How to Win
the Job Interview
GOOD
LUCK!
Lecture 5
Career Management
November 2008
Lecturer: R. Milyankova
WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?
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A two party conversation in which (at
least) one person has serious,
specific purpose (goal)
OBJECTIVES FOR INTERVIEWING:
Information gathering
 Selection procedures
 Performance appraisal etc.
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Which results in different types of
interviews
SELECTION PROCESS
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Telephone Interview
Psychometric Testing
Panel Interviews
One To One Interviews
Simulation procedures
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Assessment Centres = all kinds of methods
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INTERVIEW’S CHARACTERISTICS:
Always purposeful
 Always structured (in different degrees)
 Has several distinct phases and involves
question-and-answer format
 Has an element of control
 Is bipolar – 2 parties participate
 Amount of speech - Pareto principle
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PLANNING THE INTERVIEW
(the interviewer)
Define a goal
 Identify and analyze the other party
 Prepare a list of topics: long/short
term career goals, knowledge about
the company/products
 Choose the best interview structure
 Consider the possible questions
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THE STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEW
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Highly scheduled (structured conversation)
– standardized list of questions
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Nonscheduled – free conversation
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Moderately scheduled – directed by
interviewer
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
Open vs closed qs
 Factual vs opinion qs
 Primary and secondary qs
 Direct vs indirect qs
 Hypothetical qs
 Leading and loaded qs
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PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEW
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Yourself
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The Organisation
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The Job
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The Interview
INTERVIEW STRUCTURE
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Rapport
Structure/length of interview
Preamble about organisation/job
General discussion about you
Finding out about your character
Detailed discussion about job
Terms and Conditions
Summing Up
Next Steps
CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW
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OPENING - DO NOT FORGET THAT:
50 % of decisions are made during
the first 30-60 seconds
Next 25 % - in the first 15 min
The rest 25 % are very difficult
decisions
CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW
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OPENING
Greetings and self introduction
Orientation to:
Explain the reason
Explain what information is needed and how
it will be used
Mention the length of the interview
Motivation
CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW
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BODY: exchange questions and answers
Interviewer:
Controls and focuses the conversation
Listens actively
Uses different types of questions
CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW
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BODY: exchange questions and
answers
Interviewee:
Reviews and clarifies the results
Corrects any misunderstanding
Covers his/her own agenda
CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW
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CLOSING
Review and clarify the results
Establish future answers
Conclude with pleasantries
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 1: Get acquainted with the company
A) Formal way: corporate sites:
bigbook.com
Businessweek.com/search.htm
Businesswire.com
Companiesonline.com
Fortune.com
Hoovers.com
Joboptions.com
Jobsafari.com
Morningstar.com
B) Non-formal way: call the company itself
You can even receive instructions from the person at the
phone
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 2: Dress appropriately – conservative
style of dress
MEN: Dark suit, white shirt (long sleeves),
dark stripped tie, black shoes (clean
and shining)
WOMEN: Dark suit, trousers permitted,
pale long-sleeve blouse (shemise),
dark shoes (not very high heels)
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 3: Go alone, no boy-friends or girlfriends (this is not professional)
Step 4: Arrive on time
a/ coming earlier – drink coffee
b/ coming late – the interviewers never
shout, they just filter out
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 5: The four magic greetings:
1. Smile
2. Direct eye contact
3. Hi, I am (first name) (last name). It is a
pleasure meeting you.
4. Firm handshaking
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 6: Do not accept the role of a
subordinate or a superior
Ask the interviewer for an interesting
object in his room – a picture,
photograph, vase, flower. The more
he/she speaks, the more you
understand for him/her.
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 7: Like the interviewer – we like
people who are just like us
a/Learn business and official words like
acceptance, affirmative action, available labor
pool, contact information, downsizing, exit
interview, fired, involuntary termination, job
comparability, job congruence, job description,
job rotation, labour grade, new hire, job offer,
personal references, professional references,
occupation, rate range, resume, requisition,
span of control
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 7: Like the interviewer – we like people who are just
like us
b/ Develop your own dictionary (72 words recommended):
aggressive, active, analyze, proficiency, careful, lead,
establish, affect, generate, pride, dynamic, diplomatic,
direct, discipline, eliminate, energetic, effective,
strengthen, vital, common sense, peform, initiate, control,
focus, motivate, monitor, reliable, guide, train, provide,
simplify, responsible, evaluate, win, improve, potential,
innovate, recommend, conceive, efficiency, professional,
develop, solve, streamline, results, conduct, attitude,
systematic, tactful, accurate, accelerate, persuade,
expand, skill, ability, participate
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 7: Like the interviewer – we like people who
are just like us
c/ observe the body language of the
interviewer, in order to attract him when
necessary
d/ present your C.V. only in case of their request
e/ start leading to the offer for the second
interview, using phrases like: we have a good
match here, my background is very suitable for
this position, I am exited about this position, this
looks like a long-term situation
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 8: Speak positive things about
your present / previous employer
It is not easy!
