INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
RESPONDING TO THE # 1 INTERVIEW PROMPT:“ TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF” A concise summary of yourself is needed in the form of a 30 second“ elevator” pitch at a career fair or networking event, as well as in response to the # 1 interview prompt,“ Tell me about yourself.” So, what should you say?
Do include: The Basics: your name, CMU major / minor, and year in school( i. e. sophomore) Experience: work experience, volunteer work, projects related to the position of interest Distinctions: your top, relevant accomplishments, strengths and skill sets The Future: your educational and career goals as they relate to the position
Don’ t include: Your age, marital status, ethnicity and other potentially discriminatory information Details about family, friends, co-workers, etc. Keep the focus on you! All of your work experiences-stick to what is most relevant for your listener Hobbies, unless you are able to make a clear connection between them and the position
Example Elevator Pitch Position of Interest: Human Resources: Recruiting Internship with Ford Motor Company
My name is Victor Chip, and I am currently a junior studying Human Resources at Central Michigan University. For the past two years, I have been the Recruitment Chair of the Society for Human Resource Management at CMU, as well as a Mock Interviewer for CMU Career Services. I also recently completed an employee recruitment and retention project with three classmates, and we won“ Best in Class.” I welcome the opportunity to“ Go Further” with Ford Motor Company and enhance my recruiting skills through this internship.
RESPONDING TO BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS The BAR Method Your interviewer will likely ask you a number of behavioral interview questions. These typically begin with,“ Tell me about a time when …” or“ Please provide an example of …” An appropriate response will include:
Background: orient your interviewer by providing the“ who, what, when, where, why” of the situation Action: describe what exactly you did in this situation and why you did it in that particular way Result: conclude your example with the outcome of your actions and what you learned from the experience
* Note: Including what you learned is crucial when the outcome was unsuccessful. Example BAR Method Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you successfully handled a difficult situation.
Your response: In my HR Training and Development class at CMU this past semester, I worked with two classmates to complete a semester-long training project for our business client, Enterprise Holdings. I decided to take the lead on the project, and delegated responsibilities and tasks to my classmates. One classmate in particular had been late for two meetings and did not complete his first task on time, so I approached him individually to discuss his tardiness. He mentioned that he was having difficulty understanding the first task and was too embarrassed to speak up or even attend the meetings. I told him I appreciated his honesty, and then sat down with him for two hours to clear up his misunderstandings and get him back on track for his second task. He ended up understanding the tasks and purpose of the project a lot more after we talked, and was punctual for meetings and completing tasks for the remainder of the project.
I’ m proud to say that we achieved an A on the project and Enterprise Holdings will be implementing our work into their new employee training program. I also learned that, as a leader, you should check your team’ s understanding of the tasks before moving forward, rather than delegate and see how things unfold without providing support.
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