how to ace your next interview - manpower...manpower interview facts employers are looking at you...

How to Ace

Your Next Interview Jill Kempka, ManpowerGroup

Michele Ellner, Montage

Sarah Doughty, Montage

Manpower

Our Agenda

• World of work stats

• Interview preparation

• Common interview questions

• Video interview tips

• Interview do’s and don’ts

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How to Ace Your Next Interview

Thursday, November 19, 2015

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Today’s Job Market

• Unemployment rate = 5.0% (October 2015)

• Labor force participation rate = 62.4% (38 year low)

• Number of jobs rising – more jobs

being added (+271,000)

• Still many unemployed

• Still many open jobs

• Talent mismatch

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Interview Facts

Employers are looking at you from all angles:

• 51% of employers will Google candidates

• 52% of employers use social networking to research job

candidates

• 48% of employers have found information online that caused

them not to hire a candidate, top reasons included:

• 35% of employers are less likely to interview

applicants they can’t find online

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Source: Careerbuilder, 2015


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What Interviewers Want

• Enthusiasm

• Problem-solving skills

• Honesty

• Confidence

• Examples of work

• Technical proficiency

• Communication skills

• Adaptability

• Flexibility

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Poll #1: When was your last interview?

• Less than 6 months ago

• Less than a year ago

• More than 1 year ago

• More than 5 years ago

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Today’s World of Interviews

• Many new formats

• Competition can be fierce

• Phone screen/interview

is often the first step

• Video interviews are

very popular

• Long interview process is

not uncommon

• Often meet with more than

one person

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Interview Prep

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The Traditional Interview Process

• You get the call

• Do your homework

• Dress for success

• Make a good impression

• Answer the questions

• Ask questions

• Keep it positive

• Find out next steps

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Do Your Homework

• Company research

• Interviewer research

– Uncover work history, past jobs, interests, groups, etc.

– Use Google search

– Use LinkedIn

• Prepare your interview kit

– Extra resumes

– Pen/Paper

– Work samples

– List of questions

– Reference list

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Company Research Questions

• What does the company do?

• How successful is the company? Sales? Earnings? Growth?

• What is the size of the company? How many employees?

• What are the company objectives and goals?

• How long has the company been in business?

• Who are the main competitors?

• Who are the key executives? What are they known for?

• Is the company publicly or privately owned?

• What is the general reputation of the company?

• What are the company’s major achievements?

• What are the latest news stories? Press releases?

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Finding Information

• Company website – check the About Us section or Press Room

• Annual reports

• PRNewswire.com – search for recent stories

• Professional associations

• Newspapers and Magazines – Forbes, Fortune, Inc., Trade

Journals, etc.

• Google/Google News – set up a Google Alert

• Hoovers.com

• Vault.com, Glassdoor.com and Careerbliss.com – information and

employee reviews

• LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+

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Dress Code Basics

• Dress professionally

• Wear business attire

• Wear clean, proper fitting clothes

• Style hair neatly

• Clean and polish shoes

• Limit jewelry

• Limit perfume/cologne

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Make a good first impression.

• Arrive on time/slightly early

• Look good

• Have a good opening line/greeting

• Give a strong handshake

• Smile

• Make sure your phone doesn’t buzz, ring,

sing, vibrate or make any noise

• Look people in the eye

• Be positive

• Keep nerves in check

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Overcoming Nervousness

• Focus on being confident

• Take deep breaths

• Smile

• Think of your accomplishments

• Build rapport quickly – shake hands, make eye contact

and confidently introduce yourself

• Find common ground

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Remember: You are interviewing them, too!


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Interview

Questions

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Poll 2: What is your least favorite interview question?

• Tell me about yourself

• What is your greatest weakness?

• Anything that starts with “Tell me about a

time when…

• All of them

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Know the Questions

• Traditional

• Behavioral – “Tell me about a time when…”

• Case – solve a case/brain teaser

• Weird (examples from Glassdoor.com survey 2015)

– How much do you charge to wash every window

in Seattle? (Facebook)

– How many children are born every day? (Apple)

– What do you think of lava lamps? (Boeing)

– What kind of tree would you be? (Cisco)

• Illegal – know what you shouldn’t have to answer

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Top Traditional Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself.

• Focus on why you are qualified – strongest skills, experience,

knowledge, relevant accomplishments

Why do you want to work here?

• Demonstrate your research, talk about the company, how do you

picture fitting in

What is your greatest weakness?

• Use a strength as weakness OR focus on match OR talk about what

you like to do least

Why should we hire you?

• Give a good pitch, how you can address their challenges, match

requirements 1 to 1 – plus bonuses


19 Thursday, November 19, 2015

Manpower

Top Traditional Interview Questions

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

• Share what you plan to have learned, how you’ve helped the

company, career aspirations

Why have you been out of work so long?

