COMM 202!Tutorial 7 – Interviews

Wednesday, March 25th

No cell phones, no laptops, Namecards OUT!!!!!!!!

AGENDA

1. Employment Interview

2. Interview Q & A

3. Wrap-up/ To Do Listh

AGENDA

EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW

EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW

When?April 7th, 8th, & 9th

*Select an interview time on COOL by April 1st 10

%The Interview• Check into “reception” in Birmingham and

interviewer will come to waiting area to get you when they are ready.

• Interview will last 20 minutes with 1-2 COMM 202 Team members, consisting of behavioral questions

• Please bring your pen, resume, cover letter, in a padfolio

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

INTERVIEW Q & A

QUESTION 1.

Tell me about yourself.• The MOST COMMON QUESTION you will get in

an interview.

• Can be asked in many different ways

• Make sure you PRACTICE your answers

Activity• What are other ways you could ask this

question?

QUESTION 1.

QUESTION 1.

Tell me about yourself. Keep it to two minutes or less Brand yourself – give something they will

remember you by Speak to your skills, experiences and

accomplishments Show your passion Provide a well rounded story

DON’T BE GENERIC!!!!!

TELLING YOUR STORY

The Goal• Tell them a story that no one else can

replicate, and impress them in the first 2 minutes.

The Beginnin

g

The Spark

Growing Interest

Your Future

Why you are here

YOUR STORY

The Beginning

The Spark

Growing Interest

Your Future

Why you are here

An Introduction

Realization this is the career for you

Your formula and how its lead you to this role

Where you see yourself

How this position fits into it all

YOUR STORY

• Elements that will show the interviewer who you are and why you are right for the job.

you

MY FORMULA?

? ??+ + =

MY FORMULA?

CalgaryRSA

Insurance

COMM202 TA+ + =

Passion for O&G

Connection to home

Mentorship &

Presentation skills

Detail-Oriented

&Analytical

G.L.

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

Student provides a relevant, chronological “story” highlighting their beginning, spark, growing interest, goals and fit to the organization in a concise manner (2 minute max)

The student provides a chronological “story” highlighting most but not all of the 5 aspects listed in the first column in a concise manner and/or answer was longer than 2 minutes

Student provided “story” that is neither concise (more than 2 minutes) nor chronological/logical

GRADING RUBRIC: TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

YOUR STORYActivityGrab a partner and swap

“Tell me about yourself” stories

• 2.5 minutes story telling

• 1 minute feedback

Convey the elements of the story in a logical way and experiment with finding your brand

Goal

QUESTION 2.What are your strengths?

QUESTION 2.What are your strengths?

• A way for the interviewer to tell if you know yourself and that you know you have what it takes to do the job

• Can be asked in many different ways

• There are no right answers – just good and bad answers

QUESTION 2.What are your strengths?

Think Back To STAR(L)

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

STRENGTHS

Student is able to choose strengths relevant to the position, give a strong example with proof of execution and links the experience to the job opportunity

Student is able to choose strengths relevant to the position, gives a strong example of execution, but may lack a link to the position

Student’s strength may be irrelevant to the position and/or lacks proof of execution or link to job opportunity

GRADING RUBRIC: STRENGTHS

QUESTION 3.What are your weaknesses?

QUESTION 3.What are your weaknesses?

• A way for the interviewer to see if you are able to identify weaknesses and have a plan in place to improve them

• Talk about weaknesses that would not impair you from doing the job you are applying for well

What are your weaknesses?

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

WEAKNESSES

Student is able to choose a developmental area not key to the function of the position and share how they overcame the situation, the lesson learned and action plan moving forward, while demonstrating self reflection and resilience

Student is able to choose a developmental area not key to the function of the position and share how they overcame the situation, however is not able to articulate the lesson learned or action plan moving forward and/or student choose cliché answer ex. “My greatest weakness is my greatest strength”

Student either chose a skill essential to the position or was not able to clearly convey the lesson and/or action plan moving forward; student was unable to provide a weakness

GRADING RUBRIC: WEAKNESSES

YOUR ANSWERS

S T A RSITUATION ACTIONTASK RESULT

What position and where were

you?

