The Interview: Rights & Not Quites

Transcript

Kristie: Hi my name is Kristie Mendenhall and I am a manager of the university relations department here at FOX Rehabilitation. I’ve been with the practice for about seven years now and over the course of my time here I have interviewed and screened a numerous amount of candidates, from administration departments up into clinical leadership. And today we’re going to talk with you about the do’s and don’ts of interviewing techniques.

Kristie: Hi I’m Kristie.

Vince: Hi, I’m Vince Gavigan, nice to meet you.

Kristie: Thank you for joining us. Have a seat.

Vince: Thank you. Thank you for having me today.

Kristie: So one of the things that I look for when I’m interviewing a candidate is their appearance. I want to see how well presented they are, you know, outwardly, as well as what they’re going to bring to the table.

But one of the things that I look at is their body language. When they’re waiting, you know, are they shaking their leg? Do they come across as extremely confident or overly confident? So it’s important that you are self-aware of your image when you’re going into an interview and make sure that the body language is, you know, presentable. So, you’re not shaking your leg outside.

Your handshake is another very big important thing that comes across to me when I am interviewing a candidate. I want to make sure that the person I am shaking hands with has a nice firm shake: should only be about three shakes, and they look at me directly in the eye. So that also says a lot to me. If you’re not going to look at me directly in the eye, I feel like are you hiding something. So you should be very conscious of these types of things that you’re doing when you’re at an interview and right before the interview.

Kristie: By any chance do you have a copy of your resume.

Vince: As a matter of fact. I do.

Kristie: Great. Perfect. I had some questions about your resume that I wanted to ask you.

Vince: OK.

Kristie: So the next point I want to talk to you about is resume content. Do you know yourself and what is on your resume? It’s very important before you submit a resume to an employer to know the content that is on the resume.

We do look at it. We will ask you questions about it and you need to be able to speak to it.

To piggyback off resumes, I would want you to know your strengths. What do you possess that you can bring that will line up with the qualities that we’re looking for for this particular position? So ahead of time, you’re already getting an idea of what will entail with the job.

So you shouldn’t match up the strengths that you’ll be able to bring so that we know that you’re a candidate that’s going to stand out, and your skillset will line up with what we’re looking for.

So a piece of advice that I would like to share with you that you can do prior to an interview to psych yourself up because most people are extremely nervous before they go into an interview, and so was the interviewer.

You know, it tends to be a stressful time for both people at this process. But as the person coming in for the interview, one of the pieces of advice that I was given by my mother was to tell myself repeatedly over and over again they need me more than I need them.

So if you say that in your head in the back of your mind, you’re not putting so much pressure on yourself to get this job but to feel more confident going in for the interview.

Kristie: So, Vince, that about wraps it up for me. Do you have any questions?

Vince: I do actually add a few that are prepared.

Kristie: So Vince now that I’ve explained the position to you Do you have any questions for me.

Vince: No.

Kristie: Another important tip that you should know is to always have three interview questions prepared so the interviewer is going to ask you, “Do you have any questions for me?” And, to sit there and let it hang in silence is not good. So you should always have three questions prepared. Have them written down. It is OK to bring a notebook with you. One question that I always ask an employer is: How long have you been here and why do you stay? This opens up a nice dialogue. It gives the interviewer an opportunity to talk and speak after they’ve been listening to you the whole time. So, you’re going to find out a lot of good facts, or bad facts that may be why you wouldn’t want to join an organization.

Vince: How long have you been with Fox and what keeps you here?

Vince: My second question I have for you: Could you describe the company culture for me?

Vince: Lastly where do you think the company setting five years?

Vince: So Vince now that I’ve explained the position to you, do you have any questions for me?

Vince: No.

Kristie: Okay?

Kristie: The last tip that I would suggest is to always follow through with a thank you.

Vince: Whether it be an email or an actual thank you note. You may see a picture of a horse in their office and realize that they like horses. You could find a thank you card that actually has a horse on it and sends that to them. I do like handwritten notes, but email is completely acceptable. But, do this within 24 hours of the interview and be sure to include sections of the interview that you discussed and accentuate why you are the best candidate for the position.

Vince: Kristie, thank you so much for the opportunity today. What would be the best time frame for me to follow up?

Kristie: Well, I hope that you found this video useful and enjoyable. And if you’re PT, OT, or SLP, that’s interested in joining FOX, feel free to jump on our website and go to the join FOX section. Thank you.