Successful Interviewing
Career Services – UW1-160 – Student Success Center
(425) 352-3706 | [email protected] | www.uwb.edu/careers
Before you Start Applying be aware of…
 Social media presence
 Know yourself and what you’re looking for
 Voicemail
 Email Address
 Ring back tone
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Ways to Show Value, Make an
Impression
 Research the organization
 Understand the position
 Know your strengths & value
 Practice your interviewing skills
 Create an interview portfolio
 INTERVIEW
 Send a thank‐you letter
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Research the Organization
 Company / organization websites
 Informational interviews/Network connections
 Annual reports
 Articles, newspapers, trade journals
 Directories, financial sources and indexes
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Understand the Position
Know what the employer is looking for:
 highlight key words
 Identify top 5 competencies
 Ask questions to clarify
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Know your strengths and value
 Accomplishments & Achievements
 Academic Projects, Presentations & Research
 Skills & Abilities
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Before the Interview
 Strong First Impression
 Communication skills
• Timeliness
• Email Response
• Phone Response
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What employers are looking for
 “How can you be valuable to me?”
Make a connection in the interview
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Interviewing basics
 Pre-plan to arrive early
 Your interview begins the moment you leave your house
 Bring resume, references, notebook & pen
 Highlight 5 Key Skills Throughout Interview
 Dress to Impress – first impressions count
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Interview Attire - Female
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Interview attire - Male
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Answering questions
 Active Attentive Listening
 Relevance - Think through answers
 Descriptive and Brief - 2 minutes
 Positivity
 Seek clarification
 Be yourself
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Typical questions
 Background
 Behavioral/Situational
 Skill Based
 Glassdoor.com
 Legal and Illegal Questions
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The First Question
 “Tell me about yourself”
• Opportunity to speak to your value
• Focus on the job description and skills
• Confidence, Enthusiasm and Passion
• Demonstrate self-awareness and self-esteem
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Know Your Stories
 Behavior Based Questions
• Past actions predict future behavior
• Share examples, stories & scenarios
 Situational Questions
• Relate to actual situations using the STAR approach
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STAR
STAR –
 Situation - the context of what
happened
 Task - what you were supposed to
do
 Action - what you did do
 Result - what you accomplished
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Possible Interview Questions…
 Why did you apply for this position?
 What is your greatest weakness?
 Tell me of a time in which you offered a solution to a
difficult problem?
 What motivates you most in a job
 Why did you leave your last employer?
 Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
 What can you offer us?
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Create an Interview Portfolio
 Evidence pieces to back up claims
• Collect artifacts that demonstrate skills & accomplishments
• Review job description for key skills
• Choose 5‐10 artifacts that demonstrate those skills
• Create targeted portfolio for each interview
• In an interview show and tell
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Types of Interviews
 Group
 Phone
 Skype
 Technical
 Presentation
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Closing an Interview
 Always prepare questions
 Opportunity to recap your value and reasons to hire you
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What NOT to do…
 Prepare at the last minute
 Arrive too early or late
 Underdress
 Ignore your interviewers
 Ask about the salary
 Come without questions
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Things to Keep in Mind
 Control nervous habits
 Fast talk
 Filler words
 Think before you answer, pause
 Tell and show
 Edit web presence
 Project self confidence
 Know WHY you are best candidate
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!
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Send a Thank You note
 Express appreciation
 Demonstrate professionalism
 Writing sample
 Restate your interest, skills, and match
 Address an issue you forgot or want to emphasize
 Stand out from the crowd
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Questions?
(425) 352-3706 | [email protected] | www.uwb.edu/careers