Hi, CAFME members! This week, University Career Services came and talked to us about interviewing. If you missed it or need a reminder, check out the tips they gave us below!
Introduction to University Career Services (UCS)
A. Who/What/When/Where
-University Career Services
-UCS Mission: To help students clarify and attain their goals
-Hanes Hall, 2nd floor (NOT Hanes Art Center)
-careers.unc.edu
-Mobile: m.unc.edu/ucs
-Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/uncucs
-Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/uncucs
-10+ career counselors
-25 career peers
-Services for students at any point
-Career counseling (It's easy to meet with counselors!)
-Appointments are 30 minutes (1 hour for practice interviews)
-Schedule an appointment online or by calling 919-962-6507, or go during the daily walk-in hours from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
B. Reasons to come? They will help you...
-Choose a major
-Clarify your goals
-Explore careers
-Write "career documents"
C. UCS Resources
-Exploration/Career Research: What can I do with this major?, Career Search, Vault
-Self-Assessment: Tests to see what your interests are, what your major should/could be, etc.
-Job and Internship Support Tools: Optimal Resume (resume builder), InterviewStream (webcam interview)
-Locating Opportunities: Careerolina, Going Global, Internships.com
-Locating People: Networking, Informational Interviewing, Alumni Advisor Network (7,200 aluumni), e-Leads, Careerolina "Employers" Tab
-Other: Interfolio, Blog, Website, Videos, Social Media
D. Events
-Fall Career Expo (already happened) and Spring Career Expo ("the big fairs")
-Industry Fair (January)
-Industry of Area Fairs (Master's/Ph.D., Nursing, Education, Graduate School, etc.)
-Networking Nights and Industry (panels, professionals from targeted fields come onto campus)
-Workshops and Seminars
Interviewing
-Interviewing is a skill; the more you practice, the better and more natural you'll become
A. First Impressions
-Consider your handshake
• Firm, but not too strong
• 2-3 shakes is good
• Make eye contact
• Smile!
-Five minute rule: Most interviewers determine how they feel about a candidate within the first five minutes of an interview (sometimes even sooner!)
B. What an Interviewer Wants
-Can this person do the job?
-Will this person do the job (motivation/enthusiasm)
-Is he/she trainable?
-Will he/she fit in our organization (culture/fit)?
-Is he/she likable?
-Can this person work on a team?
-Others, as they see fit!
-How to practice: Team up with a friend. One of you start off being the interviewer, and then switch. Do this for five minutes.
C. Preparation
-Know Yourself
• What are your stories?
• How are your skills transferable?
• How have your experiences prepared you?
-Know the Company
• Research history, present, trends
• How does this position fit in the organization?
• What's its culture?
• How do they interview?
-Practice, practice, practice!
• Schedule a mock interview at UCS: You can send in the position description and your resume before, so they can tailor the questions toward the company and position.
D. Question Types
-About You
• Tell me about yourself
• Probing the resume
• Behavioral/Situational
• Role play/Scenario
-About Company/Industry (Research!)
• Understanding of the position
• Knowledge of news/trends
• Knowledge of the company
• Why you specifically sought that company out
-Behavioral
• The best predictor for future behavior is past behavior
• Identify 6-8 situations that require appropriate skills: What skills/characteristics were demonstrated? (Prepare a mental outline for each. Choose the most relevant, most recent and most powerful examples).
E. You Need to Ask Them Questions!
-Always ask good questions -- it shows that you are interested.
-Prepare at least five questions ahead of time.
-Sources to use while developing questions: Job description, company website, Google news search, talk to people in the organization, follow your curiosity
-Ask the interviewers about themselves and how they got to where they are!
F. Closing the Interview
-If not told, ask about the next steps in the process.
-Ask if it's okay to follow up and what the preferred method to do so is
-Shake hands of all who were involved with the interview.
-Ask for the business cards of all who were involved with the interview.
-Be sure to thank them for interviewing you.
G. Following Up (What to do after the interview)
-Send thank you notes to all who interviewed (UCS says email is okay to do). Try to personalize each letter.
-Per instructed during the interview, act on following up.
-Stick to company's preferred method of contact.
-If no follow-up action is prescribed in the interview, the type and timing of the follow-up is a judgment call.
Questions
Q: How can you request how to follow up?
A: You can ask how to follow up by saying something like, “I’ve appreciated your time today. If I were to get a follow-up from you, how should I expect it?”
Q: How do you answer a question like, “What is a weakness you have?”
A: Make sure your answer is relevant to the position, and try to turn it into somewhat of a strength. Also, try to come up with a few weaknesses (as well as strengths) before the interview starts.
Q: If you didn’t answer a question as well as you may have liked during an interview, can you readdress it in a thank you note?
A: UCS says it’s okay to do this, but if you do, make sure it’s a really good answer. Also make sure that the focus of the note is on thanking the interviewer, not trying to make up for a bad answer. Keep in mind, though, that interviewers expect you to stumble a bit, so don’t beat yourself up for not answering a question as well as you may have liked. It’s also okay to take a brief pause before answering a question if you need to think about it.
Thanks, UCS, for coming to speak to us! Please remember there's no meeting next week because it's Fall Break! Have a fun and relaxing break, everyone!
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