Complete the Informational Interview Assignment at: http://www.perfectinterview.com/ucf/
What you have to do:
- Complete 1 "short" interview with pre selected options. Do 1 "short" interview where you make the selections. Choose at least 3 areas you'd like to work on the most.
*** "Alternate Response" & "Coach" can be used - You may choose to use video capture or no video capture. Save both interviews.
*** no video capture you will be required to type your responses. - Draft a reflection about your practice interview, commenting on the questions asked and your responses. Were any questions hard? ect. What were the strengths of your responses? What could you improve in your responses? How did your responses compare to the "Alternate Response"? What did you learn from the "Coach?"
- Give one question about interviewing or a piece of advice that you've gained from this interview or another interview experience.
- Click on "Review Saved Interviews." Click on the "Share" button. E-mail yourself your interview and include the links in your posting!!!
--> If you're really interested in further your knowledge go to the UCF career services web page or visit them! They're really helpful and its free! Information from UCF"s Career Services: http://www.career.ucf.edu/UserFiles/File/Plan%20for%20the%20Interview/player.html
******
So you all won't be lonely here's my interview from 2009!!:
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032385&type=standard
*********
So now that every one has gone through at least one interview, what do you think was the hardest part?
- were you comfortable talking about salary options
- did you already know some of the standard questions like what are you strongest qualities...weakest..ect,?
- do you think you'd do just as well in a phone interview?
I enjoyed doing this interview, I believe the interviewer said challenging questions that were needed. The hardest part I would have to say is figuring out how much should I say. I think maybe I could have been a little more detailed in my responses, but all in all I think it went well. I really never have any problems in interviews. I am usually comfortable about discussing the salary options.I have been threw many interviews and my strongest quality is talking, but my weakness would have to be whats relevant to the actual interview at hand, not to say something generic.I think I would do just as well in a phone interview because its all about what your are saying.
ReplyDeleteOnly question I have is how much information should you give them about myself?
here is my interview:
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/text_viewer.asp?id=486BDC5D-B67D-4351-8B35-EB01CD2AD20B&mediatype=WMV
@ Everyone:Pretty interesting info abot this blog and previous one:
ReplyDelete22 Secrets HR Won’t Tell You About Getting a Job.
partner
by Reader's Digest Magazine, on Fri Mar 4, 2011 What You Should Know About Résumés
1. “Once you’re unemployed more than six months, you’re considered pretty much unemployable. We assume that other people have already passed you over, so we don’t want anything to do with you.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know
2. “When it comes to getting a job, who you know really does matter. No matter how nice your résumé is or how great your experience may be, it’s all about connections.” –HR director at a health-care facility
3. “If you’re trying to get a job at a specific company, often the best thing to do is to avoid HR entirely. Find someone at the company you know, or go straight to the hiring manager.” –Shauna Moerke, an HR administrator in Alabama who blogs at hrminion.com
4. “People assume someone’s reading their cover letter. I haven’t read one in 11 years.” –HR director at a financial services firm
5. “We will judge you based on your e-mail address. Especially if it’s something inappropriate like kinkyboots101@hotmail.com or johnnylikestodrink@gmail.com.” –Rich DeMatteo, a recruiting consultant in Philadelphia
6. “If you’re in your 50s or 60s, don’t put the year you graduated on your résumé.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina
7. “There’s a myth out there that a résumé has to be one page. So people send their résumé in a two-point font. Nobody is going to read that.” –HR director at a financial services firm
ReplyDelete8. “I always read résumés from the bottom up. And I have no problem with a two-page résumé, but three pages is pushing it.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
9. “Most of us use applicant-tracking systems that scan résumés for key words. The secret to getting your résumé through the system is to pull key words directly from the job description and put them on. The more matches you have, the more likely your résumé will get picked and actually seen by a real person.” –Chris Ferdinandi, HR professional in the Boston area
10. “Résumés don’t need color to stand out. When I see a little color, I smirk. And when I see a ton of color, I cringe. And walking in and dropping off your resume is no longer seen as a good thing. It’s actually a little creepy.” –Rich DeMatteo
Secrets About the Interview
11. “It’s amazing when people come in for an interview and say, ‘Can you tell me about your business?’ Seriously, people. There’s an Internet. Look it up.” –HR professional in New York City
12. “A lot of managers don’t want to hire people with young kids, and they use all sorts of tricks to find that out, illegally. One woman kept a picture of two really cute children on her desk even though she didn’t have children [hoping job candidates would ask about them]. Another guy used to walk people out to their car to see whether they had car seats.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know