Winners focus on passed successes
and forget the passed failures
The thing that matters is the
constant success, not the failures
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 9: Admire the achievements of the
employer, especially if he really deserves
it. Ask questions about the production
results, try to be impressed
Step 10: Be very observant!
80 % of the decision is taken by now
The good humor is very useful at this point
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 11: Radiate power
Show personal traits like enthusiasm,
confidence, energy, reliability
Underline your loyalty, honesty, pride of
your work, of your profession
Talk about your last strong characteristics:
effectiveness and efficiency, following
procedures, cheapness, thrift, profit
The 12 steps of the irresistible interview
Step 12: The four magic elements of taking
farewell
1.
2.
3.
4.
Smile
Direct eye contact
It sounds like a great opportunity. I look
forward to hearing from you
Firm but polite handshaking
Possible questions to be asked:
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Why are you leaving your present position?
How far do you think you can go in this company? Why?
What are you looking for in a job?
What are your career objectives?
Why should we hire you?
What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
Do you like to work? Why?
What kind of salary are you worth?
What are the last five biggest accomplishments in your
last job /your career?
Can you work under pressure / deadlines / stress?
What kind of people do you like?
Possible questions to be asked:
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What kind of people do you dislike?
Why didn’t you do better at school?
Why did you change jobs so frequently?
What is your biggest strength?
What is your biggest weakness?
What makes you angry?
How long will it take you to make contribution to our
company?
How long will you stay with our company?
Are you willing to travel?
Are you willing to relocate?
What positions do expect to have in years?
Possible questions to be asked:
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Don’t you feel you might be better off in a different type
of company?
Why aren’t you earning more money?
How is your family life?
What do your subordinates think about you?
Tell us all about yourself. How is your health?
May we contact your present/previous employer?
Do you prefer to work with a team or would you wok
rather alone?
Do you like to work with people?
Are you aggressive?
How do you cope with stress?
Are you innovative?
Possible questions to be asked by you:
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What are your company’s plans for expansion?
Is the department a profit center?
How important are the department’s functions to the
senior management?
Are you ready to hire now?
How long has the position been open?
How many employees have held the position in the last
five years?
Why are the former employees no longer in the position?
How many employees have been promoted from this
position during the past five years?
What do you expect the person you hire to accomplish?
IMAGE/BEHAVIOUR
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First impressions count!
Appropriate clothes are essential
On greeting give eye contact, smile,
shake hands
Remain Alert
Act professionally
13 WAYS
TO SHINE AT INTERVIEW
1. Make sure you keep a copy of your CV and/or
application form
2. Research your potential employers
3. Know the industry you are interested in entering
4. Refer again to the job description that first inspired you
to apply for that job
5. Consider your appearance
6. Take with you the letter of confirmation from the
organization you are visiting
7. Check how you are going to get there
8. Be equipped – money, handkerchief, comb, lipstick
13 WAYS
TO SHINE AT INTERVIEW
9. Learn the art of firm handshake
10. Remember that an interview is a
two-way process
11. Think about your body language
12. Never be afraid of a pause
13. Give yourself time to relax and
prepare
EMPLOYERS PERSPECTIVE
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Employers find Graduates one of the most
difficult roles to recruit
•
Employers feel students with Work
Experience:
Manage their time better
 Are more realistic
 More mature

EMPLOYERS PERSPECTIVE
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Your goal
– Stand out from all the other candidates
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They look for:
– Ability & Suitability
– Willingness
– Manageability & Teamwork
– Professional Behaviour
FOLLOW UP
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Self Reflection
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Feedback
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Follow up Letter
REJECTIONS
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Reason for Rejection
– They did not feel you could do the job
– They feel you lack a successful profile
– They did not feel your personality would
contribute to the department/organisation
– You can not be the right person for every
job!!!!
CAREER MANAGEMENT
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DO:
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Audit where you are now
Audit where you want to be in the future
Evaluate how you can fill in the gaps
Ask for feedback
Think about the changes necessary
Talk to others, develop your network
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DO NOT:
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- Depend on others recognising your potential
- Devolve responsibility for your career on to your
organisation
- Take silly risks – you should be making informed
choices
UPDATE YOUR CAREER PLAN REGULARLY!!!
CAREER MANAGEMENT
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FINAL COMMENT
– It is important to manage your career!
– The people who get the best jobs are
those who are most skilled at managing
their careers and finding opportunities.
– Getting the perfect job is a job in itself!
Bulgarian sites for job-seeking:
Jobs.bg
 JobTiger.bg
 Rabota.bg
 Jobs.gbg.bg
 Zaplata.bg
 Jobs.neogen.bg
 Rabota.dir.bg
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