General Interviewing Tips
1. Dress for Success.

Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Interviewers will form an initial opinion of you within the first several minutes of the interview. Remember you want the interviewer to listen to what you have to say not be distracted by your attire.

Men: Dark suit, new white shirt, conservative tie, polished shoes.

Women: Dark conservative suit or pant suit (no bright colors such as red, yellow, or pink), conservative closed toe pump, conservative jewelry, make-up and hairstyle.
2. Positive Body Language.

Shake the interviewer's hand firmly but not too strongly. Keep good eye contact at all times. Sit forward in your chair (it implies enthusiasm) and keep your hands calmly on your lap or on your arm rest. Smile.
3. Research the Company, Prepare Questions & Take Notes.

Before you go on the interview visit the company's website and become familiar with their products. Write down 5-10 questions in advance that you have about the job responsibilities, expectations, territory size and company culture. Never discuss compensation information on the first interview.
4. Bring a clean copy of your resume and performance documentation.

Have your performance memos bound in a presentation folder that you can give to the person who is interviewing you. You may want to leave a copy for them to review.
5. Close… Close… Close…

Remember YOU are the product being sold. An interviewer wants to see how you will react in front of a potential customer. He/She expects to be closed for the next step. Ask questions such as:

"What is the next step?"

"How does my background compare against the other candidates you’ve interviewed?"

"Do you have any questions or concerns about my abilities pertaining to this position?"
6. Send a follow up thank you note or email.

Send a hand written follow up note and email the next day to the address on the managers business card. Also leave an enthusiastic follow up voice mail on the managers work voice mail indicating your desire to move to the next step.

STAR Technique of Behavioral Interviewing

What is behavioral interviewing?

Behavioral interviewing is based on the premise that a person's recent, relevant past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, a behavioral interviewer will ask how you did behave. You will be asked to provide a specific example of a past situation or task to demonstrate the way you performed in that specific situation or task.

How do I answer a behavioral question?

First of all, prepare for an interview by recalling recent situations that show favorable behaviors or actions involving work experience, leadership, teamwork, or customer service. Be sure that each story has a beginning, middle, and end. Be specific. Don't generalize about several events; give a detailed account of one event. Use the STAR technique described below to structure your answer. Expect the interviewer to question and probe; for example, What did you say? What were you thinking? What was your role?

The STAR technique can be utilized effectively to discuss a wide range of experiences, work situations, extracurricular activities, and leadership experiences.

Sample Question: A behavioral interviewer might ask:

"Tell me about a time when you were on a team, and one of the members wasn't carrying his or her weight."

S
T		 Situation or Task: Describe a specific situation or task you have encountered that will make a point about one of your skills or strengths. Be ready to describe details, if asked.
Example: I was assigned to on a team to create an employee orientation program at a local company for my Organizational Behavior class. One of our team members wasn't showing up for our meetings, despite constant reminders of their importance. His behavior was affecting the performance and morale of the entire group.

A Action: Describe the specific action you took to remedy the task or situation.
Example: I decided to meet with the student in private, and explained the frustration of the rest of the team, and asked him if there was anything I could do to help. He told me that he was preoccupied with another class that he wasn't passing, so I found someone to help him with the other course.

R Result: Explain the result of your action. Make sure that the outcome reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable).
Example: After I found someone to help the student with his other course, he was not only able to spend more time on our project, but he was also grateful to me for helping him out. We finished our project on time, and got a "B" on it.


Sample Question: A behavioral interviewer might ask:

"Tell me about a difficulty you have faced at work and what steps you took to overcome it."

S
T		 Situation or Task: Describe a specific situation or task you have encountered that will make a point about one of your skills or strengths. Be ready to describe details, if asked.
Example: Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper,the Stetson Reporter, and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.

A Action: Describe the specific action you took to remedy the task or situation.
Example: I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of Reporter circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account executives with a School of Business Administration professor who discussed competitive selling strategies.

R Result: Explain the result of your action. Make sure that the outcome reflects positively on you (even if the result itself was not favorable).
Example: We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements. We increased our new advertisers by 20 percent [quantities are always good] over the same period last year.

 
     
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