Interview Skills Training

Interview Skills Training
Program Objectives
Gain an understanding of the multiple styles of interviewing
Understand how to best respond to questions asked during the

interview
Be prepared for a potential interview
2
The Hiring Manager’s Ultimate Interview Objectives
To get information that answers the following questions about you:
 Can you do the job and how well?
 Will you do the job?
 How well will you get along with others?
3
Your Ultimate Interview Objective
To get a job offer!

By …
 Shining over your competition through
Preparation
Practice
Perform!
4
Reasons Why Interviews Derail
Top Ten Reasons Why Interviews Derail
 Being unprepared
 Not knowing your resume
 Providing rambling answers
 Demonstrating poor listening skills
 Not coming across as interested or engaged
 Poor body language
 Coming across as unprofessional
 Being inappropriately dressed
 Being late to your interview
 Not turning off or (even worse) using your cell phone
6
Interviews Styles
What Is A Competency?
 Competencies include knowledge, skills, attributes

and actions which are measurable and observable.
 Competencies can focus on either behavioral
characteristics or technical skills that an individual
must possess and appropriately use for optimum
success in performing specified work.
Source: Global Interview Framework Training Materials
8
Types of Competencies
Technical Competencies Behavioral Competencies

The functional knowledge and The underlying traits, attributes
skills that are required to and values which directly
perform a particular type or level influence behavior.
of work activity.
Examples
Examples • Leadership
• Brand & Product Knowledge •Team Work
• Scientific Risk Analysis • Attention to Detail
• Technology Procurement •Multi-Tasking
Source: Global Interview Framework Training Materials
9
Competency-based Interview
What it is
 A structured interview process
 Designed to elicit information from candidates that will
enable evaluation against selected criteria to determine
their potential for success in a specific position
Types of competency-based interviews
 Behavioral
 Situational/Case
Competency-based interviews allow employers to make hiring decisions based

on facts. They are structured, job-specific, and focused on relevant,
concrete and tangible qualities.
10
Behavioral Interview
What it is
 An interviewing technique designed to evaluate candidates’
experiences and behaviors against selected competencies in order to
determine their potential for success
 Aimed at uncovering patterns of behavior and making inferences
about how a candidate will behave in the future based on what
happened in the past
Elements of a behavioral interview

 Open-ended questions that are designed to assess desired
competencies by eliciting information on how a candidate behaved
given a specific situation
 A rating system or guide is developed and used to evaluate
candidates’ responses to each question
11
Behavioral Interview Questions
Main Interview Question

 Asks you to recall and describe a time when you were faced with a
specific situation or had to perform a specific task.
 For Example:
– "Tell me about a time when...”
– "Describe a situation in which...”
– "Give me an example of...“
– “Tell me about the toughest problem you have ever solved.”
12
Behavioral Interview Questions
Learning Probes/Follow-up Probes

 Help an interviewer delve deeper into your response to a main
interview question.
 For example:
– “How did you approach solving the problem?”
– “Why did you select that approach?”
– “What was the impact of the solution?”
13
The STAR Response Format
The most common and all-encompassing approach to

responding to behavioral questions is to follow the STAR
format
 Situation/Task
Start your "story" by explaining the situation you were in or the task
you were trying to achieve
 Action
Then you should explain the action(s) that you took.
 Result
Finally, it's important that you explain the outcome or results that
you achieved.
14
How Can I Best Prepare For My
Interview?
Before The Interview
 Research the position and interviewer(s)
 Know yourself and your resume
 Prepare your “elevator speech”
 Prepare questions to ask during your interview
 Practice your interview skills
 Look the part
 Know where you are going
 Bring copies of your resume
 Arrive early
 Turn off your cell phone
16
Preparing for a Behavioral Interview
 Imagine what the ideal candidate for the position you are interviewing
for would look like from the decision-maker’s perspective
– Thoroughly review the job description and the components of the
position
– Research the department and its culture
 Develop a list of competencies you believe a successful candidate
will need to have
 Review your resume and look back on your past experience to
identify examples where you demonstrated those competencies
 Prepare your stories following the STAR format (whenever possible,
quantify your results)
– Your examples should be mostly positive
– Prepare some examples of situations that started out negatively but
ended positively or you positively affected the result
17
Helpful Tips
 Try to vary your examples – do not take them all from just
one area of life/experience
 Select examples that you can easily and quickly tailor to
respond to a number of different behavioral questions
 Use fairly recent examples (preferably within the last 12-
24 months)
 Keep your responses succinct (each story should take
between 2 to 5 minutes to share with the interviewer)
18
How Can I Best Navigate The
Interview Process?
During The Interview
 Communicate with confidence and purpose

 Mind your body language
 Ask questions
 Ask for the interviewer’s business card
 “Roll with the punches”
20
After The Interview
 Document and evaluate the interview

 Send a “Thank You” note
21
Expecting The Unexpected
Dealing With The Unexpected
What to do if the interview questions are not what you expected
Remain calm
Remain confident
Take notes
Use appropriate body language
Think before you speak
Remember that it may be a test
Go into the interview expecting the unexpected
23
Final Reminder
Above All, Remember …
A successful interview depends on you …
Knowing your value
Remembering your value
Conveying your value
25
Q&A

Interview Skills Training

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What are the different types of competencies discussed in the document?

What are the different types of competencies discussed in the document?

What are the key elements of a behavioral interview?

What are the key elements of a behavioral interview?

Interview Skills Training

Gain an understanding of the multiple styles of interviewing

Understand how to best respond to questions asked during the

Be prepared for a potential interview

To get information that answers the following questions about you:

 Can you do the job and how well?

 Will you do the job?

 How well will you get along with others?

To get a job offer!

 Competencies include knowledge, skills, attributes

Source: Global Interview Framework Training Materials

Technical Competencies Behavioral Competencies

Source: Global Interview Framework Training Materials

Competency-based interviews allow employers to make hiring decisions based

Elements of a behavioral interview

Main Interview Question

Learning Probes/Follow-up Probes

The most common and all-encompassing approach to

 Communicate with confidence and purpose

 Document and evaluate the interview

A successful interview depends on you …

Knowing your value

Remembering your value

Conveying your value

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