Job Preparation:

Interviewing & Job

Skills
Presented by: Kendra Canham and Emily Chen
 Agenda
➔ Preparing for a Job Interview
➔ Interview Tips
➔ What to do After an Interview
➔ Common Interview Questions
➔ Job Skills
➔ Employability Skills
➔ Activity
➔ Q&A
 Before the Interview...
● Take note of your strengths
● Know your schedule
● Practice interviewing with a friend or family member
● Arrange your transportation in advance
● Do some research- learn all that you can about the position and the
company
● Prepare all of your documents
○ Completed job application
○ Resume
○ References
○ Bring copies of these documents with you to the interview!
 During the Interview...
● Dress professionally or business casual
● Arrive early- aim to show up at least 15 minutes early!
● Turn your cell phone off
● Maintain a positive attitude throughout the interview
○ Show your enthusiasm and interest, smile, and be courteous
● Avoid one-word answers and saying fillers such as “um”, “basically”, “like”,
“so”, “actually”, etc.
● Hold eye contact with the interviewer
● Focus on your posture
● Tell stories (i.e., site examples from your previous experiences)
● Show the interviewer that if you’re hired, you’ll be committed to the job
(Christopher, 2018).
 After the Interview...
● Find out when you’ll hear if you got the job
● Let them know that you will reach out to them, for example, “I will plan to call
you next week if I have not heard from you”.
○ When you call, remind the employer who you are and the position you
applied for
● Send a Thank You note
○ Email or hard copy
○ Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you
● Reach out again, even if you don’t get the job
Common Interview Questions
● Tell me something about yourself.
● Why are you interested in working for our company?
● What do you know about the position you are applying for?
● What do you think it takes to be successful in this position?
● How would you describe your ability to work as a team member?
● What are your strengths and weaknesses?
● Tell me about a problem or challenge you have recently handled.
● What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
● What are your salary expectations?
● What hours are you available to work?
● Why should we hire you?
 Questions You Should Ask
● What do you like most about working for this company?

● Who will I be working most closely with?

● What are the most important values of your company?

● What do you expect from team members in this position?

● What is a typical day like at (company name)?

● How will I be evaluated during my first three months?

● What are the next steps?

(Indeed Career Guide, 2020).

 Job Skills
● “Hard Skills”
○ Teachable and Measurable
○ Academic and/or Technical Knowledge
○ “Technical requirements of a job” (Schultz, 2008)
● Can be learned through academic studies and hands-on job
experience/training (Schultz, 2008)
● Examples include:
○ Computer Skills
○ Data Analysis
○ Product Knowledge for Sales
○ Social Media Management
○ Reading an EKG
○ Performing an X-Ray
 Employability Skills
● Employability skills are a set of skills and attributes that goes beyond hard
skills that makes someone more hireable (Suarta et. al., 2017).
● Employability skills are also known as “soft-skills” (Andrews & Higson, 2010).
● Transferable from one job to another (Andrews & Higson, 2010).
● Top employability skills for the 21st Century Labor Market include:
○ Communication Skills (#1)
○ Problem-Solving
○ Decision-Making
○ Teamwork Skills
○ Innovation
 Employability Skills Cont.
● Includes Personal Attributes such as:
○ Self-Awareness
○ Self-Confidence
○ Independence
○ Emotional Intelligence
○ Flexibility
○ Stress Tolerance
○ Willingness to Learn
Thanks for
Listening!
Should you have any additional questions,
or if you would like to schedule an
appointment to talk more about career
preparation, please reach out to us by email
at:
➔ Ms. Canham:
canham@chapman.edu
➔ Ms. Chen:
yuzchen@chapman.edu
 References
Andrews, J., & Higson, H. (2008). Graduate Employability, ‘Soft Skills’ Versus ‘Hard’ Business Knowledge: A

European Study. Higher Education in Europe, 33(4), 411-422. doi:10.1080/03797720802522627

Christopher, Z. (2018). Winning tips for job interviews. Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology. 33(1),

16-17.

Indeed Career Guide. (2020). The best questions to ask your interviewer. Retrieved from:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/questions-to-ask-in-an-interview

Schulz, B. (2008). The importance of soft skills: Education beyond academic knowledge. Nawa Journal of

Communication, 2(1), 146-154.

Suarta, I., Suwintana, I., Sudhana, I., & Hariyanti, N. (2017). Employability Skills Required by the 21st Century

Workplace: A Literature Review of Labor Market Demand. Advances in Social Science, Education and

Humanities Research. doi:https://doi.org/10.2991/ictvt-17.2017.58