Interviewing Tips / Importance
of Soft Skills
Jennifer Lemson
Recruiter III
Spectrum Health
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Interviewing
 The most important thing: LIKEABILITY
What is likeability?
Everything your mom has been trying to teach you…yes it is
important!!
 Be courteous
 Smile
 Extend your hand when greeting someone
 Do not eat, chew gum or have anything in your mouth
during interviews.
Interviewing
 Don’t talk too much, but don’t give short one-sentence
answers either. Find a happy medium.
 Know something about the organization that you are
interviewing with
 Don’t be late
 Lean forward slightly…don’t slouch
Interviewing
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If on a phone interview…smile
Make eye contact
It’s ok to pause while thinking of an answer to a question.
Dress professionally
Be prepared to answer behavioral based questions
Follow up an interview with a quick email or hand written
note
Examples of Behavioral Based Questions
 Tell me about a specific time when you were in a stressful
situation and how you responded to it?
 What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give
an example of how you handle it.
 Tell me about a difficult situation with a co-worker, and how
you handled it.
 Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do
and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
7 essential questions to ask in an interview
By Michael Kingston
 Why is this position vacant?
 What have your most successful candidates brought to the
company?
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What does success look like in the first 90 days?
What challenges is the company currently facing?
How do you retain your top talent?
Why do you work for this company?
Soft Skills
Soft skills are characteristics
that make us more likable.
Likability is an important
factor in the hiring process.
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Important Soft Skills to Develop
By Miriam Salpeter
 Listening: No one wants to work with someone who isn’t
a good listener. How can you show you’re a good
listener? Follow directions carefully when you apply for
the job. Practice listening actively when you talk to people.
 Adaptability: Being flexible and having a good attitude
while welcoming the unexpected is a valuable skill.
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Important Soft Skills to Develop
 Teamwork: It’s hard to find a job description that doesn’t
mention working with a team. You can practice being a
team player by actually joining a team outside of work.
 Judgment: You can’t teach someone to have good
judgment. If you’ve ever posted something on Facebook
and lived to regret it, you could probably use some extra
practice on the good judgment front.
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Important Soft Skills to Develop
 Strong work ethic: Are you willing to work until the job is
done? Do you pitch in and show initiative, even when it’s
not necessarily your job? If that doesn’t describe you,
think about how you can change.
 Communication: Probably the most important of all soft
skills. Employers evaluate this from the start. The
interviewer will know right away if you can communicate
well by how you introduce yourself and how you address
questions. Prepare what you will say in an interview.
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Final thoughts
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First impressions are everything
Be LIKABLE
Practice for your interview
Be prepared to answer Behavioral
Based questions
Questions?
Connect with me on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlemson
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