Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities

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2 Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities Informational Interviewing 2 Networking Inter-personal Skills Job Interviewing Active Listening Rapport

3 Informational interviewing can help you learn more about a company or job What is an Informational Interview? An opportunity, initiated by you, to understand more fully the way a company works and what it has to offer. Includes short-term (e.g., current job openings) and long-term prospects (meaningful career pathways) What can it provide? Information that goes well beyond published company literature An intimate and flexible view of the job field not available elsewhere A snapshot of day-to-day company activities How is it different from a job interview? It is less stressful It is controlled by you It enables you to ask more strategic questions INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS PROVIDE: Insights into company stability, and a wide view of career options within a company. It also provides opportunities to develop direct relationships with company employees 3

4 It is important to be well prepared for your informational interview Before the interview Identify and research the person you would like to talk to Research the company Contact the person you would like to talk to (e.g., by phone, ) Clearly state why you would like to interview him/her Schedule a mutually convenient time and place to meet (specify amount of time) Prepare a list of questions on various topics and back-ups During the interview Develop rapport Practice active listening Clarify follow-up Ask for names of others you might want to interview After the interview RULE OF THUMB: Don t ask a question if the answer could be found in printed or on-line material. Write down as much information as you can remember! Send a thank you letter ( ) 4

5 Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities Informational Interviewing 5 Networking Inter-personal Skills Job Interviewing Active Listening Rapport

6 A job interview is used to find a good match for a particular position What is a typical job interview? An opportunity for an employer to ask questions to determine whether you are a good match for a specific position(s) within the company It is also An opportunity for you to determine if you are good fit for a particular position REMEMBER: Job interviews are employer driven!

7 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories About You Tell me about yourself. How would you describe yourself? (Or, Use three words to describe yourself.) What are your greatest strengths? What are your chief weaknesses? What qualifications do you have that will make you successful in your career? How would a friend or professor who knows you well describe you? What leadership roles have you been involved in? What do you do in your spare time? What are your long-range professional objectives, and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?

8 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories Your Education Why did you select your college or university? What led you to choose engineering? In what school activities have you participated? Which do/did you enjoy the most? If you could do so, how would you plan your academic study differently? Why? Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement? Why or why not? Describe your most rewarding college experience. How has your college experience prepared you for the engineering profession? Do you have plans for graduate study?

9 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories Previous Work Experience What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why? What summer or part-time jobs have been most interesting or fun for you? Why? How did you get along with your previous supervisors? When have you been most productive, and what were your motivations? What have you learned from your mistakes at work? Give an example. In your last performance evaluations, what feedback did you receive about areas for improvement?

10 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories Work Setting Preferences and Job Values Describe your ideal work setting: office layout, dress code, management/staff relationships, use of technology, etc. Do you have a geographical preference? Why? What three factors are most important to you in a job? Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others? What qualities are you looking for in a supervisor? Are there qualities you don t like? What kind of communication is ideal between management and other employees? What kinds of rewards do you expect in your professional life? How would you want your accomplishments acknowledged? How do you define and measure professional success?

11 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories This Position/This Company Why are you interested in this organization and this position? What are the least interesting or desirable aspects of the job description? What do you know about this company/organization? What can you contribute to this position and company if you are hired? What will I regret if I don t hire you? Are you willing to work overtime? Are you willing to travel? Are you willing to relocate? How will you evaluate whether this is the right position and company for you or not? If you ran this company, what would you do differently?

12 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories The Future What do you really want to do in life? What are your future career plans? How does this position fit into those? How do you plan to achieve your professional goals? What goals, other than those related to your professional life, have you set for the next 5-10 years?

13 Job interview questions can be grouped into a number of different categories Behavioral (or Competency-Based) Questions How well do you work under pressure? Give an example. Talk about a major problem you encountered in the last year and how you dealt with it. Tell me about a time that you showed initiative and willingness to work? Tell us about what motivates you to put forth your greatest effort? Give an example Discuss a special project you completed. Discuss a situation in which you influenced someone or a group. Discuss a major conflict and how you handled it. Talk about a time when you missed a deadline or did not meet a goal. Describe a situation when you were asked to do something unethical. How did you handle it?

