Interactive Interview

PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

Interview a professional in your chosen field of study. DO NOT interview a faculty
member, an academic advisor or a parent or close relative. Your report MUST BE
TYPED, and a MINIMUM OF TWO PAGES. Note the due date in your syllabus.
The paper will be graded on spelling and punctuation, adherence to
Requirements, etc.

Job Shadow/Interview

Students will learn more about careers in which they are interested through a variety of activities, including a job shadow or a career related informational interview.

• Students are expected to show a clear relationship between their career pathway/career interest and the person that they will shadow or interview.
• Whether the student chooses to do an on-site visit or an interview, s/he will write a reflection paper following the activity. (questions follow)
• The amount of time to conduct a Job Shadow will vary according to the nature of the business; it will not be necessary to document the time on-site or the time to conduct an interview.
• A signature and date from the business representative are required

The Case Interview

Case interviewing is very common in interviews with consulting companies.
There are two general types of cases: traditional and wild card. Case interviewing requires you to listen carefully to a description of a situation and rapidly put together a logical and systematic way of analyzing and solving the problem.

First, you will receive a description of a problem with varying amounts of related information. You will have a certain amount of time to develop a solution and presentation; and then a certain amount of time to present. The key to preparing for case interviews is to practice with anyone you can. Practice with schoolmates as well as alumni in the management-consulting field.

Sample Traditional Case Interview Question

"Congratulations! The firm of your dreams has just hired you. For your first assignment, your client is a software development company that specializes in spreadsheet add-in products. These products enable spreadsheet users to do complex numerical analysis, run simulations, linear optimization, distribution fit, decision-trees, what-if analysis, and a host of other high-octane mathematical functions.

The firm was started by an Engineering professor at the University of Maryland, and has grown to its current size of 43 full-time employees. Tired of programming a mainframe computer to help with his routine but sophisticated calculations, he developed a program for his work. He soon realized the market potential and began this firm to help reach that potential.

Now, 12 years later, the product has developed a loyal following, but has yet to break wide open. Current uses of the main product lines include professionals in the petroleum industry, financial markets, manufacturing, health care, academia, and others."

Solution/Structure for this Case Interview Question

• Determine a mission - what is the purpose of this engagement/case? In this example it is to increase product sales for the client.
• Define the problem and analyze why it exists.
• Examine target segment - who uses the product, who isn't but should use the product?
• Analyze the product - who would use it and why, what are the substitutes and competition?
• Examine the channels of distribution.
• Provide options and rationale for each one.

Tips for Effective Case Interviewing

Always write things down! Bring a pad of paper and a pen to write notes while listening to the case.

Take your time. After hearing the entire case, don't be afraid to ask the interviewer for time to collect your thoughts.

Never panic. Remember that you're not expected to know everything about the industry...ask for clarifications and assistance if you need some.

Read all information before proceeding. Especially check for information on the back of the page!

Clarify what you don't understand.
The interviewer may be asking intentionally ambiguous questions to see your reaction.

State what you don't know. You may need to make crucial, underlying assumptions if the interviewer doesn't give you needed information.

Give an outline before you dive in. After you've thought about it, tell your interviewer how you plan to structure your response. He may tell you not to worry about certain information you planned on discussing.

Your approach is more important than the solution. The interviewer is looking to see how you analyze a problem, how you think, and how you present. Make sure your approach is logical, creative, and leads to an implementable solution.

Still make sure that you answer the question. Yes, the interviewer is more interested in the approach used than the actual answer, but you still want to make sure that you provide an answer to the question.

Use visuals if appropriate. Don't be afraid to be creative if the question makes you think you should be.

Treat the interview as a client-consultant interaction. Always treat the interviewer as a client and give him answers that a high-paying client would expect from a consultant.

Be professional and try to hide your nervousness. Everyone is nervous in these situations, but a firm wants someone who will impress their clients with confidence and professionalism.

Mimic the interviewer's personality and physical movements. If the interviewer crosses his legs, then you should, too. If the interviewer is acting either nice or aggressive and demanding, you should respond in the same manner.

Be prepared to use different languages. If you mentioned that you could speak another language on your resume, don't be surprised if you are interviewed in that language.

Watch for deflections. Interviewers will sometimes purposefully not answer a question to see how you react. If you believe it is important, and unless they tell you otherwise, keep pressing for the answer.