13. “Is it harder to get the job if you’re fat? Absolutely. Like George Clooney’s character said in Up in the Air, ‘I stereotype. It’s faster.’” –Suzanne Lucas, a former HR executive and the Evil HR Lady on bnet.com
14. “I once had a hiring manager who refused to hire someone because the job required her to be on call one weekend a month and she had talked in the interview about how much she goes to church. Another candidate didn’t get hired because the manager was worried that the car he drove wasn’t nice enough.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina
PLUS: 13 Things Your Tax Accountant Won't Tell You
15. “Don’t just silence your phone for the interview. Turn it all the way off.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
16. “If you’ve got a weak handshake, I make a note of it.” –HR manager at a medical-equipment sales firm
17. “If you’re a candidate and the hiring manager spends 45 minutes talking about himself, the company or his Harley, let him. He’s going to come out of the interview saying you’re a great candidate.” –Kris Dunn, chief human resources officer at Atlanta-based Kinetix, who blogs at hrcapitalist.com
ReplyDeletePlus: 10 More Secrets About the Interview
Things to Know About Salary Negotiation
18. “There’s one website that drives all HR people crazy: salary.com. It supposedly lists average salaries for different industries, but if you look up any job, the salary it gives you always seems to be $10,000 to $20,000 higher than it actually is. That just makes people mad.” –HR director at a public relations agency
19. “On salary, some companies try to lock you in early. At the first interview, they’ll tell me to say, ‘The budget for this position is 40K to 45K. Is that acceptable to you?’ If the candidate accepts, they’ll know they’ve got him or her stuck in that little area.” –Ben Eubanks, HR professional in Alabama
20. “You think you’re all wonderful and deserve a higher salary, but here in HR, we know the truth. And the truth is, a lot of you aren’t very good at your jobs, and you’re definitely not as good as you think you are.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina
21. “Be careful if a headhunter is negotiating for you. You may want extra time off and be willing to sacrifice salary, but he is negotiating hardest for what hits his commission.” –HR professional in New York City
22. “I once hired someone, and her mother didn’t think the salary we were offering was high enough, so she called me to negotiate. There are two problems with that: 1) I can’t negotiate with someone who’s not you. 2) It’s your mother. Seriously, I was like, ‘Did that woman’s mother just call me, or was that my imagination?’ I immediately withdrew the offer.” –HR professional in New York City
Copied from http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/22-secrets-hr-won-t-tell-you-about-getting-a-job-2461178/
I like this type of exercises because it really helps at the time of an actual interview. The hardest part or the hardest question was the one about the mission statement. I have some philosophies in my life but I have never narrowed them to down to one; however, most of my philosophies are to do what you can do best, and do everything to the best of your availability, and never give up. I felt more comfortable listening to their response about salaries, now I know how I can respond, and the most important thing to do is the research about salaries, the company and some other important stuff. I knew some of the questions, and I haven't been asked about most of them. I will do fine in a phone interview, I will have to transmit my confidence about myself and job performance and I am sure they will receive the message.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to my interview.
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032605&type=standard
First off, I'd like to say that I'm happy that I FINALLY have a computer at home that allows me to join in on the blog. So, I'll be doing a lot of catching up this weekend. And on with this week...
ReplyDeleteOne thing I caught myself on was being asked two similar questions which were very different. First, I was asked, "how many days were you late in the past year?" Towards the end of the interview, I was asked, "how many days did you miss in the past year? And what were the circumstances?" At first, I was like, "didn't you already ask that question?" Then, I realized they were two totally different questions. So, I really think I need t work on my listening skills. Otherwise, the questions were pretty standard, and I didn't find much difficulty in answering them.
One piece of advice that I would like to give is from an interview I went on last summer. Research the company you are applying to! I didn't do this and was asked if I knew any history of the company, and could see the disappointment when I responded, "No." Needless to say, I did not get the position.
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032686&type=standard
Talking about salary options doesn't bother me. I need to know if the job is going to pay my bills before I accept it. Most interviews I have been on are pretty standard. Though I have been thrown a few curveballs, like when I interviewed for a receptionist position at a local college. They put me in a room with about ten of their staff, and each one took a turn asking me questions. I didn't get that job either. lol I have had a phone interview before and would have gotten the position, except that they wanted me to move to Wisconsin. So, I graciously declined.