What was the

challenge you faced?

What did YOU do and how did you

do it?

What was the accomplishment and the

impact?

+ LINK back to job and why the story is relevant

STUMPER QUESTIONS

STUMPER QUESTIONSINDUSTRY/JOB SPECIFIC OR… A SURPRISE!

• A way for the interviewer to gauge your interest and knowledge of the position and industry

• Test your ability to communicate clearly

• Shows the interviewer how you think

TESTS BUSINESS ACUMEN: news, trends, etc.

STUMPER QUESTIONS

What do I do if I don’t know the

answer?

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

CREATIVE/ STUMPER QUESTIONS

Student “aces” every opportunity to differentiate themselves during the interview: e.g., they offer a credible, logically-organized, and concise answer for every question. If on the rare occasion, they don’t know the answer, they then respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining the problem-solving approach they would use. Maintains composure.

Student “handles” some opportunities to differentiate themselves during the interview: e.g., they offer credible and/or logically-organized and/or concise answers for many questions. They sometimes respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining the problem-solving approach they would use.

They “miss” too many opportunities to differentiate themselves during interview: e.g., they offer widely varying answers in terms of credibility and/or logical organization and/or conciseness. If they don’t know the answer, they often don’t seem to know how to respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining a problem-solving approach.

GRADING RUBRIC: STUMPER!!

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

WHAT QUESTIONS HAVE YOU BEEN

ASKED?

FINANCE

WHAT ARE THE THREE WAYS TO VALUE A COMPANY?PITCH ME A STOCKWHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND DOWNSIDES OF RAISING DEBT VERSUS EQUITY?

ACCOUNTING WHY DO YOU WANT TO PURSUE YOUR CPA?WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR X FIRM?

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

HOW MANY WORDS ARE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES?WHAT ARE YOUR 5 WEAKNESSES? … TELL ME ANOTHER … AND ANOTHER

MARKETING HOW WOULD YOU INCREASE SALES OF X PRODUCT BY X%?SELL ME THIS PEN

TLOG HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE COMPANY PRODUCTIVITY?HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT FACTORY WORKER?

HUMAN RESOURCES HOW SHOULD WE CHANGE OUR HIRING PROCESS?HOW WOULD YOU FIRE ME IF YOU HAD TO RIGHT NOW?

RANDOM QUESTIONS OR SCENARIOS

WOULD YOU RATHER GO SKY DIVING OR SCUBA DIVING AND WHY?IF YOU COULD BE ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?WHAT IS THE CURRENT PRICE OF OIL?HOW MANY LIGHTS ARE IN THE HENRY ANGUS BUILDING?

BTM/BUCS THINK OF AN APP ON YOUR PHONE, TELL ME HOW YOU’D IMPROVE IT AND WALK ME THROUGH YOUR PROCESS

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Closing the interview

Ask how best to FOLLOW-UP

Ask for their BUSINESS CARD

Use their NAME

Reiterate your INTEREST

End with a HANDSHAKE

THANK them

Have QUESTIONS for interviewers

Questions?

FOLLOW-UP

Send an email or handwritten card

Reference the interview – something you want to emphasize or something unsaid that you want them to know

Reiterate your interest in the position

Thank them for the opportunity again

Reference an answer they gave you to one of your end of interview questions

If you interviewed with multiple people make sure the follow-up is personalized to each person

Closing the interview

Use Your Skills Matrix

Listen to the

Questions

Answer the

Questions Asked

& Smile

TIPS

But not likeThis…

PRACTICE YOUR

ANSWERS

Takeaways?

Weekly Homework: Resume/Cover Letter Due Friday @ 2:00pm • Submit through COOL & Turnitin with Job Posting

Employment Interviews April 7th , 8th , & 9th

• Sign up on COOL by April 1st @ 11:59pm

Informational Interview due April 17th @ 2:00pm• This is during exam time

LECTURE NEXT WEEK!

Have a great weekend!