• Be honest, address gaps, explain your situation, share what you’ve

been doing to keep current and develop your skills

Why are you looking for a new job?

• Stay positive, need new challenges, focus on personal and

professional growth

What are your salary requirements?

• Offer a range, discuss and/or later as more is learned



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Behavioral Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to…

• Solve a difficult problem

• Show your leadership skills

• Come up with a new solution

• Persuade others to take action

• Deal with difficult co-workers

• Behavioral interview questions are

very popular

• Proof points needed

• Prepare examples in advance

• Know how to tell the story



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CAR Story Format

• Answers behavioral questions –

“Tell me about a time you…”

• Break down into a 5-6 sentence story

• Challenge/Problem – what was the situation

and problem, what needed to be done

• Action – steps/skills/tactics used

• Results – explain how your actions impacted

end product, what were the results



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Answering Interview Questions

• Be honest

• Pause for a second before answering

• Avoid ums

• Make answers relevant

• Don’t be negative

• Give details – data, numbers

• No yes/no answers

• Talk up transferable skills

• Sell yourself



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Sell Yourself

• You are a brand

• Position yourself as the solution

• Be enthusiastic

• Don’t oversell

• Don’t be a know-it-all

• Share what has made you

what you are today

• What do you want to be

known for



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Ask Questions

• Is this a new position? If so, why was it created?

• What are the top 3 priorities for this role?

• What are the major challenges for this position?

• Who does this person interact with?

• What is the company culture like?

• Why did you decide to work here?

• What do you like best about working here?

• What are the next steps? When do you plan

to make a decision?

NOTE: Don’t ask about benefits, vacations, etc. at the first interview



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Video Interviews

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Poll 3: Have you ever had a video interview?

• Yes

• No



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Let’s Start with a Few Definitions


• Live

– Two or more people connected through

webcams

– The employer may use a consumer chat

tool like Skype, Facetime or Hangouts

– The employer may use a technology

built for hiring

• On-Demand or Pre-Recorded

– You are invited to answer questions

using your webcam on your own time.


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Getting Comfortable with Video Interviewing

• Good news: all the advice in this webinar applies

no matter if you sit across a table or connect through video.

– Prep and research

– Stories for behavioral interview questions

– Get to the point

• Live is free flowing

• But on-demand answers need to be short ~ 1 min max

– Appearance

– Body language



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WIIFM? What’s in it for Me?

• Candidates benefit

– Provide more information to the

recruiter and hiring manager

– More complete picture of you

as a candidate

– Flexible, helps with scheduling

– Speeds up the hiring process



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Typical Questions from Candidates


• Live Video Interviews

– “Can you hear me ok?”

– “Why am I having trouble getting my camera to connect?”

– “Do I look alright?”

– “Where should I look?”

– “Am I in the right place? Where is my interviewer?”

• On Demand Video Interviews

– “When is my interview due? Can I extend my deadline?”

– “I’m not happy with my response, what can I do?”


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Setting Yourself for SUCCESS!

Today’s Job Interview: 10 Tips for Success

• Connect to your virtual interview prior to your interview

• If you have support, take advantage of it!

• Give yourself time – connect early

• If you have the option, re-record if you’re not happy

• Take advantage of the resources available to you

– Notes

– Practice pages

– Informational videos


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After the Interview

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Follow Up

• Email is fine

• Make it timely – within 24 hours

• Make it unique – not a form letter thank you

• Say thank you

• Say what you forgot

• Add depth to what was discussed

• Share an idea that resulted from your discussion

• Remind the employer that you are a great match/Reinforce

why you are the best candidate for the job

• Give them the top 3 takeaways/reasons to hire you

• Keep it short



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Dos & Don’ts

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Interview Dos

• Thoroughly research the company

• Practice your responses

• Answer questions with results and data – 5 CAR stories

• Be on time

• Turn off your phone

• Dress appropriately

• Be confident, truthful, sincere and professional

• Maintain eye contact and smile frequently

• Ask questions – including next steps

• Follow up within 24 hours



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Interview Don’ts

• Dress unprofessionally

• Fidget

• Chew gum

• Contradict yourself

• Speak negatively of past employers

• Answer your cell phone

• Lie

• Get too casual

• Assume you got the job

• Talk salary…until you get the offer



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For More Information

• General Career Content – websites, Facebook, LinkedIn

– Manpower website - manpower.us

– Experis website - experisjobs.us

• Manpower Career Coach Blog – manpowergroupblogs.us

• Experis CareerBrain Blog – manpowergroupblogs.us

• Follow Up Email

– Top 10 Interview Tips handout

– Webinar replay



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Questions?

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