Welcome!
INTERVIEWING SKILLS:
BOTH SIDES OF THE DESK
Instructor: Ellen Waddell
What is an Interview?
• Interview
– Purposeful
– Planned
– Decision-making
– Person-to-person communication
• Designed to achieve specific
objectives
• Interaction should be
structured
• Should ideally be a balanced
exchange
Why is it important?
• People decisions are the
ultimate-the only true control of
an organization
• People determine the
performance capacity of a firm
• No organization can do better
than the people it employs
• Selection of new employees only
STARTS the process of selection
and retention
Why is it important?
• People inhabit the culture and help to create a
productive, or not so productive work environment
• To build a successful organizational culture, you
must start out asking yourself
– Vision
– Values
– Mission
– Organizational structure
– Assignment of duties
• What does the right applicant “look” like?
• FINALLY: Finding those applicants and building your
team
Types of Interviews

Variety of interviewing purposes
 Information-Gathering
 Appraisal
 Persuasive
 Exit
 Counseling
 Hiring
Interview Process Types
 Unstructured
Systematic
Haphazard
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Causal

procedure
Loosely
organized:
“shooting from
the hip”
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-Clear statement of
objectives for the
interview
-Planned ways of
obtaining information
-Flexibility
-Evaluation procedures
Typically
individual
interviewer only

Individual interviewer
or team
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Structured
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-Same as
Systematic,
except:
-No flexibility

-Team based
Interview Preparation: Cover Letter

a preview of who you are & qualifications

Cover letter
 Expresses interest in the position
 Tells how you learned of the position
 Reviews primary skills and accomplishments
 Explains why these qualify you for the job
 Highlights any items of special interest that are relevant
 Contains a request for an interview
Interview Preparation: Resume

Resume – detailed summary of abilities and
accomplishments, typically including:
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Contact information
Job objective
Employment history
Education
Relevant professional certifications and affiliations
Community service
Special skills and interests relevant to the job
References
Stages of an Interview

Opening
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Body

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Establish rapport
Explain purpose/scope of meeting
Icebreakers/orientation statements
Work experiences
Educational background, activities, interests
Breadth of knowledge
Ability to manage time
Close

Make the leave-taking comfortable
The Heart of the Interview

Questions

Closed questions

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Open questions
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choice and scope of answer broader
Primary questions
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Highly structured with yes or no answers
introduce topics
explore a new area
Secondary questions

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Probing questions
 follow up primary questions
Ask for an explanation
Roles and Responsibilities

Interviewer’s goals



Information seeker
Information Giver
Decision Maker
Interviewees’ goals

Research the organization
 anticipate questions
 Plan to ask questions themselves
Types of Employment Interviews
 Behavioral
 Case
interview
interview
 Stress
interview
 Panel interview
 Rapid questioning
 Psychological

Emotional stability
The Job Applicant

Manage the initial impression

Key tools
 What you say
 How you say it
 Nonverbal cues
 Maintain comfortable eye contact
 Vary pitch and volume
 Eliminate hesitations
 Lean forward from the trunk
 Don’t slumping
 Communicate a high level of energy
 Smiles; hand gestures; appropriate body movements
The Interviewer

The interviewer must
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Maintain control of the interchange
Deliver information clearly
Listen (facts and feelings)
Build trust
Distinguish relevant from irrelevant information
Nonverbal cues

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Three- to six-second silences
“mm-hmm”
Diversity and the Interview

Culture could influence how we conduct ourselves
in an interview

Those from individualist societies may seem arrogant
in collectivist societies


Western culture encourages assertiveness and
showcasing of strengths
Those from collectivist societies may seem
unassertive, lacking in confidence and unprepared to
assume leadership in an individualist society

Eastern culture teaches modesty and humility about
personal achievements, qualifications and experience
Technology and the Job Search
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Job postings online before in newspapers
Company homepages provide background information
Ability to e-mail cover letter and resume
Company sites also post job openings
Recruitment sites post job openings
Job seeker homepages
Electronic resumes
Computer-assisted interviews
Looking at the Law
Can you ask:
 Name of the next of kin?
 Political party applicant favors?
 What foreign languages the applicant
speaks?
 Whether an applicant has a permanent
visa?

Looking at the Law

Are these advertisements legal?
Receptionist: if you’re a cutie you like this duty
 Management trainees- college degree-top 10%
of class only
 Accountant- Must be over 45 years of age
 Human Resource Recruiter: experience
recruiting at African American colleges
 Sales- recent college graduate preferred

Looking at the Law

Which of the following are illegal

Companies may give tests to applicants to measure intelligence
or personality providing the publisher of the test vouches the test
is non-discriminatory

A company can refuse to employ an applicant because he is over
age 70

A company can refuse to employ an applicant because she is
pregnant

A company may ask a woman applicant if she has small children
at home
Looking at the Law

Which of the following are illegal

Companies may give tests to applicants to measure intelligence
or personality providing the publisher of the test vouches the
test is non-discriminatory

A company can advertise for someone “at least 21”

A company can refuse to employ an applicant because she is
pregnant

A company may ask a woman applicant if she has small
children at home

A company can specify a male only, due to excessive travel
required of the position
Looking at the Law

Which of the following are illegal

The company can specify English speaking skills, since its
clientele are all English only speaking

The company can specify it wishes an attractive woman to greet
customers and visitors

A minority applicant must be given first consideration for a
promotion even though less qualified than other candidates

Companies employing more women than men need not have
Affirmative Action Plan to recruit more women
Looking at the Law

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)


Criteria that are legally irrelevant to job qualifications are
considered discriminatory
Illegal questions are those regarding:
 Race
 Ethnicity
 Marital status
 Age
 Sex
 Disability
 Arrest record
Increase Your Interview Effectiveness
Be prepared
 Practice sending and receiving messages
 Demonstrate effective listening skills
 Have conviction
 Be flexible
 Be observant
 Consider the offer
 Chart your progress

Employee Selection:
Meyers Briggs Personality Profile
What might the personality profile be of:
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The CEO
The Marketing VP
The Chief Financial Officer
The Receptionist
The Administrative Assistant
The Web Master
The Accounting Clerk
The Human Resources Manager
Employee Selection:
Meyers Briggs Personality Profile
•
•
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•
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The CEO
The Marketing VP
The Chief Financial Officer
The Receptionist
The Administrative
Assistant
• The Web Master
• The Accounting Clerk
• The Human Resources
Manager
• Note to lecturer:
– See secret slide
End of Presentation