Interview Power
Selling Yourself
Undergraduate Career Services Office
Kelley School of Business
Room P100
www.ucso.indiana.edu
Prepare Well
for the
Interview
Profile the Company
Research the company thoroughly
 Where do you fit in?
 Tailor your skills to company’s needs
 Information you uncover reflects your
interest and enthusiasm in position
 Establishes a common base of knowledge
for questions
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Research the Company
 Know the language of the industry
 Know the job duties
 Know the company
 Ask questions of a similar company
What Do You Need To Know?
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Age of company
Services or products
Competitors within the industry
Growth pattern
Reputation
Divisions and subsidiaries
Locations/length of time there
Size
Number of employees
Sales/assets/earnings
New products or projects
Culture and values
Where Do I Find The Information
About Companies?
UCSO, Room P100
 UCSO Website
 Job Choices books published by NACE
 Standard & Poor’s Register
 Internet
 Chamber of Commerce
 Trade Associations
 Alumni in the companies
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Develop Career Goals
Have a focus--at least act like it, even if
you don’t have a clue
 Identify challenges you are looking for
 Know what you want to accomplish
 Have a plan or agenda
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Write Down Answers/Scenarios
Draft written answers to potential
interview questions
 Develop job appropriate scenarios
based on your research
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– A marketing plan for a new product
– A solution to one of their problems
Write Down Your Strengths
Relate them to the job
 Give examples of where
you have demonstrated
these
 How were they
developed
 Identify your mentors
and/or role models
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Write Down Your Areas for
Improvement
Relate these to your work
 Show the positive side of these
 Identify the steps you have taken for
improvement
 Detail the results and/or time
frames expected
 Identify criticism you have
received and its effects
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Write Out Questions for the
Interviewer
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Consider multiple areas
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Corporate values
Anticipated responsibilities
Employment trends
Measures of work performance
Work environment
Quality of work
Personality factors
Demonstrate your knowledge of the industry
and company
Frequently Asked Interview Questions
The Day of the Interview
Acknowledge Your Nervousness
Train your butterflies to fly in formation
 Advance preparation reduces
nervousness
 Practice answering the worst possible
question they could ask
 Ask permission to take notes
or refer to questions if
necessary
 Relax--take a few deep
breaths
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Appearance Matters. . .A Lot!
If you don’t dress seriously, they can’t
take you seriously!!
 Make a good first impression
 Pride in yourself implies pride in your work
 Show your creativity in your work, not
your appearance
 Dress conservatively
 Be well groomed and clean
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Don’t Forget the Details
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Nicely styled hair
Natural, clean looking face/makeup
Clean your fingernails
Skip the clunky jewelry
Press your clothes
Avoid strong perfumes or colognes
Avoid cigarettes
Professional Image for Women
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Best choices
– Navy or black suit, solid blouse
– Suit in solid colors, printed blouse
– Straight dress with jacket, solid colors
Wear polished, low heeled shoes
 Minimal accessories
 Hosiery - appropriate color, no
holes, no darker than your hem
 Don’t wear anything too tight or
revealing
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Professional Image for Men
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Best choices
– Business suit, dark colors (blues,
grays, browns), white shirt
– Suit with solid shirt
– 2-piece suit, lighter colors, striped
shirt
Button your jacket when you
stand
 Shine your shoes
 Socks-appropriate color, no holes,
long length
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Attitude
It separates winners from losers
 Be enthusiastic and eager
 Practice good eye contact
 Smile
 Walk with confidence
 Sit up straight (listen to your mother!)
