Ed BrodkaUB Career Services

The Interview

• What is it?

– A conversation between the candidate and

the employer to see if there is a “fit”

between the candidate and the

organization’s opportunity.

– A time for candidates and organizations to

learn about each other.

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Interviewing for Grad or Professional School

VS.

Interviewing for a Job/Internship

• In a Grad/Prof school interview they not only want to

know you will be a good Pharmacist, they want to know

you will be a good Pharmacy school student.

• Be ready to talk about your study skills, time

management and what you know about the difference

between being an undergrad and a grad/prof student.

• Keep in mind that you should try to get a graduate

assistantship or fellowship which is really a job.

Things To Consider

• You should prepare for each interview

individually - for a specific position with a

specific organization.

• You need to demonstrate your knowledge of

and interest in that particular organization.

• It is a two-way conversation. You both have a

need for information.

• Don’t sell yourself short! Practice talking about

yourself in a positive way.

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Four Important Topics

• Preparation

• Research

• Your Appearance

• The Actual Interview

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Preparation

• Conduct an inventory of yourself!

– What are your accomplishments, skills,

experiences, degrees, courses taken, etc.

– Which items most closely match that

organization’s needs or would fit the

job/internship description?

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Preparation Continued

• Do not overuse clichés - e.g. “I am a

hard worker”.

• It is better to give specific examples of

how hard you work.– “I maintained a 3.6 GPA while working part time

and being the vice-president of my student

club.”

– “I am the first person my boss comes to when she

needs something done quickly and accurately.”

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Preparation Continued• Make sure you prepare for some basic

interview questions such as:– Tell me about yourself. (Tell them about

your skills/abilities/experiences – not about your age, family, or friends!)

– Why should I hire you? (Again – tell them about your skills/abilities/experiences and how you would be a fit for their organization.)

– What do you know about our organization? (Hopefully a lot! Which brings us to the next part of our workshop.)

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Preparation Continued• Determine which of your strengths you want to

discuss in the interview.

• Think of the organization’s specialty or use the position description for ideas on which strengths to focus.

• To prove that you have a particular skill have your answers go from a general statement to a specific example. (e.g. “I consider myself an organized person, for example, I supervised our maintenance staff conducting all hiring, training, and scheduling of a staff of 10 which included both part and full time employees.”)

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Here are 5 common answers to the

question:

What are your strengths?

1. “I work well with others.”

2. “I have good communication skills.”

3. “I am organized”

4. “I am creative.”

5. “I am a hard worker”.

How can StrengthsQuest help?

It expands our vocabulary about our talents.

How?

Based on Gallup polling company’s 40 year study of human strengths, scientists lead by Donald Clifton created a language of 34 most common themes of talent that are used when people are

successful.

To take StrengthsQuest, go to www.strenghtsquest.com(click on “Purchase”)

After taking the assessment, call 645-2231 to schedule an appointment with a career counselor to go over your

results.

Research the Company• Would you hire someone who knew nothing

about your business? Probably not!

• Demonstrate that you have done your research on the organization!

• The more you know about them the more confident they will be in hiring you.

• Find out the following:– What are their products, clients, specialties, etc.?

– What skills & qualities are organizations seeking in that field?

– Learn and incorporate the “buzz” words for your profession in your responses.

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Research Continued

• Read everything you can about the organization.

• Visit the organization’s website.

• Utilize our career services website for tips on “Researching Employers”

• Try to find something about their organization that they didn’t think you would know.

• Use LinkedIn to research the company and view Linkedin profiles of those who work there.

• Find UB Alumni on LinkedIn who work at that company and let them know you are interviewing there.

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More on LinkedIn• Go to www.students.linkedin.com for tips on how to

create and use your LinkedIn profile.

• Create a new LinkedIn profile at as you would a professional looking resume, http://linkedin.comhttp://www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu/howtores.php

• Do a “Company Search” for a company you are interviewing with and you can see people in your network and alumni who work at that company.

• “Follow” the company on LinkedIn

• If you know who will be interviewing you, look them up on LinkedIn to learn more about them, how they are connected to you. Don’t try to “connect” with them on LinkedIn until after you get the job.

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Your Appearance• Dress conservatively – first impressions count!

• You don’t want to be known by what you wear, but by your skills and experience.

• Wear a well-fitting interview suit, preferably navy blue or dark grey – avoid dark black or bright colors!

• Be sure your shoes are polished and appropriate.

• No white socks!

• Females – no low necklines or heels that are too high (no more than 2 inches)

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Your Appearance Continued

• Wear very little makeup, jewelry,

perfume, cologne etc.

• No visible body piercings except earrings!

• Cover any tattoos!

• Practice:– Firm handshake

– Straight but relaxed/natural posture

– Eye contact

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Your Appearance Continued

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Your Appearance Continued

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The Actual Interview

• Be in your “interview mode” at all times!

• Be nice to everyone!

• Be patient and enthusiastic but don’t get mad if they’re not!

• It’s okay to be nervous and to say so.

• Most interviews start with some casual “small talk” – e.g. the weather, parking etc.

• They will usually begin by discussing the opportunity or the organization.

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The Actual Interview Continued• Next will usually be their questions.

– Tell me about yourself.– Why did you stop at our table?– Why did you choose to interview with our organization? – What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? – Can you name some weaknesses? – Have you ever had any failures? What did you learn from

them? – Of which three accomplishments are you most proud? – Who are your role models? Why? – How does your college or work experience relate to this

job? – What do you know about our organization? – Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years? – Why should we hire you rather than another candidate?

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The Actual Interview Continued• Have questions ready to ask them.

– What qualities are you looking for?

– What do you see as the biggest problem you will be facing in the next six months?

- Ask if they have any concerns about you as a candidate that you could address now

• The 3 P’s to Questions to Ask…Ask about the Position, Place, Person– Avoid bringing up salary issues in the first interview.

• Your last question could be about the next step in the process or timeline for the hiring process.

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Behavioral vs. Traditional Interviews

• Instead of asking how you would behave in a

particular situation, the interviewer will ask

you to describe how you did behave.

– “Can you describe a time when you had to supervise

someone older than yourself?”

• The employer assumes that behaviors you

demonstrated in previous positions are likely to

be repeated in the future, so you will be asked

to share situations in which you may have

exhibited these behaviors. 22

Behavioral vs. Traditional Interviews

• Remember STAR – Situation or Task, Action you took, Results.

• The interviewer will look for behaviors in situations similar to those of the position you are discussing.– "Describe a major problem you have faced and how

you dealt with it."

– “Tell me about a time you worked on a team, what was your role and how did it work out."

– "What class did you like the most? What did you like about it?"

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Practice Makes Perfect

• Use InterviewStream, UB’s on-line practice interviewing program.

• Go to: ubcareerservices.interviewstream.com

• See handout for instructions

• Do a Practice Interview with Career Services.

• Call 645-2231 to schedule it.

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Interview Reminders• Be prepared! Research the Company.• Show how you can meet the needs of the

organization - not what they can do for you.• Always bring your resume to the interview.• They can’t read your mind – you need to:

– Demonstrate your communication skills.

– Explain your abilities.

– Show enthusiasm! Tell them you want the job!

• Thank them for the interview and send a thank you note within 48 hours – email is acceptable, but don’t make it a casual email!

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Inteviewing Skills that Work

Presented By:

Ed Brodka

Career Services

259 Capen Hall

University at Buffalo

www.buffalo.edu/careers

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