were practicing the piano/
There are a lot of training companies making a lot of money offering eperiences like
this' but there2s no reason you can2t cobble it together yourself/
I can2t tell from your address where you are located/ In Palo Alto' there is an ecellent
resource called the &areer Action &enter which runs workshops to help one with
interviewingand other skills for the job search/ If you are anywhere in the )an
Francisco Cay area' they are worth looking into/ If not' perhaps there is something
similar where you are/
I2ve also found it useful to read books on the job search' as much for getting into the
right frame of mind as for the specific details of their recommendations/
I took a job finding workshop >> years ago that has provided me with the skills of
?interviewing well?/ The foremost tactics used to create this skill was coming up with
a list of ?likely questions? pertaining to your field and then creating a ?pat script? for
each question/ The idea then is to practice' practice' practice interviewing by giving
your script to any4all friends who will ?do the play with you?/ 1ideo tape it if
possible' enhance the script and refine it' have an observer critique you and the script
for changing to more positive bu77 words and effects/ $ventually a confident answer
evolves out of each question that any variation of that question can be handled with
ease/ The key is to practice/ I went thru = weeks of all day repeated interview sessions
alone with =:!9: people who took my script reworded each question in a way they
felt comfortable/ (This was after three days of question developement for my trade/-
I2ve change jobs J times in the last >> years and have gotten each one for which I
interviewed/
For one thing' you should look upon everything you say from the point of view of the
company/ In resumes' I see the following type of comment so often; ?want job that
will be challenging and interesting' preferably in the *3' and that will permit me to
epand my eperience in the area of blah blah blah and have advancement
opportunities/?
3ell' that person has just told the company what the applicant 3A*T) (in a fu77y
sort of way-/ Cut so 36AT5 6ow is the company supposed to interpret this' and why
should they bother5 And what if the company is not located in the *3B should they
ignore the application5 The applicant wants to get into the field to ?epand? their
eperiences !! perhaps they2re not really qualified for the job5 And who knows if the
applicant would find a particular job to be ?challenging and interesting5?
Instead of talking generalities' we have to sell ourselves' our abilities' our areas of
epertise' our strengths/ 3e don2t need to tell them about vague career goals/ )pecific
career goals can be mentioned during the interview if they are an absolute must to you
and you want to weed out any company that doesn2t fit/ 0ostly you want to focus on
your knowledge' eperience' abilities' and a willingness to learn and work hard/
.uring the interview you should be personable' friendly' alert (don2t sit and look at
the floor///-' and responsive/ 8ou shouldn2t be overly quiet and shy' and should speak
up (but avoid joking around-/ 8ou should have ideas about what you want to work on
and how you want your career to turn out' but remember !! companies want people to
be fleible' too/
I recently attended a short interviewing workshop offered by the career services at my
university/ )ome advice concerning how to respond to an interview questions where
you are asked about your abilities in a field where you have little eperience/ I feel
that I have a tendency to talk about my weaknesses or to tell the interviewer that I
don2t have eperience in the area (instead of ?bragging?-/ In short' I downplay my
abilities/ People with lesser abilities manage to sound far better than I do/ The
workshop coordinator suggested that I word a response along the lines of ?Although
my strenths are more in the area of G8K (promote your strengths here-' I feel certain
that I could accomplish task AC& (the questioned area- also/? This is an alternative to
my response of ?I don2t really have much eperience with AC&' but I think I could
learn it/?
