Interviewing &
Networking
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What is Performance Based
Interviewing?
 Used by many energy companies
 Based on the premise that past
behavior is a good predictor of future
behavior
 Interviewer wants to see how well
each applicant’s knowledge, skills and
abilities necessary for successful job
performance
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Guidelines
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Firm handshake and eye contact
Answer accurately, honestly and promptly
Be enthusiastic
Speak clearly and sit up straight
Do not discuss personal problems or
situations
 Refrain from nervous habits
 Avoid filler words, such as “ummm,”
“like,” and “y’know”
Guidelines
 Always listen carefully to the question
and ask for clarification, if necessary
 If you encounter a question where you
are unprepared, do your best and move
on
 View the interview as a two-way
conversation where you are gathering
information to help you make the best
career choice
Guidelines
 Let the interviewer guide the questions
 Do not expect to leave an interview with
a job offer
 When given a chance to ask questions,
demonstrate your knowledge and interest
in the position
 If you have the opportunity to make
closing remarks, touch on qualifications
you did not mention and inquire about the
next stages in the process
Appearance Checklist
 Shoes: clean; closed-toes
 Clothing: professional, neutral,
conservative
 Jewelry: avoid large or flashy items
 Face: makeup should be natural; limited
 Hands: clean, conservative nails
 Teeth: fresh breath is a must – avoid
coffee, tea and smoking
 Body: clean and with limited perfume
Ask Appropriate Questions
 What are the primary responsibilities of this
job?
 What qualifications are you looking for in the
person you hire?
 What is the process for training or learning the
job?
 Are there opportunities for advancement?
 How do you measure employee performance?
 How would you describe the company culture?
How to Prepare for the Interview
 Learn about the organization, including
its mission
 Learn as much as you can about the job
 Review the duties listed in the vacancy
announcement and think about how your
work history relates
 Identify past experiences that
demonstrate the required job skills
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How to Prepare for the Interview
 Be prepared to share an example when
you experience a contrary outcome
 Identify 2-3 of your best qualities &
decide how to convey these during the
interview
 Prepare two or three thoughtful jobrelated questions for the interviewer
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The Interview
 Most of the interview will be spent asking
questions about your background &
experiences
 Some questions will take you a few
moments to construct your answer—the
interviewer expects you to give some
thought to your responses
 You’ll be expected to talk about yourself
using specific examples
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“Musts” when Responding to
Questions
 Be honest – but not to a fault
 Be positive – the glass is half full
 Answer from their perspective – what do they
want to hear?
 Prove it – history and facts
 Relate to the job – limit open-ended response
 Establish your qualifications with every answer
 Answer the question – don’t get into a drawnout story
Mock Interview – Round 1
1. Tell me about a specific time when you made a suggestion to
improve the quality of the work for your unit (military or non-military).
2. Describe a major change you’ve made in the past two years. How
did you accomplish the change? What difficulties did you encounter
and how did you work through them?
3. Part of this job is documenting your work. Give a specific example of
something you had to write for your supervisor recently. What
feedback did you get from your supervisor?
4. Describe a time when you were working with a group and there was
a conflict in getting the job done. What was your role? Was the
conflict resolved? If yes, how? If no, why not?
5. Tell me how you keep your job knowledge current with ongoing
changes?
6. How does the work you most recently did have an overall impact of
the organization’s mission and goals?
Mock Interview – Round 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Give examples to illustrate how you have generated ideas that are
“outside of the box.” How were the ideas received by others? What
became of your ideas?
Tell me about the last new procedure you had to learn at your job.
What was the hardest aspect of learning the procedure? How is the
new procedure working now?
Describe a situation where you felt you didn’t communicate well.
How did you correct the situation?
Give examples of things you’ve done in previous jobs that
demonstrate your willingness to work hard.
Describe a time when you disagreed with an evaluation or feedback
you received on your performance. How did you handle the
situation? What impact did it have on you? What did you learn?
Describe how you have used a technical skill in your field.
Tricky Questions
 Questions that are…
– Broad
– Illegal
– Negative
Networking
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Importance cannot be understated
Can’t just read ads and check on-line
Prime reason this program exists
Dig the well before you are thirsty
Good networks yield good
recommendations
 Good networks yield job referrals
 Good networks put you in the right place
at the right time when a job opens
Who will say good things about
you?
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Past or current supervisors
Co-workers
Mentors/Mentees
Classmates
Friends
Family
Volunteer workers
What do you want people
to say about you?
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Good work ethic
Team player
Excellent work
He/she is my best employee.
I want to hire him.
I want to work with her.
How do you get people
to say positive things about you?
 Make sure your work has positive
results
 Ask for feedback
 How would you go about asking for
feedback?
 What might keep you from being able
to ask for feedback?
What are some important points
about networking?
 Don’t hesitate to help others when you
can
 You can’t wait until you need help to
start building a network
 Look at every interaction as an
opportunity to network
Networking Exercise
 Work together to solve problems by
using your combined networks
 What you know about people in this
class
 What you know about your
relationships outside of this class
Problems for Network Solutions
 You don’t get off work until 6pm, but you have
two children that are let out of school at 3pm.
 You have a leaky sink, but don’t have the
money to pay a plumber to look at it.
 You need a ride to the airport.
 You are headed to a jobsite on a long country
road. The next gas station isn’t for 20 miles.
One of your tires blows. You don’t have
Emergency Roadside Assistance.
Problems for Network Solutions
 Your car is in the repair shop for the next week,
but you have to be at work across town at 6am
and in class at 6pm.
 One of the guys on your worksite is giving you
a hard time and all the grunt work.
 You are thinking about switching from a
pipefitters apprentice to a plumbers apprentice.
 You know you want to be a plant operator but
don’t know what to study.
 Your supervisor has asked you to do something
that you feel could injure you or a co-worker.
You have a Network
 Your classmates have given you ideas on solving
problems that will arise.
 They can help you solve other problems.
 Think of all the problems you could have
– Start building your network of help now
– Find back-ups: two or three people for each problem
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Know who to call before you need the help
We can’t succeed alone
We must help each other
Helping is a two-way street