Chapter 15:

Interviewing Skills

Communicating in the Workplace, First Edition

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.
All rights reserved

Interviewing is Important

Top 10 Interviewing Blunders

Dont prepare
Dress inappropriately
Poor communication skills
Too much communication
Talk too much
Dont talk enough
Fuzzy facts
Give the wrong answer
Badmouthing past employers
Forget to follow up

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Prepare for the

Employment Interview

Research the company

Business magazines, annual report,

company web pages, advertisements,
company facility

Increase changes of a good first impression

Determine if the company is a good fit for

you

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Prepare for the

Employment Interview

Update your paperwork

Most recent employment and education

Bring a copy to the interview

Personalize a letter of application prior to

interview

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Interview Questions

Anticipating questions is one of the

most important steps

Commonly Asked Job Interview

Questions

Why do you want to work for our company?

What are your future career plans?
Tell me something about yourself.
Why did you choose this particular field of
work?
What is the key to success in this job?

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Interview Questions

Behavior-based questions

Past performance is a good indicator of

future behavior
Applicants should:

Describe a past situation

Actions taken
Results achieved

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Interview Questions

PAR stories

Problem/Purpose you encountered

Action(s) you took to overcome

problem/purpose

Result(s) you achieved in concrete terms

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Interview Questions

Illegal questions

Employers questions must relate to the job

for which youre applying.
Questions about the following have the
potential to be asked in an illegal manner:

National origin, disabilities, arrest record

Marital/family status, age, rage
Religion, physical attributes, military background

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Interview Questions

Ways to respond to illegal questions

Answer the question

Refuse to answer the question

Consider why the employer is asking the

question; respond to your perception of
employers intent

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Participate in Your Interview

Time for success

Note time, place of interview and name of

interviewer
Consider traveling to interview site ahead of
time
Arrive early
Be courteous to everyone you encounter
Be prepared to complete and application
form
Bring a portfolio with evidence of
accomplishments

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Participate in Your Interview

Dress for success

Attire is determined for the job for which

youre applying
Guidelines for interview dress:

Clean and well-pressed clothes

Clean-shaven or neatly trimmed hair
Conceal piercings and tattoos
Subtle fragrances only
Clean nails
Dont smoke prior or chew gum during
Turn off your cell phone

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Participate in Your Interview

Respond for success

Be honest and give complete answers

Be positive about yourself and past
experiences
Avoid one or two word responses
Give concrete examples
Paraphrase the question to avoid
misunderstanding
Limit responses to 30 seconds
Emphasize what you have to offer the
company

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Participate in Your Interview

Respond positively to questions about

weaknesses
Nonverbal communication

Sit up and lean forward

Make eye contact and smile
Avoid crossed arms and legs
Use head nods and attentive facial expressions

Ask questions and show interest in the

company
Avoid questions about salary, vacation
Express thanks and find out when a decision
will be made

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Follow-up After Your Interview

Fewer than 10% of applicants send a

thank you letter
May be the most important letter you
write
Provides another contact with the
employer
Sets you apart from those who didnt send
one
Should take place within 24 hours after
the interview

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Follow-up After Your Interview

Follow-up letter format

Content should:

State your appreciation

Explain what you liked about the position
Sound enthusiastic about working for the
company

Each contact you make is an opportunity

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Phone Interviews

80% of job interviews are won or lost in

he first five minutes of conversation

Tips for interviewing over the phone:

Select an appropriate voice mail message

Call back

Return the call immediately

Prompt response indicates your seriousness about
the job

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Phone Interviews

Choose the right environment

Stay focused and listen

Quiet surrounding with no distractions

Use paraphrases or clarifying questions

Practice for the interview

Pay attention to both speech and body
language

Speak slowly, clearly and distinctly

Its okay to request a few moments to think
Dont eat, drink, smoke, chew bun
Let your body language communicate strength and
poise

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved

Phone Interviews

End of a positive note

Thank interviewer for the opportunity

Ask when you can expect to receive notification

Send thanks

Follow-up thank you letter just as you would for

an in-person interview

Cheesebro, OConnor, Rios: Communicating in the Workplace, 1e.

2010 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

All rights reserved