Transcript JobInterview - The Connexions Project

High Stakes Communication
Interviews and Job Talks
The Cain Project in Engineering and
Professional Communication
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
1
Successful Candidates
• Analyze situation
and audience
• Organize knowledge
and experience
• Convey confidence
and professionalism
• Give great job talks
• Handle questions
Research Your Employer
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Mission
Organizational structure and culture
Products, services, clients
Research foci, facilities
Financial standing
Size and location
Sources of Information
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Web sites
Annual report
Promotional materials
Advisors, peers
Conferences and meetings
Journals
Know Yourself
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Assess strengths and weaknesses
List life and career goals
Create table of key job satisfaction factors
Stay aware of current events
Know Your Work History
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Evidence from earlier résumés
Technical skills
Supervising or mentoring
Service
Get Organized
• Review notes on
employers
• Match your
qualifications to
their needs
• Formulate questions
to ask
Show What You Know!
• Greeting
– Start with a confident,” Can-Do”
statement
• Road Map
– Deliver topic sentences
– Provide concrete examples
– Organize for clarity
– Adapt to audience’s interests
• Closing (memorize)
– Summarize qualifications
– Reinforce interest in position
“Map the Stops on Your Talk”
Time to Practice
with the person next to you!
Tell me a little bit
about yourself.
What are your strengths
and weaknesses?
Convey Confidence
and Professionalism
– Posture
– Gestures
– Eye contact
– Voice quality
– Attire
Being professional means that you . . .
Listen Actively
• Give full attention
– Eye contact
– Body position
• Focus on main points
• Paraphrase questions
• Filter emotions and distractions
• Ask questions
If Interviewers’ Questions Suggest
an Unstated Agenda . . .
• Obtain additional information
• Request clarification
• Seek recommendation
Time to Practice
with the person next to you!
What are your most
significant
accomplishments?
Where do you see yourself
in five years?
Success without Stress
• Breathe slowly
• Loosen up
• Eat
• Sleep
• Avoid caffeine
• Eliminate negativity
Turn Negative Talk
Positive Talk
--- I’m freaking out! I’m going to blow this.
++ I’m prepared. This could lead to a great
opportunity.
--- He/she thinks I’m an idiot.
++ The interviewer is on my side. He/she
needs me to fill important role in the
organization.
Practice!
Performance
Quality
• Rehearse out loud
• Mock interview with
different people
Thorough
Practices
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Get videotaped
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Keep a journal
Preparing a Job Talk
High Impact Presenters
• Size up the situation
• Organize the argument
• Convey confidence
• Integrate visuals
• Handle questions
Size up the Situation: Audience
• Who is your audience?
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Why are they interested?
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How much do they know?
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What criteria do they use to
make decisions?
What do they value?
Tailor Message to Audience
Make it interesting
• Provide background
• Define terms
• Distinguish between fact and opinion
• Use examples, analogies, visuals
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Non-Experts
•State
Experts
how and why
• Present limited background info
• Use language of discipline
• State inferences and conclusions
• Cite references
From: Barrett, Deborah (2006). Leadership Communication.
Start Strong and End Strong
Introduction
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Motivate interest
State key points
Preview topics
Establish credibility
– No apologies
– No “Today I’m gonna
talk about . . . ”
Conclusion
– Send cue
– Restate &
summarize
– Spell out
implications
– No new info
– No “That’s it.”
– No ?s slide
Keep Audience with You
• Create coherence
• Strong verbal cues
– Sequence
• Make intuitive
– “First”
connections explicit
– Contrast
• Weak verbal cues
– “And another thing”
– “So”
– “Next”
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“However”
“On the other hand”
Causality
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“Therefore”
“Consequently”
Handle Questions
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Anticipate questions
LISTEN
Repeat or rephrase
Watch body language
Don’t bluff
Wrap up well
References
1.
2.
Barrett, Deborah. Leadership Communication.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006.
D’Arcy, Jan. Technically Speaking. Columbus:
Battelle Press, 1998.
Image References
www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/ed/jobs.html
http://http://www.toastofchicago.org/sc-image.gif
http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~vladimir/breviary/dilbert-powerpoint.gif
www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/ news/october99/october.html
http://www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.jpg
www.nebhworker.org/images/organize.gif
http://www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.jpg
http://a.abcnews.com/media/US/images/pd_job_interview_030812_nv.jpg
http://www.tesl.iastate.edu/projects/onlineunits/kawaler/img/listening.gif
http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/06/tuesday_photos.html
http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/05/monday_photos.html
math.rice.edu/~lanius/ Algebra/stress.html
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/news/_archives/April2003/Stacy15.gif
Lead through Excellence
in Engineering Communication
More resources are available for you
•
under “Engineering Communication” at
Connexions at http://cnx.org
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at the Cain Project site at
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj
•
in your course Communication Folder in
OWLSPACE.