14 Behavioral interviewing is a popular interview technique To prepare for behavioral questions Be prepared to reflect on specific situations you have had to deal with that illustrate an aspect of your character or skills Have 3-4 good stories in your mind that reflect your character and skills Plan ahead, since the stress of an interview can make it difficult to think of good illustrative stories on the spot Rehearse several stories that illustrate your primary skills, especially conflict resolution, teamwork, and other soft skills Pay particular attention to skills required for the particular position you are applying for as you prepare for these kinds of questions. Use the STAR technique to prepare: Describe Situation, Task, Action, & Results

15 It is important to be well prepared for your job interview Before the interview Know yourself (e.g., your education, experiences, skills, strengths, and weaknesses) Prepare clear and concise answers to all of the typical interview questions Review your profile on social networking sites; search yourself on the web Know the organization and the position Talk to people in the field or company Research the company (e.g., business strategy, history, & products) Prepare list of questions to ask (that you can t find easily) Practice, practice, practice Practice your answers to questions with specific examples Practice getting to the point Know time and place (verify, and be on time!) Dress appropriately (err on the side of over-dressing) Be sure to bring your resume, a list of references, and a portfolio of important projects, etc. 15

16 It is important to be well prepared for your job interview During the interview Its show time! Make sure your are friendly and courteous to everyone Make eye contact and shake hands firmly Listen attentively Develop rapport Practice active listening Jot down notes as appropriate Answer the questions Be concise and to the point Answer the question that was asked Ask questions Show that you have done your homework Don t ask questions about salary/benefits CLOSE GRACEFULLY Leave a good impression! Clarify follow up (What is the next step in the process?) and ask for business cards or list of interviewers After the interview Write down as much information as you can remember! Send a thank you letter Follow up with a phone call if needed 16

17 Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities Informational Interviewing 17 Networking Inter-personal Skills Job Interviewing Active Listening Rapport

18 Rapport: a psychological closeness/ comfortableness Rapport can be thought of as an interpersonal relationship characterized by cooperation, confidence and harmony It is established at the beginning of the interview It is a time when the verbal and non-verbal actions of you and the interviewee are in sync It is unconscious human interaction Benefits - You feel less inhibited in asking questions - Interviewees are less resistant in answering questions - The value of the interview can increase dramatically! The degree of rapport you establish determines the degree of compliance you obtain from the interviewee 18

19 How can you build rapport? Be an active listener Engage in small talk (Save the tough questions for after you have developed rapport) Maintain good orientation Present yourself in a warm and friendly manner Call attention to similarities (Compliment & show interest in work/research) Enhance interviewees self-image (People love it when you ask their opinion!) Show expressions (e.g., genuine interest, empathy, positive recognition, easy eye contact & appropriate positive silences) 19

20 Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities Informational Interviewing 20 Networking Inter-personal Skills Job Interviewing Active Listening Rapport

21 Active listening: A structured way of speaker-focused listening & responding Active listening is good for getting people to open up, improving mutual understanding, and developing rapport Characteristics of an active listener Desire to be nondefensive Desire to be intervieweedirected Desire to imagine interviewee s perspectives & experiences Desire to listen as a receiver and NOT as a critic Talk is cheap; listening is rare 21

22 There are 9 discrete skills to active listening Attending, Acknowledging: Providing awareness of the interviewee Restating, Paraphrasing: Responding to interviewee s basic verbal message Reflecting: Reflecting experiences or content that has been perceived through cues Probing: Questioning in a supportive way that requests more information or clarifies Interpreting: Offering a tentative interpretation of interviewee s feelings, desires, or meanings Supporting: Showing empathy in your own individual way Summarizing, Synthesizing: Bringing everything together; providing a focus Checking Perceptions: Finding out if interpretations and perceptions are valid and accurate Being quiet: Giving the interviewee time to talk AND think 22

23 Active Listening is communicating that you are listening Attend to non-verbal (eye contact, body language, use of silence) and verbal (minimal encouragers) cues Ask open-ended (How? What? Could? Would?) and closed (Is? Are? Do? Did?) questions Be aware of focus of conversation (interviewee, interviewer, topic, or other) Reflect on what is being said (reinforce and support the interviewee & clarify the meaning of communications) Summarize (Outline for easier remembering, better understanding and showing relationship of main points) 23

24 In-class Interviewing Exercise Questions, reflections & summarization 1. Form groups of 3: listener, speaker, & observer. 3. Listener is going to ask questions, reflect, and at the end, summarize. 5. Share thoughts listener then speaker and end with observer 2. Speaker is going to talk for 2-4 minutes about (choose one): A meaningful internship experience. A particularly memorable classroom experience. (If all else fails ) the weather. 4. Observer is going to keep track of listener s responses: Open vs. closed questions Focus of each question Feeling vs. factual reflections Effectiveness of listeners summary Spend 2-4 minutes for speaking/listening and 2-4 minutes for sharing 24

25 Interpersonal skills are important in building exciting career opportunities Informational Interviewing 25 Networking Inter-personal Skills Job Interviewing Active Listening Rapport

