Unit 2: During the Interview
Every step in the job search journey you have taken so far has brought you to this stage: the interview process. You have probably sent out gazillions of resumes that reflect your education, experience, and career goals to potential employers of interest to you. You now have been invited to visit a company and convince the interviewers that you are the perfect person for the job! This unit offers resources to help you optimize the brief time you will spend with interviewers to learn more about their expectations, to convince them that you are the best fit for the job, and to determine whether acceptance of an offer would help you accomplish your career goals.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.
2.1: Types of Interviews
This article discusses how candidates can maximize the brief 30- to 60-minute interview to convince a potential employer that they are the right person for the job. This is not a time to panic but to demonstrate that you are prepared, have presented your qualifications effectively, and that you are a good "fit" for the organization. The authors also list questions to ask yourself after the interview to evaluate your success and areas in which you can improve.
This article lists types of interviews including phone screening, selection, work sample, peer group, group or panel, luncheon, stress, video conference. A brief description and tips are offered for each type of interview.
The phone interview is often the candidate's first step in the hiring process. In this reading, Newberger describes the advantages to the company for this initial screening tactic and offers tips to job seekers on how to "manage" the telephone interview. The goal of the telephone interview is to secure an in-person interview. Therefore, preparation once again is the key to success! To learn how to prepare for other types of interviews, click on a link on the left of the page under "Types of Interviews." For example, to prepare for "Behavioral Interviews," you are advised to rehearse answers to potential open-ended questions relating to your knowledge and skills. Learn about "Case Interviews" by following the link on the left of the page. This type of interview will test your ability to answer hypothetical questions by creating assumptions and forming possible conclusions from those assumptions. Other interviews listed include "2nd Interview, Site Visit," and "Meal Interview."
2.2: Interview Questions
This article suggests that you practice answering some of these standard interview questions. As is the case with all phases of your interviewing, preparation is the key to success!
Although you have researched the company and listened carefully to the interviewers, you will demonstrate your enthusiasm and gain important information by asking questions. This article offers lists of suggested questions to ask human resource personnel, hiring managers, headhunters, third parties, and peer-level interviewers, and it highlights the top five questions to ask in each type of interview.
Unit 2 Assessment
Please take this assessment to check your understanding of the materials presented in this unit.
Notes:
- There is no minimum required score to pass this assessment, and your score on this assessment will not factor into your overall course grade.
- This assessment is designed to prepare you for the Final Exam that will determine your course grade. Upon submission of your assessment you will be provided with the correct answers and/or other feedback meant to help in your understanding of the topics being assessed.
- You may attempt this assessment as many times as needed, whenever you would like.