Interview Preparation GuideAppearance

Judgments are made the first few seconds of an interview. With that said, it is extremely important to be dressed appropriately for an interview (a suit is the preferred dress attire for interviews). The key is to look as conservative and as professional as possible – try wearing colors such as black, gray, or navy blue. Keep in mind that people do look down, so don’t forget to polish your shoes. Women: wear minimal make-up, minimal jewelry and no perfume. Men: wear minimal jewelry, no cologne and be well groomed.

Verbal Communication Be friendly, outgoing and enthusiastic. First impressions are extremely important, and the goal is to leave a positive one. Have an active, two-way conversation, and don’t be afraid to ask questions during the interview, should it seem appropriate. Expand on the information already provided on your resume, but keep it concise and don’t ramble. Incorporate accomplishments and strengths in your answers. If asked a question that requires a yes or no answer, expand on that as well – why did you answer yes/no, etc. Tailor your answers based on the position and company for which you are interviewing.

Nonverbal Communication

Be attentive! Maintain good eye contact throughout the interview. Sit up straight in your chair, and lean slightly forward. Nod your head on occasion, and smile! The above mentioned indicate that you are interested in being there, you are interested in hearing more about the position that is available, and most importantly, you are interested in speaking to the person who is interviewing you!

Salary

Do not bring up salary. If it happens to come up because the interviewer asks you about your salary requirements, you can say “I am open – the opportunity is more important to me.” If you are pushed for a specific amount, give a salary range – do not give them a specific dollar amount, for that leaves less room for negotiation.

Self-Confidence

Be confident of your past work experience, your accomplishments and your skills. If you feel confident, you will appear confident. However, be careful not to be too confident because you don’t want to come across as being cocky.

Ask Questions

Remember to ask probing and open-ended questions, so you can learn about the company. The company is interviewing you to see if you’re a good fit, and you should be interviewing the company, as well. Ask strategic questions to demonstrate your intelligence, analytical skills, assertiveness and interest. If you would like examples of questions to ask potential employers, we can provide a list of suggested questions,

Close the Interview

At the end of the interview, let the interviewer know that you are interested in the opportunity. Find out the next steps in the hiring process, and feel free to reiterate why you think you’d be a good match for the open position and the company.

• Tell me about yourself. • What do you know about our company?• Why do you think you’ll be a good fit for this company?• What qualifications do you possess that will allow you to be successful in this position?• Why did you choose your college -- are you happy with the choice?• What has been your most important work/school related accomplishment?• What is the most important thing you’ve learned from your previous experience that will enable you to be successful in your next position?• What do you think it takes for a person to be successful in your field?• How do you feel about looking for a new job?• What do you look for in a job and a company?• Describe your ideal work environment?• What did you enjoy most/least about your last job?• How could you have improved your performance in your last position?• Why do you want to work here?• Tell me about your understanding of the job you’re applying for.• Describe your “dream” job.• Why do you think you’ll be successful in this job?• What kinds of people do you find difficult it to work with?• If you’re hired for this job, how will you approach the first 30 days?• How do you prioritize your time?• What are the three most important features to you in a job?• Do you feel you work well under pressure?• If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for?• How would you describe your leadership skills?• What do you know about our competitors?• Where would you like to be, career-wise, in five years?• What was your favorite/least favorite class in school? Why?• Do you have plans to continue your education?• What motivates you?• What interests you about our products?• How do you cope with stresson the job?• What does the word “success” mean to you?• How did you prepare for this interview?• What does “growth” mean to you?

Commonly Asked Interview Questions

• Tell me about a time when you and another co-worker had a differing opinion on an issue. How did you resolve the issue?

• Name a time when you made a mistake on the job. What did you do to resolve the situation?

• Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult client with challenging demands?

• Tell me about an experience you had working on a team?

• Tell me about a stressful time at work? How did you handle it?

• Tell me about a situation when you dealt with an ethical situation. How did you respond?

• Name a time when you received superior customer service. Name a time when you gave superior customer service?

• What would you do if it was five o’clock and your teammate still had a ton of work?