I liked this exercise because I really felt like I was doing the interview. I actually was a little nervous. I try to do the video but for some reason it did not record the sound so I end up doing the text one. The coach and the sample responses are really helpful. I will use this tool again in the future I think is a great way to practice and be prepared for an awesome interview in the future.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032687&type=standard
Hey everyone:) So this week I feel is something so important that we might not realize how important it could be. Interviews are something we all mostly likely will face at some point in our lives. Months back I had an interview for my current job at Universal Studios. I felt that I was going in there so prepared with knowledge of the position I was applying for and also practiced many of the general interview questions. I also had an interview over the phone and my best friend who is already employeed there practiced that with me as well. I FROZE during the interview when she started asking me about my flaws and how I would challenge myself within those. I also work for a promotional company and because of that first interview I felt very well aware of how to prepare. So good luck guys on ones to come, and practice :)
ReplyDeleteI found the interview to be somewhat difficult but extremely helpful. There were several unexpected questions that I was not prepared for. For example, the interviewer asked that I demonstrate my selling skills by trying to sell him a pen. I was completely unprepared for this task. When I watched the example video I did not find it helpful at all. I felt as if she were giving instructions rather than performing the task. I think my strengths during the interview where when I was asked personal questions. I was able to provide an accurate portrait of myself that was not provided on my resume. I feel that I could improve my responses by practicing and using this website. My answers were not as (for lack of a better word) professional. The alternate response individual was prepared and poised while I was fumbling for answers. I found the coaching to be really helpful. She explained what details I should include in my answers and how to approach the questions.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice that I have gained is to be confident! If you don’t believe that you can do the job than neither will the interviewer.
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032690&type=standard
@ Veronica, I agree completely this was a great site because I actually felt like I was in the interview. I will use this before going to a real interview!
ReplyDelete@nikim Having confidence is key. I sometimes myself struggle with it, but I then try to make myself belief that i can have any job i want and it usually works. Just some advice.
ReplyDeleteI found these practice interviews to be pretty accurate. They were very similar to interviews that I have had in the past. These are great practice.
ReplyDeletehere are the links to mine.
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032691&type=standard
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032691&type=standard
good luck to everyone.
If possible everyone should go back up and read the posts agaas pastes about the 22 secrets.
ReplyDeleteits helpful and relevant and may take the edge off a little when you start seriously thinking abut how you're going to go about doing an interview.
Also its okay to be nervous, if you're not then you are truly lucky!! But always display your confidence and know your stuff about the company and the poisition-- do your homework.
1. My interview was quite smooth, and questions were not that hard as I expected. Probably I had the easiest ones. I felt comfortable answering them. Compared to coach and samples, my answers were close. I have been on several interviews already, and some I failed, because I did not have much experience, or cared too much about a job. Some interviews were really successful, when I got the position, applied for. I still liked to go through this program, it was a great experience, and was fun. I did get some knowledge about several matters from this training.
ReplyDelete2. For example, the question about weakness and strength. I heard that it is better to pick your best weakness, but was actually advised to pick the weakness, which is actually strength.
3. My interview: http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032715&type=standard
o It is always a little bit uncomfortable to talk about money. On the first hand, you are afraid to lose position or respect, but on the other hand you do not want to get the lowest outcome.
o The questions were not a big surprise, they all quite standard and primitive, what employers call bona fide occupational qualification questions.
o Live interview is totally different story, even if it is phone interview. When you are in front of the computer, you have time to think about and compose your answers, you can take something odd back, and it will be unnoticed. In a live situation you have to improvise and do not have an option to delete the unwanted part or rephrase it.
@ Veronica: I think almost everyone is always nervous at the interviews, and interviewes know that, so they are going to cut you some slack on that. we are all people and to be a little nervous is all right. In my opinion, and life experience the only person, who is not nervous at all in a new situation, is a big liar. I do not know why, but that is my feeling.
ReplyDelete@ Adriana:totally agree with you that we all should do our homework. We are always have to prepare to be the best, but if something goes wrong- learn from it and find our hapiness somewhere else. I believe in whatever is done, it is done for our good.
ReplyDelete1. Overall, i think my interview went pretty well. I was confident with my answers and non of them were to out of context. The hardest question was if i was asked to do something unethical. Besides that, i answered all the other questions fine and i think an interviewer would be happy. I was concise and to the point.
ReplyDelete2. My advice would be to be confident and to the point. When people talk to much it is because they are nervous or unsure. That is when people start to go off topic and say things they dont mean or understand.
3. Here is my interview
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/viewer_flv.asp?id=D60A3168-79A0-4F49-9970-5977FDDCAE58&type=S
4. The salary question was a little strange becuase i did not know what job i was pretending to interview for. I think would do just as fine on a telephone interview.
for those of you worried about the salary question:
ReplyDeleteIf early in the interview you are asked what your salary expectations are, the best response is: "What
would a person with my background and qualifications typically earn in this position with your
company?" The best response if asked late in the interview process is: "I am ready to consider your
very best offer." This is one time you don't want to be specific. If you give specifics, you lose - you
will either be too low or too high, costing yourself thousands of dollars or possibly even keeping
yourself from getting the job.