Watch for feedback. Most case interviewers are willing to help you...watch for body language and listen for verbal clues.

Benchmark your progress. During the interview don't be afraid to ask if you're on the right track or if there's any information you're missing.

Video interviews are becoming more commonplace in the workplace. As hiring becomes more global, both for employers and candidates, video interviewing is a way to expedite the interview process. Hiring managers and recruiters can conduct first round interviews more quickly, save on transportation costs, and get the interview process started much faster using video conferencing than they can scheduling in-person interviews.

Group Interview

The group interview helps the company get a glimpse of how you interact with peers-are you timid or bossy, are you attentive or do you seek attention, do others turn to you instinctively, or do you compete for authority? The interviewer also wants to view what your tools of persuasion are: do you use argumentation and careful reasoning to gain support or do you divide and conquer? The interviewer might call on you to discuss an issue with the other candidates, solve a problem collectively, or discuss your peculiar qualifications in front of the other candidates.

This environment might seem overwhelming or hard to control, but there are a few tips that will help you navigate the group interview successfully:

• Observe to determine the dynamics the interviewer establishes and try to discern the rules of the game. If you are unsure of what is expected from you, ask for clarification from the interviewer.
• Treat others with respect while exerting influence over others.
• Avoid overt power conflicts, which will make you look uncooperative and immature.
• Keep an eye on the interviewer throughout the process so that you do not miss important cues

Committee Interview

An interview committee is not a leaderless group formed for the expressed purpose of building community and collegiality. That is to say that you should manage a process that is sensitive, respectful and supportive. You need the members to want to attend, to contribute, to cooperate, and to communicate. However,
Responsibilities such as organization, record keeping, coordinating schedules, and completing the task are
yours.

type of Interview

On the opposite end of the stress spectrum from screening interviews is the informational interview. A meeting that you initiate, the informational interview is underutilized by job-seekers who might otherwise consider themselves savvy to the merits of networking. Job seekers ostensibly secure informational meetings in order to seek the advice of someone in their current or desired field as well as to gain further references to people who can lend insight. Employers that like to stay apprised of available talent even when they do not have current job openings, are often open to informational interviews, especially if they like to share their knowledge, feel flattered by your interest, or esteem the mutual friend that connected you to them. During an informational interview, the jobseeker and employer exchange information and get to know one another better without reference to a specific job opening.

This takes off some of the performance pressure, but be intentional nonetheless:

• Come prepared with thoughtful questions about the field and the company.
• Gain references to other people and make sure that the interviewer would be comfortable if you contact other people and use his or her name.
• Give the interviewer your card, contact information and resume.
• Write a thank you note to the interviewer.

  Screening interviewers often have honed skills to determine whether there is anything that might disqualify you for the position. Remember-they do not need to know whether you are the best fit for the position, only whether you are not a match. For this reason, screeners tend to dig for dirt. Screeners will hone in on gaps in your employment history or pieces of information that look inconsistent. They also will want to know from the outset whether you will be too expensive for the company.

  
  Some tips for maintaining confidence during screening interviews:

• Highlight your accomplishments and qualifications.
• Get into the straightforward groove. Personality is not as important to the screener as verifying your qualifications. Answer questions directly and succinctly. Save your winning personality for the person making hiring decisions!
• Be tactful about addressing income requirements. Give a range, and try to avoid giving specifics by replying, "I would be willing to consider your best offer."
• If the interview is conducted by phone, it is helpful to have note cards with your vital information sitting next to the phone. That way, whether the interviewer catches you sleeping or vacuuming the floor, you will be able to switch gears quickly.
  

One-on-One Job Interview

The one-on-one format is the most familiar and common format in job interviewing. It's about two people sitting down to have a conversation. In this case, the conversation has a particular purpose: To determine whether there is a natural fit between the interviewer, the applicant and the job available. Both parties will leave this conversation with some kind of a judgment. The interviewer will know whether you can fulfill the responsibilities of the position, and you will know whether or not this is the right position, and company, for you to utilize and expand upon your talents.

Individual Interview

Individual interviews typically refer to talking with one user at a time (for 30 minutes to an hour) face to face, by telephone, or with instant messaging or other computer-aided means. These interviews do not involve watching a user work. Thus, this is different from interviewing users in a usability testing session or conducting contextual interviews