• What would do if you were asked to do something outside your job description?

• Name a time when you took the initiative to do something above and beyond what was expected of you.

• What would you do if you had a lot of things on your plate and something urgent came up that needed to be resolved. How would you handle this situation?

• Describe a time where you were faced with an irate customer? How did you respond?

• Name a time when you were working on a team and you disagreed with someone on your team? Name a time when you were working on a team and someone disagreed with you?

Commonly Asked Behavioral Interview Questions

STARR ApproachAn increasing number of employers use behavioral-based interviewing, which rests on the premise that past performance predicts future performance. Past performance examples may come from work experience, experiences while in school, interships and activities. Prepare for your interview by having several different “STARR’s” in mind.

Situation

Task

Action

Result

Relate

Situation: Describe the specific situation. Set up your story.

Task: What was the task you were trying to accomplish? Who, what, when, where and why (include only relevent details!).

Action: What did you do to solve the problem or meet the task?

Result: Specify results. What happened? Give numbers, volume, dollars, etc.

Relate: Link the skills you were demonstrating in this example to the specific job. Tell how the employer is going to benefit from hiring you.

Example: “Please tell me about your ability to work as part of a team.”

• Situation I have a great deal of experience working in teams, and I really excel in that environment. During my senior year I tool a marketing research class.

• Task Our group worked on a project for Career Services, trying to determine reasons why some students do not utilize the Career Services Center.

• Action To do this, our team decided to survey students as they entered and left the campus library. We had to work closely to develop the survey and to coordinate the times that we stood outside the library. We also spent a lot of time analyzing the date together and preparing our final report.

• Result As a result, our project provided Career Services with helpful data, and our group received an A.

• Relate I understand that this job requires someone who is detail-oriented and able to work well with others. I believe my education and work experience has prepared me well, as I have been required to work with a variety of groups in each of my courses and jobs. (Show appropriate examples at this time.)

Sample Questions to Ask • How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?

• How would you describe a typical week/day in this position?

• Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do?

• How long have you been with the company?

• What is necessary to do in order to succeed in this company?

• What separates the best from the worst person in this position?

• What is the company’s management style?

• Who does this position report to? Can I meet him/her?

• How many people work in this office/department?

• How much travel is expected?

• Is relocation a possibility?

• What is the typical work week?

• What are the prospects for growth and advancement?

• How does one grow in this company?

• Are there any examples of promotion from within?

• What do you like about working here?

• Would you like a list of references?

• If I am extended a job offer, how soon can I start?

• What can I tell you about my qualifications?

• When can I expect to hear from you? • What, if anything, gives you hesitation about my background?

Size: _______________________________

Number of Employees: ________________

History: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Product/Services: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mission/Values/Goals: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Accomplishments:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Research The Company

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recent News Articles: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Management Team: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Research The Company

Contact Information: Megan Gentille, Public Relations and Marketing

312.419.1700 ext. 1798 megan@thelasallenetwork.com

LaSalle Academy is an interactive career search training program provided by Chicago’s leading staffing and recruiting firm, LaSalle Network. Through our experience providing staffing solutions to over 1,000 businesses in Chicagoland, LaSalle Network knows what employers are looking for in their next hire.

Utilizing this knowledge and expertise, the mission of LaSalle Academy is to provide experienced professionals with the tools to achieve career advancement. Through targeted workshops, exploring different aspects of the career search, candidates will learn the skills necessary to stand out from the competition in today’s flooded marketplace.

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Workshops and Services

Formatting Your Resume to Land the InterviewExplores questions like: What should I include on my resume? Should I use a resume template? What format is best? What do employers look for when reading a resume?

Interview Preparation and ExecutionExplores questions like how do I best prepare for an interview? How do I stand out from my competition during the interview? What questions should I ask? What questions will they ask me?

One-on-One Resume ConsultationReceive a personal consultation with a job search expert regarding ways to improve your resume and help you land the interview.

Mock InterviewPractice makes perfect! Engage in a mock interview to practice your presentation skills and build your confidence for your next real interview.