 Adapt to your surroundings
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Employers Notice Good Manners
Be on time for the interview
 Treat the receptionist with
respect
 Use Mr. or Ms. unless they ask
you to use first names
 Don’t sit until you’re invited to
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Practice Your “Soft Skills”
Greet people with a firm handshake
 Stand up to meet people
 Keep your guard up during lunch or dinner
 Practice your dining etiquette
 Remember “please” and “thank you”
 Be good at chatting and small talk
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What to Bring to an Interview
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Several copies of your resume
Your portfolio, if applicable
New notebook and a nice pen
Briefcase or leather folder
Names, addresses, and phone
numbers of references
Interviewing Techniques
Put Yourself in
the Interviewer’s Shoes
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They have an agenda
– To determine if you have the skills
– Identify your personal attributes
– Assess your motivation
Interviewers Are
Looking to Hire You
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Help them by
– Showing how you fit their company
– Exhibit your personality
– Share your career goals
Be HONEST
DO NOT lie on your resume
 DO NOT lie in the interview
 Either of these can get you eliminated
from consideration or FIRED if discovered
after hiring
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What Do Winners Show
They are capable of doing the
job or learning it quickly
 They are willing and eager to
do the job
 They need little motivation or
supervision
 They are friendly and would
work well with other employees
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Use Proper Language
Speak clearly and distinctly
 Avoid slang expressions
 Don’t swear
 Control your
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“ums”
“you knows”
“likes”
“that kinda stuff”
Tell Me About Yourself
Create a 60-second sound byte
Include
 Geographic origins
 Reason for choosing major
 Educational background
 2 or 3 strengths related to position
 Specific expertise and accomplishments
 How you can contribute to company
 Identify your career goals
 Speak clearly and honestly
Behavior Based Interviewing
Previous behavior predicts future behavior
 Examples show the meaning you have
made of education and experience
 Provides insight on how the candidate’s
mind works
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Answer Questions with a
STAR Approach
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S ituation
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T ask
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A ction
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R esults
STAR provides an outline for answers
Situation
Give the situation for your answer
 Choose a professional example from your
job experience, course work, volunteer
work, or student activities
 Set the stage so the interviewer can relate
to your answer
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Task
Tell what the task was at hand
 Dwell on the positive, don’t blame or point
fingers elsewhere
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Action
Describe the action you took to resolve
the problem or bring about the success
 Explain your role in the action
 Identify specific skills you used
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Results
Explain the results
 Provide details, dollar amounts, success
 Apply these results to the position for
which you’re applying
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STAR Provides an Outline
Helps you answer completely so you give
enough information
 Lets you know when to stop so you don’t
ramble
 Allows the interviewer to see you as a
problem solver and decision maker
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Do’s and Dont’s
Do’s
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Research the company
Prepare for tough questions
Greet interviewer enthusiastically
Focus on what you have to offer, not
what you want
Know your rights as an interviewee
Have a good attitude, be positive
Show confidence
Be professional
Follow up with a note or phone call
Dont’s
Don’t discuss salary, benefits, or vacations
until an offer is made
 Don’t display personal habits, i.e.
smoking, chewing gum, tapping a pencil,
stretching, jiggling a foot
 Don’t lie
 Don’t get too chatty about non-job topics
 Don’t blame others or disparage
employers
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Difficult Situations
Listen Carefully
It’s important to understand the questions
correctly
 Ask for clarification
 Don’t be afraid to ask if you can take a few
seconds to think about your answer
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Illegal Questions
Be familiar with the legal issues
 Address the underlying concern of the illegal
question, if possible
 Remain professional and in control
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Illegal Topics
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Topics to avoid include
– Nationality/race
– Marital status
– Religion
– Affiliations
– Disability or medical history
– Pregnancy, birth control, child care
– Age
How to Handle Illegal Questions
Answer the question
 Refuse to answer the question
 Examine the intent behind the question
 Ask the relationship to the position
 Walk out
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Telephone Interviews
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Dress up and use a professional
environment to maintain your
professionalism
Have your notes organized, highlighted,
and within easy access
Without non-verbal communication, be
aware that it is difficult to “read” the
interviewer
Make sure your voice conveys
enthusiasm
If more than one person on the other
end, have them identify themselves
when asking their questions
Panel Interviews
Get names and positions for all
participants in advance if
possible
 Address all with good eye
contact
 Relate your answers to others
that were similar from other
participants
 Shows your ability to relate to
diverse groups
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Day Long Interviews
Keep your energy up
 Continue to give complete
answers to all questions even
though you’ve been asked
multiple times that day
 Listen for consistencies and
discrepancies to assess
company culture
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After the Interview
Details Needed for Follow-up
Write down the interviewer’s name,
department, address, and phone in the
notebook
 Ask for their business card
 Use interviewer’s name
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Follow-up the Interview
Send a short thank you note
within 24 hours
 Remind them of key points from
the interview
 Emphasize your interest
 State when you expect the next
contact to be
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Evaluate/Retrain
How did you do overall?
 What were your strengths?
 What needs improvement?
 Develop a follow-up chart for tracking
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