Men • Traditional, conservative suit: navy, gray, black or any other muted color or a sport coat with dress pants • Belt that closely matches the color of the pants • Long-sleeve solid colored shirt with a conservative tie • Socks should be high enough so no skin is visible when you sit • Polished dark colored dress shoes with dark socks—no tennis shoes, athletic shoes or hiking boots • No scrubs, athletic pants, shorts or hoodies • Do not wear strong cologne • Make every effort to cover tattoos • If possible, remove facial and body piercings • Neat hair style, clean shaven or closely trimmed facial hair • Watch and one ring if desired; leave earrings at home It is important to anticipate the types of questions that will be asked during the interview and prepare your answers beforehand. A quick internet search for questions asked during an interview for the position you are applying for may be helpful. During an interview, you will be asked questions about your skills and accomplishments, but you may also be asked about your professional failures or disappointments. Although you should practice answering questions, remember you do not want to come across as sounding like a robot or as if you are reading a script. Practicing in a mirror with a friend or recording yourself answering questions will enable you to become more confident and natural sounding with your answers . Examples of Common Interview Questions Tell Me About Yourself An opening interview question that is very commonly used is being asked to give a brief introduction of yourself. For this response, prepare a 30–60 second statement that is a strong presentation of your skills, abilities, accomplishments, education and experience. Refer to the “Elevator Speech” that you developed on page 8 and update it with specific details that relate to the particular job for which you are interviewing. Do not include personal information, such as age, • Trimmed and clean nails • Slim briefcase or folder Preparing for Questions
marital status, hobbies or family. Just keep your answer professional based upon your experience and training. Technical Questions At some point during the interview, there will be a discussion about the actual position. The interviewer may give you a job description verbally or may ask questions that specifically deal with the tasks it takes to do the job. It is advised that you review the job posting prior to the interview in order familiarize yourself with the advertised job responsibilities. These types of questions may also require that you demonstrate your skills by completing a task. Examples of technical questions may include the following: • What databases have you utilized to manage your information? • Have you ever done taxes for a small businesses? • What is your experience in working with pediatric patients? • Demonstrate how you would set up an Excel worksheet that includes formulas and pivot tables. Behavioral Questions Behavioral questions are based upon the premise that past behavior can determine future behavior. This type of question attempts to assess how you will act in a given situation, which gives you the opportunity to draw from a past experience and highlight how you handled and responded to a specific situation. Some typical behavioral questions are: • Tell about a time that you had to deal with an angry customer/student/patient. What did you do and what was the outcome? • Give an example of a time that you set a goal and how you went about achieving that goal. • Tell about a problem you have had with a coworker and how you resolved it. • What is the last big challenge you experienced? How did you handle it? • Discuss a goal that you set for yourself but did not achieve. What did you learn from this experience and how will this affect your goal setting in the future? Using the STAR Method to Answer Behavioral and Technical Questions Behavioral and technical questions are not the easiest questions to answer; however, by using the STAR method, you will be able to give a
48 CCAC Job Search Manual
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