THE 5-PART INTERVIEW

The interview is the final hurdle most people have to cross in getting a job. Some colleges and scholarship
committees also require interviews. Being chosen for an interview means someone is interested in your
skills, knowledge and experience. However, a great application or resume can quickly find its way into the
garbage if you do not come across well in an interview. You now must become a sales person. The
interviewer is the buyer. They want to see if your talents meet their needs for the job or for admission to the
college. Sell yourself!

The interview is when you want to tell the employer or admissions representative about your strengths,
skills, education, and work experience. Knowing yourself - positively selling your strong points - is what is
going to get you the job or admission to the college.

The easiest way to learn something is to break it down into parts. The interview process has five distinct
parts.

1. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

6. Do your homework! Learn as much as you can about the company or college before the interview.
Do some research: ask people who work there, go to the library, look on the internet, make an
anonymous call to the secretary. Find out what services/products the company provides, how long
they have been in business, whether the company is growing or downsizing, the company’s
reputation, etc. An interviewer will be impressed that you have made an effort to learn about the
company or college. Read any material they send you!
7. Know where you are going. Drive by the site of the interview a day or two before the interview.
8. Arrive 5 - 15 minutes early.
9. Be prepared when you go to the interview. Bring extra copies of your resume, your portfolio, a
notepad with some questions prepared for the interview, and a pen.
10. Dress for Success! Hair should be clean and combed. Fingernails must be clean with no gaudy
polish. Keep perfume, cologne and aftershave to a minimum. Brush your teeth and don’t forget
deodorant.
Women: dress, skirt (not too short), or dress pants with a nice blouse or blazer. No excessive
jewelry, make-up, or “big hair.”
Men: pants (not jeans!), collared shirt, tie, sport coat and shoes. A suit is not always necessary.
Do not wear loud clothes! Be conservative!

2. THE START OF THE INTERVIEW (BEGINNING)

11. Inform the secretary/receptionist that you have an interview, whom it is with, and the time of the
interview.
12. When you meet the interviewer, look straight into his/her eyes, shake hands firmly, introduce
yourself, smile, be confident and wait until you are offered a seat.
13. Be positive in your communication (Remember: You’re selling yourself!!), don’t slouch, try not to be
too bold or too shy. Let the interviewer lead the interview. Express that you are happy to have the
opportunity to interview.
14. When all else fails: SMILE!!
15. DON’T:
Smoke, chew gum, curse, slouch, put your hands on items on the interviewer’s desk, fidget with
rings, pens, ties, change, or other things in your reach.

3. THE INTERVIEW (MIDDLE)

16. Always face the interviewer with good posture and body language.
17. Stay positive with your attitude and your answers. Let the interviewer know about the skills,
knowledge and experience that make you a qualified candidate.

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

 THE 5-PART INTERVIEW
18. Know your resume and portfolio well and be prepared to answer questions about them.
19. Don’t be a know-it-all! Express your willingness to learn!
20. Be honest with all answers. Experienced interviewers can see right through “little white lies.”
21. Be thorough with your answers. Never answer with just a “yes” or “no.” Always provide explanations
and examples.
22. If you don’t understand the question, ask the interviewer to explain.
23. Pay close attention to what the interviewer is saying.
24. Organize your thoughts before speaking. Feel free to think for a moment about tough questions.
Silence is not a bad thing as long as you do not take an excessive amount of time.
25. Watch for illegal questions, such as information about your age, religion, race, ethnicity or marital
status.
26. DON’T:
Emphasize your weaknesses.
Draw attention to negative attributes such as poor attendance, grades, being fired, etc.
Criticize former employers, co-workers, or school personnel.
Discuss personal issues, good or bad, which are irrelevant.
Discuss salary or benefits unless the interviewer brings it up first.
27. Remember that you represent a risk to the employer. A hiring mistake is expensive. Show you are
highly motivated and energetic.

4. THE INTERVIEW (END)

28. Ask the job-related questions you prepared for the interview.
29. You may be offered the job immediately. In that case, you should ask about specific salary, benefits,
and work hours. You do not have to give them an immediate answer. Ask for a day to think about it.
30. If you are told you will be contacted, ask about how long it will be. Offer to call in a few days to find
out the decision. This shows your continued interest.
31. Make sure the interviewer knows how best to contact you and that you are available for any
additional information that may be needed.
32. Thank the person for the interview and their interest in you as a potential employee or student.
Shake hands firmly on the way out.

5. THE FOLLOW-UP

33. Send the interviewer a thank-you letter soon after the interview.
34. Call the company or college about a week after the interview to find out if they have made a decision.
If they have not, find out when they expect to have a decision.

