Effective Interviewing Strategies
Be The Star In Every Interview!
 The interview is one of the most important steps to
getting a job. The cover letter and resume can interest
an employer, but the interview will make or break
your chances of landing the job.
 It is normal to be nervous and scared, but being
prepared will help you do your very best.
 It is demonstrated examples of behavior from
past experiences that concentrate on job
related functions.
 Behavioral interview questions can be…
 Open ended: These often begin with “Tell Me…”,
“Describe…”,”When”.
 Close-ended: Used most often to verify or confirm
information.
 Why questions: Used to reveal rationale for
decisions made or level of motivation
 Job seekers who learn this method of interviewing
are:
 Better prepared for traditional interviews.
 Have more knowledge about the skills they
possess.
 Can prove to the employer that they are different
from their competition by identifying their skills
and accomplishments.
Practicing just the list of common interview questions
doesn’t work anymore!
 Everyone has hundreds of skills, yet most people
can only identify a few.
 Duties are the basic functions of the activity, skills
are the tools used to accomplish the activity.
 Skills can be broken into three categories:
 Occupational Skills (typing, customer service)
 Performance Based Skills that you use every day to get
along with others and to survive (patience, flexibility,
tactfulness
 Transferable Skills This category includes the first two
categories.
Attention to Detail
Assertiveness
Creativity
Communication
Commitment to task
Coping
Decision Making
Dedication
Dependability
Flexibility
Understanding
Policy and
Procedures
Positive Attitude
Problem Solving
Record of Success
Team Building
Written
Communication
 Identifying skills is not an easy task. Most of
us feel we have “no skills”. Usually we say “I
was just a ____________”
for example:
I was just a waitress.
 Start by reviewing job duties and identifying
what skills were used. Asking questions about
what they did will help “jog” their memory.
 Some sample questions for this occupation may
be…
 Did you ever have to deal with an angry customer?
 Problem solving
 Did you ever have repeat customers and why?
 Customer service
 What happen when you ran out of a special menu item?
 Problem solving, Customer service
 Did you have to balance the till? Make out bank
deposits? What happened when you were short and how
did you explain it?
 Money handling, communication, problem solving
 What does the Interviewer look for?
 They are looking to see if your technical skills
match the job requirements
 They ask specific questions to see if you will be a
good match for a particular team
 They look for “specific qualities or behaviors” to
ensure that you will be successful on the job
 It is a way to answer behavioral questions that
allows for the best response, while proving
that the experience is true.
Situation
Task
Action
Result
 Can you give me an example of a time you
worked on a team to finish a project? What was
your contribution?
 Describe one of the most demanding
assignments you’ve had. What problems did you
encounter and how did you solve them?
 Tell me about a presentation you had to give or a
project you had to do. How did you prepare for
it?
 How do I answer using STAR?
Situation - briefly describe where you were
working
Task - the job you were assigned
Action - discuss in detail the actions you took
Result - the result of those actions
 You will be able to provide the interviewer with
proven examples of your accomplishments and be
the star interviewee
Describe the employer, location, or area where you
were working to give the interviewer the “big
picture.” You don’t need to be too detailed.
I worked at ABC Company as a Supervisor in the
Shipping and Receiving Department.
Describe the job or task you were assigned.
Part of my job was to train newly hired employees
in using our highly technical equipment as well as
in company policies and procedures.
Describe the action you took. (Use “I”)
I showed Fred, our new employee, how to safely
set-up and operate the computerized weighing
equipment. I also taught Fred how to inspect the
packages to ensure the weight and labels
matched. I continued to ask him questions to
make sure that he understood all the
instructions I had given him.
 Tell the results of the action you took, be sure
to use numbers where applicable.
 I checked in with Fred on a regular basis
during his initial training and as a result he
became a well trained team member, not only
in the equipment he was to use, but also in
understanding how the procedures we used
affected our department and the company.
 Do not name anyone! Talk about a specific
personality and what you do to assist your team
member to be successful.
 On a team, I find it hard to work with people who
don’t seem to care and avoid the hard tasks.
What I have found, is that many times they aren’t
aware of the teams expectations or how to
accomplish specific tasks. I take the time to
check in with team members and have offered
my assistance with their tasks. This results in
the whole team reaching the desired goal.
 When I was at DDS Company we purchased a
telephone system for our office. It was computerized. My co-worker was assigned as the
administrator. She had a car accident and was
going to be gone from work for several weeks.
 My supervisor asked me to take over some of
her duties. I was not trained on the telephone
system, but found a video teaching tape and her
book in a file cabinet.
 As it turned out, I needed to make some
administrative changes to the system.
 I watched the video and read the book. I followed
the instructions and was able to make most of
the changes. There was a specific function I
could not program so I contacted the company
who sold us the system. Through their help line, I
was able to complete the changes.
 I learned to set up mail boxes, groups, change
and forward messages, and set up a time
manager. These new skills made me a more
valuable employee.
Positive first impression
Dress appropriately and neatly
Be on time or a little early
Research the company
Be prepared with paper
Bring copies of the resume and references
Bring a pencil and a pad of paper for notes.
Speak up, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself!
Listen closely to the interviewer. Show a real interest in
the company and the job.
Sell yourself! Tell the employer about your abilities and
good qualities. Know what value you bring to the
company. Answer all questions carefully and honestly.
Be as positive as you can.
Be Professional
Greet your interviewer with eye contact and a SMILE
Shake hands firmly
Sit up straight, look attentive, do not cross your arms
(crossing your arms tells the employer you’re not
interested)
 Before the interview, take a few deep breaths,
inhale through your nose and blow out through
your mouth. This will help you relax your
muscles and help you relax mentally too.
 Do some self-talk about how you are the
perfect match for the job!
The questions the interviewer asks helps them
decide if you are the right person for the job.
The questions you ask the interviewer helps you
decide if this is the right place for you to be.
Write down at least three questions that you feel
are important to you and take these to the
interview.
Don’t ask questions that say “What’s in it for me?” Such
as; “when is my first day off?”.
Ask questions such as:
Why did you choose to work for this company?
How will my performance be evaluated?
What is the most difficult task I will be doing?
What is the process you use when training for this
position?
Interview Don’ts
Don’t
Take a friend or a relative with you (unless you
need an interpreter )
Act either too shy or too aggressive (balance)
Say anything negative about other people
Be late. Call the employer as soon as possible
and explain why. Ask if you can arrange a new
interview time.
Thank the interviewer for his or her time.
Ask what the next steps will be (such as a
second interview)
Ask when they plan to make a decision
Tell them you are interested in the job (only if
you are!)
Ask for a business card(s) of the interviewer(s)
Send a thank you note