Discussion 6 – Job Interview

Week 10 (October 19 – October 25, 2020)

Topic – Job Interview (emails and phone calls to arrange appointments, attire, interview questions & answers, possible follow-up emails and phone calls after interview)

1. Please post your responses (25 sentences or more, website/s used in your discussion will not be counted toward the sentences) on the topic under Discussions – Career Goals on Canvas. Please share your findings, opinions, how the topic/learning changed your view toward the topic now, possible questions, and more with classmates.

First posting due: Thursday, Week 10, 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Canvas

2. Please read your classmates’ responses and add your thoughtful comments or opinions (9 sentences or more each) about TWO of the classmates’ discussion postings.

Two follow-up postings due: Sunday, Week 10, 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Canvas

3. Please pay attention to the Academic Integrity and Plagiarism under the Course Policies of the course syllabus.

Week 10 (October 19 – October 25, 2020)

• Discussion Topic 6: Job Interview (emails and phone calls to arrange appointments, attire, interview questions & answers, possible follow-up emails and phone calls after interview)

• To Watch/Read:

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/job-interview-questions-and-answers-2061204

https://www.job-hunt.org/job_interviews/job-interviewing.shtml

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/welcome?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/understand-who-is-conducting-the-interview?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-tell-me-about-your-strengths?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-tell-me-about-your-weaknesses?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-why-are-you-interested-in-our-company?autoplay=true&u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-why-did-you-leave-your-previous-company?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-are-you-willing-to-relocate-or-travel?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-what-would-you-like-to-accomplish-in-the-first-90-days?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-when-have-you-gone-above-and-beyond-at-work?autoplay=true&u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-tell-me-how-you-handled-a-difficult-situation?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-how-did-you-handle-a-disagreement-with-your-boss?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/mastering-common-interview-questions/how-to-respond-what-makes-you-interesting?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/tech-soft-skills-searching-interviewing-and-landing-a-job/communicating-with-the-recruiter?u=42379116 (Links to an external site.)

student 1

• To this date, I’ve only had two ‘real’ interviews and only one of them lead me to working after. The first was for Braums and looking back on it I realize that I didn’t know the answers to some of her questions. She asked about how many hours I wanted to work a week and I had no idea. That interview wasn’t very good because I was just there because my parents told me I needed a job.The two interviews I had can give me ideas of regularly asked questions but when comparing them to an interview for something like a graphic design position won’t be beneficial. I understand that the interview will be more professional and there will be less of a guarantee that I’ll get the job. Fast food places are more likely to hire because they are able to pay more people and they generally need a lot of help with their day-to-day shifts. It isn’t the same for a more professional job.
  I believe that it would be a good idea to research a potential job and try to find out what they may be looking for and decide if you would fit that description. I know that most people would try to respond to questions based on what they think the interviewer wants to hear, but I personally would rather find a job that will suit me and that I will fit into better. I’ve always worried about that idea though, because I’ve never been the best at customer service, but not in a bad way. It’s more of social anxiety and being really quiet when I talk.
  I don’t have experience with emailing for a job so I have to think about being professional and knowing what they want to be said before I end up messing up the first impression. The call to set up the interview is familiar to me but I’m not sure if it would work the same way.Since the interview would be a more convincing first impression, the clothes you wear would be influential depending on the job. I believe one thing you can’t control is how the interviewer may interpret you even if you try your hardest to be what they want.It’s always something I worry about
• student 2

  For both of the jobs I have worked, I was interviewed before being hired. First I applied online, then called on the phone to schedule an interview in person. My interview for my first job of a few questions I had heard of was very short and sweet. I had some experience in preparing for a career in a class, so I had an idea of what to expect, but also knew not to expect too much as this was an extremely entry-level position. The second interview I went to was quite nice. My experience at my previous job and my eagerness to join the company made the interview seem very casual and easy. Similar questions were asked as my first interview, but I was also able to talk about myself in a more conversational way. I wore nice casual clothes for both and was hired afterward for both interviews. I literally never had to think about them again while working. The people who had interviewed me were people that I interacted with only occasionally afterward. So my current experience with interviews has seemed trivial in the long run. However, I could see my perspective changing if I am asked to be interviewed for companies that run differently. If I would have to work in a more impersonal work environment or an ambitious position, it would probably be necessary to do a lot more research and preparation. I would hope that I would only ever talk to people I have an interest in about things I am interested in for a company I am interested in. All of those factors are what I believe has made my past interviews go smoothly. If I really wanted to kiss up and impress a recruiter, following up with more questions or updates through email or phone would keep me on their mind and hopefully show some enthusiasm. At the moment I can’t imagine myself looking to be hired at a workplace where there is a large rift between coworkers due to hierarchies, micromanagement, or lack of communication. I do not feel prepared to sell myself to such an extreme in order to “stand out” for a job.