WHY PEOPLE AREN’T HIRED

♦ Poor personal appearance
♦ Inability to communicate clearly, poor voice, and grammar
♦ Lack of planning for a career...no purpose or goals
♦ Lack of enthusiasm and confidence in the interview
♦ Condemning past employers
♦ Failure to look the interviewer in the eye
♦ Limp handshake
♦ Late to the interview
♦ Does not thank the interviewer for his/her time
♦ Asks no questions
♦ Lack of knowledge about the business or the position

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

Questions Often Asked By Employers Questions Often Asked By Applicants

1. Tell me about yourself. 1. What are the strengths of the organization or
department?
2. What are your short-range and long-range 2. What are the career opportunities for someone
career goals, and how are you preparing to entering this position?
achieve them?
3. Why did you choose this career? 3. What kind of orientation and training is available
to new employees?
4. What do you consider to be your greatest 4. How large is the company/college? How large is
strengths? Weaknesses? this particular department/major?
5. How would you describe yourself? How 5. To whom would I be reporting and what kind of
would a friend or professor describe you? communication channels are there?
6. How has your college experience prepared 6. What are the long-range plans for this
you for your career? organization?
7. Why should I hire you? 7. How long was my predecessor in this position?
Why did he/she leave?
8. How do you determine or evaluate success? 8. How will I be evaluated? How often?
9. In what ways do you think you can make a 9. Is there an opportunity to transfer from one
contribution to our company? division to another?
10. Describe the relationship that should exist 10. What are the prospects for promotion in the
between a supervisor and those reporting to future? What are some of the qualities or
him/her. accomplishments you would consider important
for promotion?
11. Describe your most rewarding high 11. What is the management philosophy of this
school/college experience. organization? What is the general philosophy?
12. If you were hiring for this position, what 12. In what areas of the organization do you expect
qualities would you look for? growth?
13. What led you to choose your field or major? 13. Is continuing education encouraged? Is tuition
reimbursement offered?
14. What have you learned from participation in 14. Can you tell me about the history of this position,
extracurricular activities? and changes anticipated?
15. How do you work under pressure? 15. What are your expectations of the person in this
position?
16. Describe the ideal job/college. 16. Is overtime the norm in this office?
17. Why did you decide to seek a position with 17. What kind of support staff is available? What is
this organization and what do you know the ratio of support staff to professionals, and how
about us? is work distributed?
18. What major problems have you encountered 18. Generally, what percentage of time will be
and how did you deal with it? devoted to each of my responsibilities?
19. What criteria are you using to evaluate the 19. Do you work with daily, weekly, monthly, or
company/college for which you hope to annual deadlines?
work/attend?
20. What salary do you want? 20. Does the organization have a process for sharing
creative ideas?

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

HOW ARE YOU RATED DURING THE INTERVIEW?

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

10%

ATTITUDE
40%

COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
25%

APPEARANCE
25%

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

 MOCK INTERVIEW EVALUATION

INTERVIEWER:
STUDENT:
DATE OF INTERVIEW:

Rate the student interviewee on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) in the following areas of
interviewing skill.

NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS
1. Dressed appropriately 1 2 3 4 5
2. Firmly shook hands of interviewer before and after 1 2 3 4 5
3. Maintained eye contact with interviewer 1 2 3 4 5
4. Maintained good posture 1 2 3 4 5
5. Did not fidget 1 2 3 4 5
6. Used hands for emphasis where appropriate 1 2 3 4 5

VERBAL BEHAVIORS
1. Listened closely to questions 1 2 3 4 5
2. Answered questions completely, yet briefly 1 2 3 4 5
3. Greeted interviewer by name 1 2 3 4 5
4. Thanked interviewer 1 2 3 4 5
5. Emphasized qualifications 1 2 3 4 5
6. Pointed out work-related skills 1 2 3 4 5
7. Displayed enthusiasm 1 2 3 4 5
8. Focused on strengths; avoided weaknesses 1 2 3 4 5
9. Acted in polite manner 1 2 3 4 5
10. Stayed calm 1 2 3 4 5
11. Responded to questions promptly, but not 1 2 3 4 5
hurriedly
12. Knows when a decision will be made 1 2 3 4 5
13. Asked appropriate questions of the interviewer 1 2 3 4 5
14. Spoke clearly and at a reasonable volume 1 2 3 4 5
15. Demonstrated knowledge of the field/company 1 2 3 4 5
16. Avoided use of phrases such as “um” & “you 1 2 3 4 5
know”
17. Stated career goal(s) and related it to position 1 2 3 4 5

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

 Sample Thank You Letter

13 Main Street
Springfield, ME 04007
June 2, 2003

Mr. Joe Smith

Saco Defense
122 Main Street
Saco, ME 04072

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thanks you for the opportunity to speak with you last Monday about the exciting
possibility of an internship position in the Drafting Department at Saco Defense.

After our conversation, I was extremely interested in this apprenticeship and would be
proud to work for such a reputable company. I feel confident that my work experience
and coursework in drafting would be beneficial to the company.

I am available to provide any other information you may need and am looking forward to
hearing from you. Once again, thank you for your time, attention, and interest in me as a
potential intern.

Sincerely,

Waylon Smithers

LP6 – Interviewing Skills

JOB OBJECTIVE WORKSHEET

The questions below can help you determine what your job objectives

should state: what type of employment you are seeking; what you can offer

the company; where you want to go with this position.

Answer these questions, and write a job objective based on your answers.

What kind of job would I like to have? Three choices would be:

Job 1

Job 2

Job 3

What qualifications do I have for the jobs I listed above?

Job 1

Job 2

Job 3

What can I do to be better qualified for these jobs?

Job 1

Job 2

Job 3

What are my future goals in these positions?

Job 1

Job 2

Job 3
EDUCATION WORKSHEET

Use your answers to the following questions to compile information for

Education Data on your résumé.

List courses you have taken in high school, vocational school, and college.

Which of these courses have helped you prepare for the position you want?

In which of these courses have you excelled?

COVER LETTER WORKSHEET

Answering the questions below will help you decide what information

should be included in a cover letter.

What do I want from this company?

What can I offer this company?

What experience do I have that will qualify me for this position?

Practice Activity

Choose advertisements from your local paper for three different positions you would

like to have. Write a cover letter for each of these positions. Have a friend or class-

mate critique your letters for clarity, conciseness, and positive wording. Ask them how

your letters can be improved.

Practice Interview Questions

What can you tell me about yourself?

Why do you want to work for this company?

Why have you chosen this field as your career?

Why did you leave your last job?

What salary do you expect?

What are your career objectives five years from now? Ten years from now?

What do you feel your strong points are? Your weak points?

Which courses did you enjoy most in school?

Have you had trouble with any courses in school? Why?

How would you describe yourself?

How has your education prepared you for this position?

How do you define success?

In what way do you think you can make a contribution to this company?

What type of relationship do you feel should exist between a supervisor and subordinates?

What was your most rewarding experience during school?

Do you have plans to continue your education?

What have you gained from your extracurricular activities?

Are you more comfortable working in a large group or with just a few people?

How do you think you work under pressure?

What do you know about this company/job?

What do you feel is the most important aspect of a job?

Are you willing to relocate? Travel? Work overtime?

How do you spend your spare time?

How well do you get along with other people?

Why should I hire you?

INTERVIEW RATING SHEET

Listed below are some qualities used to rate potential employees during an

interview. After practicing an interview, how do you think you rate on these?

Above Average Average Below Average

5 3 1

Ability to Talk

Aggressiveness

Appearance

Courtesy

Enthusiasm

Intelligence

Maturity

Personality

Poise

Using the values given under each category, add the score for your answers and

determine your rating on the following scale:

36 - 45 Ready for the interview

27 - 35 Might handle it; could use more practice

9 - 26 Definitely need more practice

SUMMARY

To Do Or Not To Do, That Is The Difference

DO

Prepare a complete, attractive résumé that stresses your qualifications in a

positive manner.

Get permission from people you plan to use as references.

Write an effective cover letter that really sells “you.”

Fill out the application completely, accurately, and legibly.

Use the completed résumé as a reference for filling out the application.

Arrive for the interview a few minutes early.

Dress appropriately for the interview.

Go to the interview alone.

Bring résumé, social security card, work permits and licenses to the interview.

Greet the receptionist and the interviewer courteously.

Present yourself with confidence.

Research the company.

Be prepared to answer questions about yourself and your qualifications.

Be prepared to ask questions about the company.

Smile.

Follow the interview with a thank-you letter.

DO NOT

 Do not present a résumé that was hastily put together or has typographical
errors and smudges.
 Do not use a general, all-purpose résumé.
 Do not give inaccurate information.
 Do not present an application that is unreadable or incomplete.
 Do not arrive late for an interview.
 Do not wear jeans, wrinkled clothing, or outrageous jewelry to an interview.
 Do not overdo perfume or aftershave.
 Do not take friends or family to an interview.
 Do not act as if the receptionist and interviewer are doing themselves a favor by
seeing you.
 Do not forget your manners.
MOST COMMON REASONS WHY PEOPLE ARE NOT HIRED

Bad personal appearance

Too aggressive

Unable to express self clearly

Poor interest and enthusiasm

No career planning, no goals

Overly nervous, under confident

Too much emphasis on money

Not willing to start at the bottom

Discourteous

Immature

Speaks ill of former employers

Cannot make eye contact with interviewer

Messy application form

Late arrival for interview

Did not show appreciation for interviewer’s time

Asked no questions about the company

Could not give direct answers when questioned