I think of this as giving a politicians answer !! praising my own abilities while lightly
addressing the question/
3hile I would agree that you might need to brag' I would not necessarily say you
need to do it about yourself/ If that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable' think of it as
bragging about the work/ I would find someone eplicitly bragging about themselves
to be a real negative mark/ 6owever someone who etols the various good things
about a project or product stands a much better chance/ Cy etolling the good things
about a project you give the interviewer a glance into what you consider is good' and
it also gives you the opportunity to let them see your technical understanding of the
project/
)omeone who is too self!centered by come across as difficult to work with' not a team
player' etc/ 6owever someone who is confident about the work they have done and
shows enthusiasm and pride in their work will likely be enthusiastic about other work
as well/
Ane problem I have sometimes seen with candidates I interview that don2t appear
confident is a tendency to triviali7e work they have done/ This could be your biggest
pitfall/ Turn everything into a positive eperience for the interview/ Instead of saying
?Ah' that little project/ That only took = weeks and only had to do this/? )ay' ?That
was a small project' only taking = weeks' but it had some very interesting aspects/ It
had to fit into the system in this way and couldn2t affect this other portion of the
system/ I designed the module to be integrated like this to meet those requirements/
The coding itself to perform the task was not a big deal' but meeting the constraints
made this small project interesting/? If something is really so trivial that it does not
have any interesting aspects whatsoever' it has no business being listed on your
resume in the first place/
Interviewing is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced often/ +ood for you
for recogni7ing that/ 3hat I2ve done in the past is do practice interviews with friends
and mentors/ I2ve both been the interviewer and the interviewee' so my background
about typical questions has grown/
3hen I was just starting out in college' I interviewed with every company that had
any need for software engineers' regardless of locale/ This helped me practice/ In
preparation for any interview' I study my resume and plan how I will respond with
more detail when asked/ I may highlight how the work was cutting edge and why'
how tight a schedule we were under and how we managed it' how pleased the
customer was when receiving the product' how this project dramatically increased the
si7e of project I could now handle' etc/ The resume will 2open doors2 for you' and your
planned responses will propel you into the 2room of opportunities2/
Perhaps there are professors or career counselors at school who can assist with your
preparation for interviews' and coach you on how to improve them/ Perhaps there are
business people affiliated with the school who could assist/ #eep looking' and don2t
take 2no2 for an answer/
Prepare and practice/ #now about the organi7ation you2re interviewing with and have
some questions ready/ $nlist friends' collegues' etc/ to play the role of interviewer
(friendly' hostile' aggressive' passive- and try some dry runs/
8our resume lists your key technical accomplishments' but you2ll need to epand on
those that become relevant during the interview/ .on2t assume that the interviewer has
picked up and4or understood everything on your resume/ 3hat sounds like boasting to
you' is just helping the interviewer put your role in its proper perspective/ 3hat were
your contributions' how much responsibility did you have' what was your budget'
where your projects on time' what levels of customers4internal people4outside groups
did you have to address' etc/' are much more informative than saying you work on
such!and!such a project/ If you have a company that you %$ALL8 want to work
with' try going on some trial interviews elsewhere first' so you2re more in the swing of
things by the time the important interview comes along/
8ou are probably not at risk of coming across as a braggart' but if you2re worried' just
pay attention to the interviewer2s questions' answer them' and use whatever
opportunities arise to highlight your assets/ From my own epience overly confident
interviewees consistently tend not to answer the questions asked' but instead just keep
spouting off about how wonderful they are/
Ane thing that my company does in interviewing to get a different folks to talk about
themselves is to reali7e some folks talk best in first person' other2s in third person/
This is particularly true for people of different ethnic backgrounds that are taught
either not to boast or not to speak for superiors (thus the need to quote peers-/
so we ask;
Tell me what you think of yourself/
Tell me what your last4current manager4advisor would say about you/
Tell me what a peer or subordinate would say about you/
In general' I feel better about quoting a peer or advisor as saying that I2ve done a great
job than I do just stating it as a fact/
8ou may want to save a set of quotes to use in the interview/ Also' reali7e that this
person interviewing you is comparing your comments to other 2more boastful2
comments' so going from modest to proud still will leave you a big distance from
folks who go proud to egotistical ;!-
All the information about interviews is very interesting' and reminded me of a book
I2ve used to prepare for interviews' presentations' and other situations/
I got this book from the library and liked it so much that I bought my own copy/ It
contains very practical suggestions for speaking confidently in any situation'
including presentations at work' presenting papers at conferences' giving courses'
asking and answering questions' job interviews' and everyday conversation/
It is organi7ed in short sections of one or two pages each on various topics' such as
how to use transparencies in a presentation or how to sit during a job interview/ It is
very comprehensive and even includes difficult topics such as ?I don2t know how to
change the subject when I2m bored to tears?' ?0y co!worker stands too close?' and ?I
spilled spaghetti sauce on my shirt at lunch?/