If you are pressed by the interviewer for specific numbers, don't put them off with more than one
"end run" response. First, make sure you have done your homework on the expected salary range
for your field. Salary surveys (e.g., salary.com, salaryexpert.com, and wageweb.com) are skewed
toward the high end, possibly because only the best paid graduates responded, while those with
average or low pay did not want to admit what they were earning. So take them with a large dose of
conservative adjustment. -niu
@AGaas: I really like all the secrets of HR that you put at the beginning. It is great to hear the opinions of HR people. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete@nikim : I feel the same way in how helpful the website can be to practice the interviews several times and be more prepared for a real interview.
@ Adriana - that was really helpful even for me about the salary. I feel that it is so crazy that depending on the job depends on when and what to ask. So research on the job is always helpful:) For instance, at universal salary was something they brought up with me before I even had a chance to ask. For my other job, a friend of mine already worked for the promotional company and told me not to dare ever ask and she as well as all other employees were promised within to not ever repeat their rate, just an act of privacy. I found it wierd almost, but knew my friends loved their job. Therefore, I didnt find out what I made until the first time I worked and then was asked if a certain rate was ok or what needed to me adjusted. So those questions and answers are very helpful.
ReplyDelete@mnoahmiller your response to number two, I totally know the feeling! Sometimes its as if your mind just freezes because your nervous and all. I think it's one situation that you can learn from rather than look back on negatively and do things such as practice, I find that sometimes it harder to answer to my own friends I suppose just because they know me , and so when seeing a stranger asking it, sometimes comes more easily. :)
ReplyDelete@AGaas: Thank you. Your input has given some new insight on interviewing and resumes. Though I must admit, the one about them skipping over people who have been unemployed for more than six months has me a little worried.
ReplyDelete@Nikim: Confidence is definitely a must! It's like a selling a product. If you don't believe in the product, how are you suppose to get other people to believe in it?
1. I think that my interviews went really well. I was pretty happy with each of my responses and I don't think the questions were that hard. If I could change any of them I think I would think about my responses, I just tried to answer them in the time that I would be given in a real interview.
ReplyDelete2. I think the piece of advice I can give is to remain confident in your responses.
3. Here are my interviews: http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032835&type=standard
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032836&type=standard
- Samantha Dullard
@Agaas - I was also a little bit shaky on questions about salary as well.
ReplyDelete@JFishpaugh - definitely agree with you about researching the company. I had one interview where I definitely wished I had and left a little embarrassed.
- Samantha Dullard
I have always been nervous when it came to interviews. I loved how this site prepares us for real world interview questions. The example questions and answers were phenomenal. I feel like I have way more confidence now. The questions that were hard were the ones that dealt with negatives such as my lack of experience with software and giving an example of a mistake I made and fixed. My strengths were my enthusiasm and knowing my strengths and determination. My responses could have been worded slightly better to improve communication issues. My responses were similar, but with my individual style accenting the answers. I learned so much from the experience and the Coach! I will definitely keep this site available to me for all my future interview concerns. The advice I’ve gained from this experience is to be confident and honest.
ReplyDeleteHere are my interviews: http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032840&type=standard
http://www.perfectinterview.com/online/review_gateway.asp?id=3032842&type=standard
@AGaas
ReplyDeleteThe 22 secrets you posted were great! I've learned so much more about interviews and applying for jobs this week!
@nikim
ReplyDeleteI agree about some of the questions catching me off guard. Though at the time I found it difficult this practice has really helped me be more prepared than before!
-Mercedes Beaudoin
@nikim. the excercise for the interviews was extremely helpful for me, there were also questions that I definetely need to be more prepare for future references.
ReplyDelete@Wayne Bannatyne. I will save this website to keep practicing especially that are very similar to real interviews just like you said.
Just looking over my responses and realized I didn't answer some of the questions.
ReplyDelete1. Were you comfortable talking about salary options? - I am really not comfortable talking about salary options, I dont really know exactly what I should say I want. I'm graduating at the end of the summerand I dont know what to say besides that I want money.
2. Did you already know some of the standard questions like what are you strongest qualities...weakest..ect,?
Like I said above, I'm about to graduating soon and so I've been doing a lot of interviews and have heard a lot of the standard questions.
3. Do you think you'd do just as well in a phone interview?
I think I would actually do better in a phone interview. I'm a lot more comfortable on the phone.
-Samantha Dullard