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FYF –Find Your FutureMake It HappenInterview Skills

Agenda

• Learn about the interviewing process• Follow a typical Cape Henlopen student – Discover choices she makes to prepare herself

• Watch videos about interviewing – Analyze best and worst practices

• Practice interviewing with a partner

Learn about the company

Learn about the job

Conduct a self-

assessment

Write a resume

Watch a job interview

video

Practice interviewing

Dress appropriately

Get directions & reliable

transportation

How Do You Prepare for an

Interview?

Demonstrate a pleasant

appearance

Show preparation for the interview

Make a good impression

Communicate well

Close interview appropriately & plan follow-up

How Do You Interview

Successfully?

Take time to jot down key points

after the interview

Follow-up with a thank you note

Call back and check on your

application status

What Action Do You Take

After the Interview?

Interviewing

What is it?

• A formal consultation, usually to evaluate qualifications of a prospective student or employee • An opportunity for a candidate to share

talents, skills, experiences, and goals with a potential employer

The Story of Ima Student

• Ima is a typical Cape Henlopen student• Ima has identified her strengths and skills

through a self assessment • She has used the Career Pathway program at

Cape Henlopen HS to further her skills

How Ima Prepared Herself

• Ima chose the Business Information Technology Career Pathway and earned advance college credits

• She used technology (database, desktop publishing, and Photoshop) in her volunteer activities

• Ima is planning to do an internship in her senior year that gives her college credit

Informational Interviews

• An informational interview is an appointment that you schedule with a particular individual for the purpose of gaining information from an insider point of view

What Is It?

Information Interviews

• To gain valuable information for job hunting or to learn how you would fit into a particular organization

• To increase your interviewing skills• To enlarge your circle of “expert”

contacts and ask for other referrals

Why do informational interviews?

Common Nonverbal Mistakes

65% of Employers Say Clothes Could be a Deciding Factor

The Worst Interview Blunders

• Appearing disinterested or arrogant • Dressing inappropriately• Talking negatively about current or previous

employers

Introduction to the Interview Rubric

• Demonstrates a pleasant appearance• Shows preparation for the interview• Makes a good impression• Communicates well• Closes interview appropriately and follows up

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Interviews

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zeDniMeMZA

Now It’s Your Turn

• Practice interviewing

Selling Your Best Attributes and Selling Yourself

• Knowledge-based skills are strengths acquired from education and experience.

• Transferable skills are portable, and you can take them from school to job, from one place to another.

• Personal traits are your unique qualities that make you the person you are.

Typical Interview Questions

Employers

• What is your greatest strength?• How do you handle stress and pressure?• Describe a difficult work situation or

project and how you resolved it.

Typical Interview Questions

Colleges

• Tell me about yourself.• Why are you interested in our college?• Tell me about a challenge that you

overcame.

Let’s Wrap It Up

• What did you learn?• How will you prepare using the

tools at Cape Henlopen? • Questions?

YOU’RE HIRED!