26 Networking is making use of your connections Accept as many invitations as you can truly attend! Make a list of people you know Use Internet as a SUPPLEMENT to your networking strategies Before contacting someone, plan Schedule networking when you expect to have energy and confidence; take a moment to ground your purpose before making the contact Send thank-you letters (or s) for referrals Networking Make Networking a main task not an aside Assign yourself a quota of contacts to make every week Make contacts through (be brief & to the point), phone (by itself or as a follow-up), professional gatherings (great place to schedule follow-up discussions), social gatherings (it s OK to casually mention your work interests) 26

27 Networking shouldn t be hard it should build on your strengths Does mingling at professional events to network make you ill? Do you feel comfortable building relationships? Do you avoid networking and then panic? Keys to Painless Networking Like writing? Organize a review article in your field Like presenting? Offer seminars Like building things? Organize demonstra tions Just shy? Volunteer at professional events Prefer e- mail over phone? Call to draw attention to Low selfesteem? Recruit advisors to build you up Trouble following through? Seek mutual accountability 27

28 Networking Exercise Build on your strengths On a blank piece of paper Write your name in the middle & determine what networks you have: Business Colleagues, Former companies, Service providers, Suppliers Family Parents, Siblings, Extended, Spouse, Kids, Pets Neighbors Current and former, Parent s neighborhood Religion Affiliation Church, Synagogue, Mosque You Alumni High school, College, Graduate school, executive Sports/Hobbies Swimming, running, gardening, sewing Interests Travel, Cars, Art, Music, Languages, Outdoors Non-Profits Charity, Community, Professional Affiliations, Education 28

29 Write your name in the middle & determine what networks you have: Business Family Neighbors Religion Affiliation Alumni Sports/Hobbies Interests Non-Profits 29

30 Networking Exercise Build on your strengths Pick a network to start and do a complete inventory: Name each person. Think of person s profession, research, hobbies, etc. What do you know about each person? What does each person know about you? Will each person return your call? How quickly? Why not? Whom are you comfortable calling? Not calling? Why? Take a break and look at the bigger picture. Make a list of people to introduce to each other. Why would they like to meet? What are their common links? 30

31 Building Relationships is a lifetime process Why does the (business) relationship matter? It makes the process of following up periodically easier and more productive. It allows the network community to proceed and grow even when you are not explicitly attending to it. What is a successful relationship? Starts out tentative and fragile. Evolves over time to a strong, resilient bond. Characterized by increasing trust and commitment. Engages mutual fulfillment. Provides mutual benefit. Phases of a successful relationship Visibility: establishing a common ground; requires consistent maintenance Credibility: are you who you say you are (will third parties agree?) Maturity: a relationship that provides mutual reliable benefit 31

32 Assignment: Pursuing Your Career Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to develop your networking skills to identify possible internship positions. Option A: Interview an engineering senior or graduate student about his/ her job Option B: Interview an engineer at career night Due Date: (beginning of class) 32

33 Course Name - Date Individual Assignment Pursuing Your Career Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to develop your networking skills to identify possible internship/engineering positions. Assignment: Complete Option A or B below to build on your networking, interviewing, and listening skills. Option A : Identify one senior classman, graduate student or alum who has completed an internship or is employed at a location (e.g., company, university, etc.) you are interested in. Review the information on interviewing and active listening from the in-class presentation and your local career center (appropriate web links can be included here). Prepare at least ten questions for your interview. Write a carefully thought out, type-written summary of your interview, answering the following questions: Why did you choose this company and/or contact? What was the most interesting thing you learned about the internship/job? Why? Does this look like an opportunity you would like to pursue? Why or why not? What to turn in (Option A): The name of the person you interviewed and company/ university of interest. The list of questions you used for the interview. The summary of your interview. Option B: Attend: A local engineering mentor night or similar event, location, date, and time. Example: The Engineering Council Mentoring Night, Day, Date from pm pm, Location. The purpose of the mentor night activity is to bring practicing engineers together with students. The practicing engineers will talk about their experiences and answer questions posed by students. Review the information on interviewing and active listening from the in-class presentation and your local career center (appropriate web links can be included here). Prepare at least possible ten questions for the practicing engineers at the activity, and ask at least five of them. Write a carefully thought out, type-written summary of your experiences at the activity, including: What was the most interesting thing you learned at the activity? Why? What did you think were the most interesting types of work experiences (regardless of discipline)? Why? Did you identify a possible internship opportunity? Why or why not? What to turn in (Option B): The names and disciplines of the engineers that you talked to or asked questions of. The list of (10) questions you prepared for the activity, noting the five asked questions. The summary of your experiences at activity. Due Date: